Need Advice About Utility Level Billing
By pyewacket
@pyewacket (43903)
United States
January 18, 2009 7:19pm CST
Just wondering if any of you are under a utility level billing plan. Now many of my friends will remember the hassle I had with my ConEd electric bill over the summer as they were charging me way too high and the bills were estimated ones. After much complaining to them and getting in contact with the Public Service Commission, things were settled and in my favor...and didn't have to pay an electric bill for two months since they credited my account for the overcharges.
Okay now I get an electric bill for about $70.00 which really isn't too bad....BUT on the bill it says something about their level billing plan. Here's what it says:
[i]The Level Payment Plan May Help You:
Pay the exact LEVEL PAYMENT AMOUNT OF $56.00 this month instead of your TOTAL AMOUNT NOW DUE. If we receive your payment by FEB. 06, 2009 we will automatically enroll you in our Level Payment Plan and even out your payments.[/i]
So I'm thinking...wow this sounds ideal..ah, but is there a catch??...This is what it says on their website about Level Payment Plan:
[i]Customer Central
level payment
Our Level Payment plan estimates your yearly energy costs and spreads your payments evenly throughout the year. That way, you have more control and are protected from seasonal cost peaks. With level payment, your monthly bill will still show your actual usage and the costs for your service for the billing period. We'll compare your bills and payments three times each year and, [b]if your level payment amount is too high or too low, we'll let you know and change the amount on your next bill.
[/i][/b]
You see the thing I'm concerned about is say the true electric charges are a lot higher, then am I going to be hit with a really high bill?
Has anyone else been on any kind of level payment plan for a utility company? Does it work or have you been screwed up with it, getting a high bill out of the blue?
8 people like this
27 responses
@Opal26 (17679)
• United States
19 Jan 09
Hey pye! It says that they will review the amounts of the
electricity used three times a year to see if you are paying
too much or too little and then they will let you know first
and make an adjustment to the level billing amount. So they
won't just suprise you with a higher amount. They made me
that offer this month too. They want me to pay $60 a month.
But my bills are usually lower than that so I don't know
what to do. My bills have tripled what they were since last
year! I have Con Ed too! I just don't know what I'm going
to do yet! It's not like there is another choice!
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
Yeah we both have CONed--lol. That's what concerns me though...both you and mylotter howard (he lives near me)got that same level payment deal but like you they are telling him his bill would be $16.00 HIGHER than the normal bill, while mine is $20 lower...and somehow think I'm going to be in for a REAL surprise and they'll claim that my bill was too low then zap me for a real whopper of a bill at some point...yeah, like I need that..NOT
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Don't worry dreamweaverjan...I'm going to nix the whole idea...it DOES sound ideal but my gut feeling there's going to be a catch, and definitely NOT in my favor.
1 person likes this
@dreamweaverjan (3471)
• United States
19 Jan 09
HI Pye, HI Opal: Personally I wouldn't do it Pye, I've been on budget billing with two different companies here in my town, Misery, aka state of MISSOURI and they have suck! They tell you one thing when you sign up and trust me, there is always the catch up month and for me it was always twice the amount, since you have such low bills anyway Pye, I'd stick with what you are doing and just pay it monthly;
when I moved here in this sh!thole which is with housing authority, I was told my electric bill would run about $40.00/a month for budget billing, well that must've been for an EMPTY UNIT and one that wasn't lived in, as my utility bill runs more than my rent per month, way way way more...Yes I run the A/C more than most people
with my asthma and other health issues but its sky high in the winter time too with the natural gas + electric and this past summer my catch up bill for the month of May was almost $600.00 and then they still added an extra $50.00+ to each bill all summer long to catch me up on my first year of living here back in 2007...it was
WORSE THAN MY MOBILE HOME UTILITIES...so stick with what you are doing, don't trust this company or any others out there as they more than likely will come back to bite you in your butt, and for mine here in MIssouri AMEREN UE IS THE WORST!!!! RIP OFF'S, SKY HIGH CRAP!!!!
don't trust them, don't trust them, don't trust them!!!
2 people like this
@howard96h (11640)
• New York, New York
19 Jan 09
For a company that has been on the news crying they meed more money and have raised our rates three times in a 12 month period I don't trust them. I will not commit to an agreement and get messed up later. This is my utility company I am talking about, maybe others elsewhere have a trusting company.
3 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
It seems others who have responded here do trust their electric companies and some have the option to switch around to different ones if they don't like their service...too bad CONed is the only one here...out in Long Island though they have PS&G..heard they suck too.
2 people like this
@Lakota12 (42600)
• United States
19 Jan 09
My mom was on it and she paid the same amount ever month! but here as I live with daughter and son in law it take in account of what we all make to figure out the bill . I was going to tryit till I saw all that so we just go with the ups and downs of the seasons!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
When my mother was alive she paid on the level payment plan too, and the charge was always the same each month, but then think the electric company came out more the winner than she did..since this was years ago, she was probably paying more than she should have
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Yikes that's all??? My mother was paying $78.00 for her level payment plan--what a ripoff huh?
@reinydawn (11642)
• United States
19 Jan 09
BG&E has a "Budget Billing Plan" and it sounds about the same. What they do is take the last year prior to your enrolling and and set your current payments at 1/12 of that total for the year. They figure you'll use the same amount as you did the prior year, but this way your payment is always the same. Each month you pay based on the prior billing years average. It's great for budgeting because you always have the same bill. Sometimes our bill is $140, sometimes it's $600. If we went on the budget billing plan it would always be the same, somewhere in the middle.
BUT, when the 12-month cycle is over, they true it up for you. They go back and calculate what your total should have been and you either owe them money or they owe you money. My mom has it and some years she gets a month or two credit because she used less than the prior year, but then sometimes she's hit with a bit of a bill because she's used more. That's how it works down here.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
That's exactly it...I have a feeling that by the end of the year I would get hit with an enormous bill to make up the difference of the actual usage/cost...the level payment does seem ideal and very low..a little too low if you ask me
2 people like this
@reinydawn (11642)
• United States
19 Jan 09
If you keep your utility bills, you can go through and see what the last 12 months really was, add them all up and divide by 12... See if that works out right.
I can tell you though, they don't want to UNDERCHARGE you and then have to send you a big bill. They'd much rather OVERCHARGE you and give you a credit. That way they have extra money in their pockets.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
See that's the main problem...the level payment plan does sound like an undercharge amount...$20 less than the actual charge...with all those undercharges a month that could add up big time...I'll try to dig up my old bills and divide it up...but hard to tell since they had overcharged me so much last year during the summer since they were estimated bills...once they settled it and discovered they overcharged me way too much that is why I got a hefty credit and didn't have to pay an electric bill for two months...
2 people like this
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I have a question, does Con Ed have a rate that is lowered for people who are on low income? In California we have a program called "Care" which lowers my electric by 10%..it might be more but I know it's at least 10%. Also I am eligible for medical rate on my electric because I can't tolerate extreme heat or cold. You might want to check into that.
I don't think they can pull making you pay a high bill out of the blue. Also, I would make darn sure that they are reading your meter, and you might have them check to see that the meter is accurate.
I have company coming for dinner, but after dinner I will post some things that you can do to lower your electric bill...it's things you never think of!
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
When I was having a problem in 2007--that is my SSI benefits were suddenly cut off I was able to get on some kind of "hardship" plan...it sounded sooooo ideal as from what I understood I only needed to pay about $20 a month! Great huh? Ah but there was the fine print so to say that they didn't spell out...it was $20.00 PLUS the actual charges...so like huh? How did that save me? I had to actually borrow money from a friend of mine to pay the whopper difference of the bill..it was either that or sit in the dark.
As far as electric usage...I really hardly use any... I keep lights off in the rooms I'm not in, and nearly sit in the dark..LOL...the only thing running 24/7 is the fridge. My gas bill is separate and my heat is not run on electric but steam heat via radiators.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I really don't have too many things plugged in all the time save for the fridge (naturally..LOL) and computer...I even unplug my light in the bedroom before I go to sleep. I don't have a toaster (believe it or not), or washer/dryer, coffee pot...LOL...live a pretty bohemian lifestyle here...heehee. Yikes what a horror with your daughter and her family and the careless wasteful use of electricity. Like gee, didn't they offer to pay for THEIR usage of electricity??
I think I am going to nix the idea of this level billing though. The level billing amount is $20 less than the actual amount listed...somehow I don't think that's going to work in my favor as they then might zap me for all the differences and I'll wind up paying a large bill somewhere along the line
1 person likes this
@Loverbear (4918)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Actually, you live my kind of lifestyle. I am looking at possibly getting a solar unit for the water heater. It would save tons of money if I can get it to work.
Sigh, the kids are another story. When I got the "call" from my daughter I was big dealed with the guys would help with the heavy work around the house and they would also help me out with food and electricity. None of it happened!!! Bill and I did all the heavy work around the yard--which also meant splitting and stacking fire wood for the winter (they burned four cords of wood in three months! I usually go through about 2 1/2 cords during the winter) the fireplace went 24/7. If it got too warm in the house they would open the windows and keep feeding wood into the fireplace. They used my car until it fell apart...44,000 miles in seven months. I only do 1500 miles a month which would amount to 10,500 miles. The list can go on and on. I checked the finances and am going to have to increase my student loan to cover everything I need to do to the place.
Oh well, it's all fodder for my book that I am working on. I might even get lucky and get it published.
Oh, there is one other thing that I do to keep the house warmer. It isn't pretty but it sure works! I put blankets over the curtains in all the rooms in the house. It keeps the heat from escaping through the glass. I am not partial to being cold, so I started doing that when I moved to Montana and when I came back to California I discovered that it worked just as well here.
I'll be emailing you tomorrow before I go to class...
1 person likes this
@DonnaLawson (4032)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I have heard of it but our KUB calls it something else.. I don't know if I would try it or not, I don't trust any of the utility companies.. I am having a time with them because my bill was doubled from one month to the next.. It was 130.00 for one month and then jumped to 260.00 the next month.. Isn't it odd that I used exactly double the amount of utilities when it is only the two of us.. It never went over 200.00 when my son and his wife were staying here with us, but now this.. I am tired of fighting them, and I bet a lot of people are tired of it, so they just go ahead and pay.. I wouldn't be the one to give you advice on this matter as I have never tried it before.. Good luck with whatever you do..
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I don't trust my electric company either...I've had my own set of aggravations with them...like the jerks did this number to me. In 2007 I paid my electric bill on-line..it was the one and only time I decided to do so. Well,time passes and I see no deduction for the amount...like what happened to it? Then I got my answer when I got a refund check from them for the exact amount I had paid...only the check was in for my grandmother and mother's name who were both deceased...LIKE DUH? The jerks somehow credited the old account when it was under my grandmother's and mother's name and account rather than my account under my name...Don't ask the crap I had to go through but it took three whole months to settle the issue and they finally credited my account
as far as your doubled bill...it's not an estimated bill is it? I had that problem too of being way overcharged for my electric bill since it was estimated ones.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
When I was being overcharged too much with my electric bill I got nowhere complaining to them about it so I wrote an extensive letter and proof of their errors about billing to my Public Service Commission and directed my letter to a judge no less..well that's what got things rolling for me and how I got credited for the overcharges.....I just looked at your profile to see where you were...you have a similar place you can write to..looked that up too...here's the link...you can either do an on-line complaint but sometimes it's best to write a snail mail letter that way you send documented proof
http://www.tennessee.gov/tra/
this link shows their address to write...it's the Tennessee Regulatory Authority you want to write to
http://www.tennessee.gov/tra/contact.htm
2 people like this
@DonnaLawson (4032)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I talked to them and they said it was not estimated, but it sure seems odd that it doubled with no changes in our routine.. There is only the two of us here and I pay for my water at a separate company, the water is not on this bill.. I think they are just crooks, pure and simple greedy crooks.. I wish there was something that could be done about this but I don't know what to do, it is either pay it or have it disconnected, which I would if I could..
2 people like this
@whiteheather39 (24403)
• United States
19 Jan 09
We also have that option for our electric bill . IMO it is good to keeping a budget and if your home it total electric. I do not use the option because my home uses gas, which does not offer prorated billing, for heating and in the winter when my gas bill is high my electric bill is very low so they kind of offset each other on my total utility bill. If I used the prorated option then I would be paying a higher amount in the winter.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Thankfully my apartment building isn't totally electric...meaning we have gas stoves and gas heat and my gas bill therefore is separate from my electric bill and usually reasonably low, maybe about $15 a month
1 person likes this
@sumofalltears (3988)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I am on what they call the budget plan for my heating costs. In the winter my heating costs are higher than my rent so I use the budget plan....the year is fiscal so it goes from July to June, and I usually pick an amount that I am comfortable paying. I get help with that bill from fuel assistance so in April they see how much I owe and figure out how much I will be paying and we adjust the payments for the last 3 months. It usually works out ok, and if I have to pay past june to catch up it is usually all right.
I am going to have to make some alternative heating arrangements because the cost is way out of line here. Propane is still over $3 a gallon here and the only advantage I have to being on a budget plan is that my price never changes, but it is still higher than what I paid last year.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
Yikes how can one's heating bill be more than your rent? Thank goodness that doesn't happen in my case..I do pay for my gas bill though since I have a gas stove but it's relatively low. My electric company though has always been a pain in the "a"...it's the only company around my area though..they have a monopoly on it so no one has the choice to switch to another one
2 people like this
@jpso138 (7851)
• Philippines
19 Jan 09
It is different here in our country. I too have some concerns on the billing. Usually when I am not sure as to what it is, I will contact them and ask for an explanation. I think this would be the most logical way. In most cases, if we do not complain, they often consider it as okay. I guess there is nothing wrong if we ask them right. Besides, we as consumer have every right to know.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Jan 09
I do plan to contact my electric company but somehow I don't think this level payment plan is going to work out in my favor. I find it odd that they are citing a plan which tells me to pay about $20 LESS than the actual charges of $70---in time that is going to add up big time and will have to pay all the differences in one big whopper of a bill
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (189820)
• Boise, Idaho
19 Jan 09
After you have had service at a particular address for about a year they average it out and you can pay the average. But, you do pay that even in the months that would regularly be lower because of the average. So, it is alittle give and take.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I just still don't like the idea that I might be hit with a "surprise" and have to pay a whopper of a bill to make up the differences
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I plan to contact them...I really do want to know the details
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (189820)
• Boise, Idaho
19 Jan 09
I hear ya! Can't you call them and just outrightly ask? Be sure you understand before you sign up for it.
2 people like this
@TessWhite (3146)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I wouldn't recommend it Pye. I was on their level payment plan two different times. It did help to know what the bill amount would be each month. BUT, when they review it they can hike it up quite a bit. I started off at about $130.00 a month but when they reviewed it later they said that they had "under charged" me based upon their estimate. Saying I had used my AC more than they anticipated so my NEW monthly bill amount was $295.00 each month! If I wanted to "disenroll" from the level payment plan I had to pay the full amount due from the undercharged bills. This amount was over $1000.00. So I was stuck. I had to keep the plan for awhile and paid huge bills for over a year. I know I'll never go on a plan like that again. I'd rather just pay for what I use, and not trust them to "estimate" a bill again.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
Holy moly! That's horrible. You see I have the feeling that my lovely electric company would do the same thing to me then I'd be stuck with a whopper of a bill if they found out they undercharged me. geez, all these utility companies are the same..they make you think they're doing you a big favor when they're not and there's always some "catch" to it
1 person likes this
@tamarafireheart (15384)
•
19 Jan 09
Hi pye,
We don't have [roblems like that over her and my husband deals with all the bills that has to be paid. He keeps changing eletric companies every so often I had to ask wh are with with.
Bright Blessings.
Tamara
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
Mmmm....at least you have the option to change electric companies. ConEd is the ony electric company here in the Big Apple (NY)--talk about a monopoly...
1 person likes this
@LadyMarissa (12148)
• United States
19 Jan 09
When I lived in Virginia, I signed up for the level billing plan. I found it nice as I knew exactly what I would be paying every month. I can almost promise you that you won't have a huge bill at the end of the year as they are going to collect their money in advance. As a matter of fact, I ALWAYS received a refund at the end of the billing cycle which I just had them put toward my first bill of the new cycle. Every new cycle my bill would go up a little. Every year at the end of the cycle, I would get a refund. It was never a large amount, yet it would cover most of my first bill of the new cycle. I don't know if I'd trust ConEd or not. I just know it worked for me when I did it. You can always drop out of the plan if it doesn't work for you.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I plan to contact them and give me the scoop in detail...I've had too many problems with CONed in the past although it is tempting. Our mutual friend also got the same kind of message on his bill, but instead of being lower his payment plan amount would be $16.00 more than the real amount due
1 person likes this
@catdla1 (6005)
• United States
19 Jan 09
Our electric co-op offers that service. At first glance it looked like a good idea. But looking more into it, it would have locked out price at the current rate at the time. I'm glad I didn't go for it, because prices have dropped here. If your plan is billed as an average KwH at current prices (at the time of the bill) it might be a good idea. It's all in how the price per kilowatt hour are set.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
Well my dumb electric company keeps raising its rates of usage..they did that during the summer and I think they have plans to raise them again, that's why I'm concerned that since my level billing is much lower than the actual cost I owe and is due, somehow I can't help thinking I'll get screwed somewhere along the line and they will zap me for a high bill to make up the difference
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I'm going to contact the jerks and have them explain it to me in full. Like I said I just don't want any surprises and have to pay a whopper high bill to make up any differences
1 person likes this
@Aussies2007 (5336)
• Australia
19 Jan 09
I have not used such plan... but it is actually not such a bad idea.
It saves you from getting some high bills during the winter.
The way it works is that they calculate your bill for the whole of last year... and divide that amount by the number of bills you get each year.
So instead of having a low bill during summer and a high bill during winter... each one of your bills is $56.00 throughout the year. So you don't get caught by surprise. You know in advance what you are up for.
They are not in the business of screwing people.
Their mistakes are genuine when their workers cannot add 2+2 without a calculator. lol
They will adjust your payments over time if you use less or you use more. They won't rip you off... but at the same time... don't go and think you can use as much as you like because you have a set bill of $56.00. It is only set as per what you have used last year. They are still going to make you pay for everything you use. lol
They are actually very fair about this... because they are starting in the middle of winter. That is why you are paying $56.00 instead of $70.00.
If they had started in the middle of summer... and asked you to pay $56.00 instead of $30.00... you would have screamed "Blue murder". lol
The only thing I would want... is that each one of my bills still shows what I have actually used in dollars... while I receive my bill for $56.00. I think it is important to keep knowing what you are actually using.
And you must make sure that you keep using electricity wisely... because if you don't... that is where they will get you. Next year your bills will be $60.00 or more. It is too easy to think "I am going to turn the heater on... because my bill is only $56.00". They prey on the stupid people who think like that.
1 person likes this
@Aussies2007 (5336)
• Australia
20 Jan 09
I thought I had explained this fairly clearly. lol
You will repay the $14.00 during the summer... when your bill is only $30.00... but you still pay $56.00
Every company will go the same way in the next few years.
Everything will be automated.
Most things are already like that in Australia.
They have to.
With the population increase... it has become a nightmare to handle things manually. Everything has to be controlled by computers for it to be effective. If people did not do their banking online and through teller machines... you would have to stand in a queue a mile long each time you went to the bank to take $20.00 out of your account.
Some companies in Australia actually offer their customers a reduction in fees if they use their automated services.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Yeesh your electric company must be REAL cheap...my electric bill has never been only $30 in the summer..LOL
My electric company screwed me up once before. When my SSI benefits were suddenly cut off I was able to go on "hardship" payment plan with the electric company. They told me I only had to pay about $20 a month...oh yeah? Turned out not the case...it was $20 PLUS the actual bill cost....I wound up borrowing money from someone when they sent me a bill to catch up on all the costs over that $20 a month to the tune of near $300.00--you better believe I got off that plan quick
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Nah..I smell a rat here...LOL. The actual amount for the bill is about $70.00, so they're offering me to pay about twenty dollars LESS with this plan? Somehow those differences are going to add up throughout the year and I just know I'll get hit with a large bill to make up for all those differences. In fact my average REAL bill all along has been around $70 a month. Although I had my problems last summer when they were doing estimated bills for several months and my bill was near $100...like WTF??? I don't even have air-conditioning, so can't figure why they gave an estimate so high.
As for the heater...it's gas heat and the built in radiator in the wall..so no electric usage there
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
19 Jan 09
I'm on equal billing for my gas, and it does help even out my payments, which, coincidentally, are $56 a month... I use more gas during the winter for heating, so if I wasn't on equal billing I'd have to pay much higher gas bills, along with the much higher electric bills, in winter. I have electric baseboard heating upstairs, but keep the (gas) oven going to help heat the place in winter.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (51811)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
20 Jan 09
Well, given your prior experience with them I wouldn't trust them too much, either.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
20 Jan 09
Thankfully my gas bill isn't too high, usually only $15.00 a month...I just don't trust my electric company..I somehow feel I'm going to be screwed big time by the end of this year when they tally up all the actual differences of my usage versus the level payment amount
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
18 Feb 09
my mom has those.the thing i don't like is the word "estimate".it seems anytime you let a utility estimate,they do so on the high end.there have been months i know i used less,but the amount seemed not to reflect that.
then we had one that said it was level payment plus part of the normal bill-
which they did not explain to her,and as i thought it was just the level payment due got us kicked off the program and we had to re-up.
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
18 Feb 09
that's probably wise.
at least then you know exactly what it'll be.
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
18 Feb 09
Well the amount of the level payment seems the opposite..instead of being too high it seems to low to me..somehow I just know I'm going to be screwed on this and when they review the actual costs will bit hit with a high bill all of a sudden...I opted out of it and rather pay the actual cost of the bill
1 person likes this
@irishmist (3814)
• United States
19 Jan 09
We don't have that type of plan here, but if we did I would call them up and ask alot of questions about the plan before I decide anything.
2 people like this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I do plan to contact them. It does sound like a good deal but my concern is if my actual electric usage is then higher than the level payment amount due I'll be hit with a hefty surprise...
1 person likes this
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
I don't like being hit with surprises either that's why I'm a bit wary of this payment plan...though it does sound tempting
1 person likes this
@wheel416 (1019)
• Canada
19 Jan 09
Well, pyewacket as I do not have the same utility company as you do I cannot say with absolute certainty that you will not be hit with a higher bill out of the blue. However, I have been on equal billing for the last 12 years and that has not been my experience at all.
If I am not mistaken, my utility company also said something similar in their fine print as well. It is my understanding that what they mean by this statement is that periodically they will reassess your monthly payment according to your actual usage.
For example, in my case, if I am currently paying $100 a month, and only using say $60 a month they will lower my monthly payment to approximately $70 to even out the difference. On the other hand, if I am using $120 a month, and the only paying that $100 they may up my monthly payment to around $110, again to even out the difference. It has also been my experience, that once a year, I will have what is called a "reconciliation bill". That is where, I either have a credit, because I have paid them more than I used, and I owe them nothing. Or I will have to make a small payment to make up the difference, because I actually used more than I paid for, and in that case, my next monthly payment is going to go up say by $5 or $10. per month.
In a nutshell, the purpose of an equal payment plan is to avoid high heating bills in winter and allows you to spread your monthly heating costs evenly throughout the year.
I hope that posting makes sense and is of help. Good luck to you and happy Mylotting!
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
19 Jan 09
Well you see my concern is that my level payment plan amount is so low, about $20.00 lower, so then out of the blue if my actual usage for electricity is a lot higher than the amount charged then I might get zapped with a staggeringly high bill next cycle -- It really does sound tempting but my electric company sucks and I've had so many problems with them before--oh, and my heating bill is separate from my electric but relatively low to begin with.
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