The average utility customer spends between two and five minutes looking over an electrical bill. Most fall closer to two minutes than five. Spread across a year that’s not much time — even being generous it’s an hour, likely less.
“Our customers’ bills provide a lot of data,” said DuWayne Dunham, energy services supervisor and lead energy counselor for Clark Public Utilities. “It can help them understand their usage.”
Clark Public Utilities’ monthly bill has four parts. Knowing how your bill is set up and how to read it can make those few minutes worthwhile — and maybe answer questions you have about changes month to month.
The electricity use section on the upper left (in the blue box) tells you the number of days in the billing period and shows the cost of basic service and your previous and current month’s reading. It includes the number of kilowatt hours used and multiplies that by the current rate ($0.0816) to give you the cost for the past month.
The total cost of billing falls below your electricity use. That’s the amount due for the current month.
In the right column are two boxes. The top one is your account summary, which shows you any previous balance and payment, any balance forwarded, and current charges.
The second box below that is labeled “compare your use.” This box lists your past 12 months’ usage. In boldface, it highlights your current use, your use 12 months ago, and 24 months ago.
“Customers can really get to know the cycle of their electrical use by reviewing this section,” said Dunham. “It lists a year’s usage data, and we encourage everyone to compare this year’s data with that of the last.”
The utility provides several ways to pay monthly bills, and the information on the paper bill is also available online using MyAccount. For convenience and predictable monthly payments, customers can sign up for EqualPay. The plan averages your consumption and calculates an average payment. The utility revisits EqualPay options in October and April and adjusts the amount based on usage, so spring is a good time to start. “Participants are notified of any changes during the adjustment periods and customers never pay for more than they use,” Dunham explained.
An automated self-service payment phone line (360-992-3400) is open 24 hours a day. To pay, have your bill handy and find your account number in the upper right-hand corner. Then follow the voice prompts. Enter the amount you want deducted from your checking, savings, or credit account. Don’t forget to write down your confirmation number. AutoPay is also available from a checking or savings account, or using a credit card, and is easy to set up and manage anytime from MyAccount on ClarkPublicUtilities.com.
“Electric bill fluctuations often raise questions for customers about their bills,” Dunham said. “We’re happy to research these to help them understand the reasons.”
Common causes of bill fluctuations are a change in living conditions, like retirement or extended guest stays, or weather changes, such as stretches of very hot or cold days.
“When some customers see a big change in their bill, they call us asking whether their meter might be faulty,” Dunham said. “That’s very rarely the case, but we can help figure out the cause and provide recommendations to reduce wasted energy and bring the bill down.”
Clark Public Utilities energy counselors are available for free phone consultations during business hours at 360-992-3355. For questions that can’t be answered on the phone, energy counselors will schedule a free in-home energy review.
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 98688.
