CUB Wins Victory for Portland Public Utility Customers
Posted on January 28, 2015 by Janice Thompson
Tags, Water/Wastewater
CUB is pleased to announce a major victory for Portland public utility customers! You can now pay monthly for water, stormwater, and sewer services. Contact the Portland Water Bureau at (503) 823-7770 or sign up at www.portlandoregon.gov/utilitybill.
Historically, Portland’s residential customers have gotten a quarterly utility bill based on meter readings taken four times a year. This approach saves money for our public utilities compared to monthly meter readings and billing. But quarterly bills can be a major challenge to manage, especially for lower-income folks or those on fixed incomes.
But change has come.
Initially, the City allowed monthly payments only for customers who signed up for e-billing. But many Portlanders don’t have access to a computer, or just like writing a monthly check. So CUB continued pushing.
Now residential customers can request to pay monthly regardless of their preferred payment method. Meters are still read quarterly, but that reading can now trigger three monthly statements.
If paying quarterly is okay with you, then don’t request the new monthly option. Even if paying monthly helps with household budget management, it obviously doesn’t change the overall charges, so CUB continues to be on the lookout for opportunities to rein in rates.
CUB is also carefully monitoring discussions about monthly meter readings. Monthly readings provide more information to customers about usage changes such as leaks, but this advantage must be weighed against the increased cost. Quarterly meter readings and the monthly payment option may be the sweet spot between customer information and increased cost, but CUB will be carefully assessing all options.
If you are interested in signing up for monthly billing, contact the Portland Water Bureau at (503) 823-7770 or sign up at www.portlandoregon.gov/utilitybill.
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04/27/17 | 0 Comments | CUB Wins Victory for Portland Public Utility Customers