Equal Pay Program: How to Avoid High Monthly Bills
Posted on September 27, 2022 by Will Gehrke
Tags, Energy, General Interest
Editor’s Note: In 2022, CUB expects that customers of Pacific Power, Cascade, Avista and NW Natural are going to experience increased energy bills going into the 2022 winter heating season. For example, NW Natural has requested to increase rates by 41% from 2021. If you are a residential customer of these utilities, the equal pay program is a great tool to moderate large price increases.
CUB recommends customers sign up for the Equal Pay program for your energy bills. If you are worried about high bills in the winter and want to have stable bills throughout the year, Equal Pay programs are a great tool.
What is Equal Pay?
Utility bills are determined based on how much energy a household uses and the price of energy. Equal Pay programs allow customers to have the same bill every month.
Equal Pay bills are calculated from your past energy usage. Your utility will look at the past year of your energy bills to see how much your household used. From that, the utility will break down your annual energy costs into an evenly split monthly bill. For example, if your home used $1200 worth of electricity last year, your Equal Pay amount would be $100 per month.
At least once a year, your utility will review your annual energy usage and adjust your Equal Pay amount. If you used less than expected, your new monthly amount will go down. If you used more than expected, your new monthly amount will go up. Check with your utility to learn more about when these adjustments are made.
Why Choose Equal Pay?
Budgeting for All Seasons: Monthly energy bills can experience dramatic changes month to month. Some of this variation is due to weather. Monthly natural gas bills increase during the winter due to increased space heating needs and decrease in summer. Electricity bills tend to follow a similar pattern. Equal Pay helps you budget for your bill, no matter what the season is.
Protecting Your Budget Against Bill Increases: Another major driver of monthly energy bills is the price of electricity or natural gas. When facing a large price increase, equal pay programs can moderate the impact on your monthly bill. Equal pay programs can make high bills more affordable by spreading the cost throughout the year.
Please note that equal pay programs do not reduce your annual utility spending. Instead, these programs spread the cost throughout the year.
How to Sign Up for Equal Pay
If you would like to sign up for the equal pay program, log into your online account or contact your utility’s customer service.
Electric:
Portland General Electric - 800-542-8818
Pacific Power 888-221-7070
Idaho Power 800-488-6151
Natural Gas:
NW Natural: 800-422-4012
Cascade: 888-522-1130
Avista: 800-227-9187
Equal Pay is Possible, Even with Past Due Bills
Many utilities websites state that customers need to be current on their energy bills in order to sign up for equal pay. Depending on your past account history, this may not be the case. Many utilities offer extended payment programs combined with the equal pay program, in order to allow customers with a past due balance to participate in equal pay programs
If you have a past due balance and you would like to participate in the equal pay program, please contact your utility and you may be able to enroll in an equal pay program.
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09/27/22 | 0 Comments | Equal Pay Program: How to Avoid High Monthly Bills