It’s part of life, we use electricity, utility bills arrive, and we pay them. How you do that is up to you, from easy online or phone payments to convenient drive-through options, we do our best to make the process painless.
Still, whether you mail a monthly check or have your account on AutoPay, it’s important to take a look at your utility bill regularly to watch for changes in use month to month and year over year. Paying attention to changes now can help you avoid surprises later.
Customer service manager at Clark Public Utilities, Robert Hill, recommends that customers review bills carefully to catch trends in usage early. “The right-hand side of the bill lists at least 12 months of data, and we encourage customers to compare this year’s date with that of the previous year to see if they’re using more or less than before,” Hill said. For customers who have lived in their homes for several years, the usage for the billing month two or three years past will also be included in bold for comparison.
Changes in energy usage over time might be the result of a change in lifestyle or living conditions. For example, installing a hot tub will increase usage. College-age children returning for summer break or visitors staying for weeks instead of days may show an increase in usage, too.
On the flip side, upgrading appliances to more efficient models, weatherizing the home or making daily efforts to unplug electronics, turn lights off, and generally reduce wasted energy can result in lower energy use.
By far one of the biggest factors is weather. With the extreme heat these last few weeks, many are wondering what that’s going to do to their monthly electric bill. The answer is — that depends. For customers who crank up air conditioning when the hot weather hits, there will likely be an increase in the bill. And for some, it’s worth the price. But there are also ways to keep cool without using more electricity and many customers manage without huge spikes in energy use. Tips for keeping homes cool in the hot weather are available on the utility website, www.clarkpublicutilities.com.
Depending on your payment plan, however, you may not notice a difference right away. For customers who like a predictable amount each billing cycle, there’s the EqualPay plan, which averages your usage over the past 12 months and provides you with an equal payment that stays the same for six months, based on prior usage. “We re-evaluate EqualPay options in October and April of each year and adjust accordingly so you still only pay for what you use,” said Hill.
When EqualPay is evaluated in the fall and spring, it may go up or down based on the amount of electricity used so far in the year. Following a mild, warm winter like the one we just experienced, many customers saw their EqualPay amount go down because they used less energy than the winter before. But the opposite can be true after a frigid winter, or a very hot summer like we’re experiencing now.
For customers struggling to pay electric bills, Hill encourages them to call and see how the utility can help. “We offer several assistance programs for limited-income customers, including seniors,” said Hill. “For customers that aren’t eligible for income-based assistance, we can help set up payment arrangements.”
Clark Public Utilities’ customer service representatives are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by phone at 360-992-3000. Just remember, if you receive a call claiming to be from the utility and demanding a payment, hang up and call us. Hill warns that there continue to be reports of bogus collection calls coming from scammers posing as Clark Public Utilities employees.
“The scammers will claim that your utility bill is overdue and threaten to disconnect service unless a payment is made immediately,” he said. “If you receive a call like this, hang up and call us back. We don’t want any of our customers to be pressured by these con artists, who can be very convincing.”
Energy Adviser is written by Clark Public Utilities. Send questions to ecod@clarkpud.com or to Energy Adviser, c/o Clark Public Utilities, P.O. Box 8900, Vancouver, WA 98668.
