Oxford Electric will soon be known under a new name.

The City of Oxford Board of Aldermen approved the utility company’s name change during their regular meeting on Tuesday, allowing for Oxford Electric to transition to its new company name, Oxford Utilities.

The change comes after Oxford Electric and the Oxford Water and Sewer Department, which have remained separate for years, merged at the request of the board and Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill.

Despite being separate departments under the previous arrangement, Oxford Electric handled all billing for customers connected to the city’s water and sewer lines.

The new company began operations on Wednesday, with an Electric Division and a Water and Sewer Division within Oxford Utilities and management for Oxford Utilities is in the process of converting accounts, such as payroll, to operate under the new name, Oxford Utilities Superintendent Rob Neely said.

Public Works Director Bart Robinson said he estimates that a full change over will take about six months to complete.

Neely said that customers will see no change to their bills as water, sewer and electric are already billed together, but that in a month or two billing statements will be mailed with the new Oxford Utilities logo rather than Oxford Electric’s current one.

In the same vein, the change over for the new logos will be a gradual progression for signage on trucks, uniforms and other items.

“As we purchase new items, they’ll be with the new name on it,” Neely said after Alderman John Morgan asked about money spent on new branding for Oxford Utilities.