How is my initial budget amount calculated?
The budget amount is the average of the previous 12 months of bills at your address. Charges on your account are added to the budget amount each month. Your account is reviewed periodically and your budget amount may increase or decrease based on changes in usage or an accumulation of a large credit or debit account balance (difference between how much is paid on budget plan and actual bills).
How is my budget amount calculated at budget review?
The adjusted budget amount is based on the average of the previous 12 bills at your address plus your total account balance (difference between how much is paid on the budget plan and actual bills) divided by 12. Any Products and Services (contract or warranty) charges on your account are added to the budget amount each month.
What changes will take place on my bills?
Your meter readings, usage and actual costs will still appear on your monthly bills. The amount due will reflect your budget amount, and the total account balance will reflect the difference between how much you paid on the budget plan and your actual bill amounts. This amount is shown on your bill each month and can be a credit or debit balance depending on the time of year. This amount is automatically adjusted into your budget amount during the budget billing review to determine your new budget amount. This amount is either credited to your account or becomes due when the account is removed from the budget plan.
Can I pay my actual account balance instead of the budget amount?
While on the budget plan you should pay only the budget amount (not your current charges or the actual account balance).
Are payment arrangements allowed on the budget plan?
No. Customers on the budget plan are not eligible for payment arrangements. To establish an arrangement, you will first need to stop budget billing. If you qualify for a payment arrangement, you would be responsible for paying your actual bill amount each month plus 1/6th of your total account balance over the next 6 months.
If I move, will I still be on Budget Billing?
No, the budget plan option will not be available until you have established 12 months of usage at your new address. Your actual account balance (difference between what you paid on the budget plan and your actual bill amounts) for your current account will need to be settled (your account credited or payment made) at the time you move. If additional time is needed to pay off your account balance, please contact us a 866-366-4357.
I just moved into a new home, can I go on Budget Billing?
No. The budget plan option will not be available until you have established 12 months of usage at your new address. Calculating a budget amount on your own electricity usage at the address helps ensure an accurate monthly amount is billed and reduces the fluctuation in the budget amount at the time of review.
Why did my budget amount change?
Initial/current budget amount was too low to cover your actual bill amounts.
This causes a large account balance to accumulate, this can result in more frequent budget review to ensure the budget is in line with current usage.
Large credit balance
If you had a large credit balance during the previous budget billing review, the credit would have reduced your budget amount by the amount of the credit divided over 12 months. If your account no longer has a credit balance, the budget amount is adjusted to reflect an average of the last 12 months of electrical usage and any actual account balance.
Recent changes in your electrical usage
These changes could be caused by changes in the weather, additions to the family, old/new/malfunctioning appliances, etc. Manage Your Account to view or analyze your usage history for up to the last 18 months.
If I am on the budget plan (pay the same averaged amount each month), will I benefit from the reduced fuel rate?
Yes. During your next Budget Billing Plan review, your budget amount will be re-set based on the average of your last 12 bills plus your total account balance (difference between how much you paid on the budget plan and your actual bill amounts). Budget Billing accounts are reviewed on the anniversary of your enrollment in the plan, or earlier when a large credit or debit balance is accumulated.