NW Natural Customer Guide: Lowering Account Balances During the Pandemic
Posted on April 28, 2021 by Charlotte Shuff
Tags, Energy, General Interest
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have a devastating effect on too many Oregon families. Many households are still unable to afford their utility bills along with other basic living expenses. Since summer 2020, CUB has worked with regulators, utilities, and other stakeholders to create new programs to help energy customers affected by the pandemic reduce their past-due energy bills.
If you are struggling with past-due energy bills, there are new options available to help manage account balances. This guide is for NW Natural customers. View the guide for Portland General Electric customers here and the guide for Pacific Power customers here. The guide for Avista, Cascade, and Idaho Power customers can be found here.
Tips for Talking to Customer Service
Be clear and honest about what is in your budget. Many of these options include paying the account balance over long periods of time, up to 24 months. Utilities may offer a shorter payback time at an installment amount that is too high for your monthly budget. You can ask for a lower monthly payment to be paid over the full 24 months.
Ask for the program option you want to use. Even if it is not the first offer, you can ask for these program options. If a program option is not what works for you, you do not have to use it.
Call as soon as you can. Especially for options where the utility will contribute funds, the funding is limited. The sooner you call, the likelier it is that you will be able to get access to these funds.
Who qualifies?
You can qualify for NW Natural’s bill payment program if:
- You are an Oregon residential customer (the account is for where you live)
- You have an outstanding balance on your account 31 days or older (unpaid bills from 31+ days ago)
- You are experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19
Please note that some program options have additional qualification requirements. Read on to find out which option is best for you. Customers can use a combination of program options but are limited to $1,200 across all program options.
Accessing the Program
You can sign up for the program online here or call NW Natural to join the program:
1. Call 1-800-422-4012
2. Select 1 to speak to customer service
3. Follow the instruction to enter your account information
Instant Grant
Details: NW Natural will extend a one-time grant of up to $300 to customers who express economic hardship.
Best for: Customers with smaller account balances who cannot make matching payments.
50/50 Matching Grant Option
Details: Customer pays a one-time amount and NW Natural will provide matching payments up to $600.
Best for: Customers who are able to make a one-time payment of up to $600.
Time Payment Agreement with Matching Grant Option
Details: Customer spreads payments over longer periods of time and NW Natural will match half of the past due amount in monthly installments. The customer can spread payments for up to 24 months.
Time Payment Agreement
Details: Customer spreads payments over longer periods of time, for up to 24 months. While this alone does not include grant funds, the Time Payment Agreement can make it easier for customers to lower their account balances slowly. This can be combined with the grant funding options described above.
Best for: Customers who need a longer time to pay account balances.
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08/18/21 | 0 Comments | NW Natural Customer Guide: Lowering Account Balances During the Pandemic