Prepay is an alternative billing program available to all members. To start prepay, you agree to pay a minimum amount of $55. By enrolling in prepay, Piedmont Electric Cooperative agrees to waive the security deposit ($400 for residential accounts and $500 for business accounts). The $55 payment includes a $5 membership fee and the remaining $50 will be applied as a credit toward future energy use.
Below are the guidelines to be reviewed upon starting the prepay program.
- Members enrolled in the prepay program will not receive a monthly bill but will be billed daily. Prepay members will receive a monthly billing statement at the end of each month informing them of the previous month’s usage and charges.
- Prepay account meters are read remotely each night to determine the amount of energy used for that day and the corresponding cost. When the account is billed for the previous day’s usage, the associated cost is deducted from the member’s account balance.
When the meter is unable to be read, an estimate of the amount of energy used for that day is charged to the member. This estimate is based on past usage unique to that member and location. - When the meter is next read, the actual energy use will automatically be updated. The estimate use charged for the previous day will be deducted from the actual energy use and the corresponding credit or owing balance will be applied to the account.
- Prepay accounts are subject to a monthly “true up” which is calculated at the end of each month. This billing adjustment will be routinely performed to ensure billing accuracy.
- Prepay members pay a facility charge, the same as all other accounts which is broken down into a daily pro-rated amount and combined into the account’s total daily cost of service. The facility charge will be charged for any active service regardless of the amount of electricity used.
- On the prepay program, electric service is subject to disconnection any time there is an owing balance. Payment arrangements cannot be made on prepay accounts.
- There must be a credit balance on the account to avoid disconnection. Prepay members must inform Piedmont Electric when their contact information has changed to receive notifications in a timely manner.
- Prepay members can choose to receive daily phone calls, text messages and/or emails informing them of their prepay balance when it is less than a $25 credit balance.
- In addition to the low balance alerts, you will receive emails letting you know when your account is subject to disconnection and when your account has been disconnected. Disconnections are not run outside of regular business hours.
By enrolling in the prepay program, you agree it is your responsibility to manage your Piedmont Electric account. You must make the necessary payments to keep a credit balance on your account to avoid disconnection. Account information such as a balance can be accessed at any time through SmartHub or by calling 800.222.3107. Review our Payment Options page to find the most convenient way to pay.
In the event of a returned check, the payment amount will immediately be charged back to the account along with a returned check fee of $25. If these charges result in an owing balance, the account could be up for disconnection.
For existing Piedmont Electric members only
Piedmont Electric members may choose to convert their prepay account to a monthly-billed account at any point.
Depending on the credit history on the Piedmont Electric account, we may have to charge the $200 deposit to start a monthly-billed account.
When members switch from a monthly billed account to a prepay account, any existing deposit will be applied to the member’s outstanding balance and if there is a remaining credit then it will be converted to a prepay balance. If the deposit does not fully cover the outstanding, the owing balance must be paid prior to switching to the prepay program. If necessary, one of our member service representatives can assist by setting up a debt recovery plan to pay any outstanding balance off over time.
Service terminated at the request of the member will receive a refund check of any remaining credit on the account.
If the service is terminated with an owing balance, the member will receive a final bill for that amount. Any unpaid balances will be turned over to a collections agency.
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