Who is eligible to enroll in the equal payment plan program?
Are non-residential customers eligible to be on equal pay?
Which annual review option is the best for me? 
How do I sign up?
How do I read my Equal Payment Plan bill?
Why is the “Payment Plan Amount” box on my bill different than the “amount due”?
Why did my payment plan amount change when it is not yet my review month?
What happens when I cancel my equal payment plan?What if I want to go on vacation and not pay for a couple of months?
What happens with my equal payment plan, when I receive an energy assistance payment?
What will happen to my equal payment amount if there is a rate increase? 
Can I be on Electric Check or ePay and still be on equal pay?

Enrollment

Who is eligible to enroll in the equal payment plan program?

You are eligible for Equal Pay if you’ve lived in the same place for at least 12 months and don’t have an overdue balance.

Are non-residential customers eligible to be on equal pay?

Most non-residential customers are eligible for the program. As long as you have one metered electric service associated with your account, you are probably eligible for enrollment in Equal Pay. Contact us if you would like to review your non-residential service to determine your eligibility for enrollment.

Which annual review option is the best for me?

• Rollover – This is our most popular recommended option. This option is good for customers that do not want to see their payment amount change dramatically. With this option, your account balance is divided by 12 at the time of annual review and either added or subtracted to the payment plan amount for the next year. While you will not have to “settle up” and pay a large balance when your account is reviewed with this option, it may be more confusing to understand, because your account will never reach a zero balance.
• Settle-up – This option is good for customers that want their bills to be easily understandable and are not necessarily as sensitive about receiving a high bill for a particular month. On this option, you will need to either pay your account balance in full or be credited your account balance at the time your account is reviewed each year. If your account balance builds up very high, you may be expected to pay a large amount when your account is reviewed. The advantage with this option is that you are able to start over each year with a zero account balance. This means that you will not build up debt on your account nor will there be a large amount that we will owe you. Simply put, your account balance is “settled” each year. This is probably not a good option for customers on fixed income.

How do I sign up?

Call us anytime at 1-888-221-7070 and request to be on an equal payment plan. You will be asked to choose a review option from the two choices above. Our knowledgeable agents will be able to set you up on the plan, help you decide which review option may be the best for you, and let you know what amount you will be charged each month.

back to top 

Billing

How do I read my Equal Payment Plan bill?

The “amount due” box is always what you should pay to remain current on your account. The “current account balance” box is the amount, either a charge or a credit, that you have built up and which will eventually need to be paid. The “new charges” box is a total of the energy costs and other expenses that you had for this account during this particular billing period. The “payment plan amount” box is the established amount you are expected to pay under normal circumstances. If you have paid more or less than your “payment plan amount”, your “payment plan amount” will not be the same as your “amount due.”   

In the sample below, the "Plan Summary Since Sep 05" is a historical summary which shows your starting account balance as well as a running total of your charges and payments during the annual payment plan period. 

 What you should pay

 Energy and other costs during the billing period

 Amount built up in charges

 Equal Payment Plan summary box

Why is the “Payment Plan Amount” box on my bill different than the “amount due”?

Your amount due can be different than your payment plan amount for a couple of reasons including,

• “Settle-up” Month– If you have selected the “settle-up” review option and it is your review month, the amount due should be the same as the account balance.
• Overpayment – If you overpaid the amount due in previous months, your amount due will be less than the payment plan amount.
• Underpayment – If you underpaid the amount due in previous months, your amount due will be more than the payment plan amount.
• Transfer of Service – If you have moved, the amount due will be equal to the balance on your previous electric service plus the first installment of your equal payment plan for your new electric service.

Why did my payment plan amount change when it is not yet my review month?

Because we want to make sure that there are no large surprises (a large amount owing or a high credit amount) for you when your plan is reviewed, we carefully monitor your plan year-round and sometimes make changes to the amount outside of the time that your plan is normally reviewed each year. The reasons why we may change the equal payment plan amount include:

Change in your kilowatt hour usage: This is the most common reason for a customer’s payment plan to be changed. If you use more power than we originally estimated when we determined your payment plan amount, your payment plan amount may increase. Increased usage can be the result of a number of factors, including the addition of an appliance, such as a freezer, and more extreme weather (cooler winters and warmer summers). On the other hand, if you use less power than we estimated, your payment plan amount may decrease.

Electric Service was added or removed to your account: If you add or remove an electric service to your account, your payment plan amount will be reviewed and it may increase or decrease. For example if you add a separately metered shop or garage, you should expect your payment plan amount to increase.

Overpayment / Underpayment: If you pay more or less than the amount due, your account balance may increase or decrease to a point where we will adjust your payment plan amount so that your amount owing or credit is closer to zero when your account is reviewed each year.

What happens when I cancel my equal payment plan?

When you cancel your equal payment plan, you will either need to pay the full account balance or there will be a credit to your account. The amount that you should pay will be displayed in the “amount due” box on the next bill that you receive after you cancel the plan.

What if I want to go on vacation and not pay for a couple of months?

If you are going on vacation and do not want to worry about paying your electric bill for a couple of months, you can pay ahead by paying more than your payment plan amount. For example: If you have a payment plan amount of $100 and you will go on vacation for 2 months, you could pay $200.

Caution: Before paying ahead for a couple of months, make sure that your account will not be reviewed during the period you will be gone.  Also make sure that you do not have a high account balance, because we may adjust your payment plan amount if you do.

What happens with my equal payment plan, when I receive an energy assistance payment?

An energy assistance payment will go against your payment plan amounts until fully used up. Although energy assistance payments may eliminate or reduce the amount due on your bills for a couple of months, you should continue to monitor your statements and usage and pay the box that is marked “amount due” on your statement. After all of your energy assistance payment is used up, you will again need to make payments on your plan.

What will happen to my equal payment amount if there is a rate increase?

Nothing may necessarily happen in the month that the rate increase is made effective. A rate increase may, however, increase your energy costs which may in time increase your payment plan amount.

Can I be on Electric Check or ePay and still be on equal pay?

Yes. You may enroll in both an electronic payment option and equal pay. It is recommended for maximum convenience that you enroll in both. Please remember, however, that your amount due will not always be the same. Depending on your usage and account balance, your payment plan amount may change between annual reviews, so it is still important for you to continue to watch your statements and usage.

back to top