January is often a time for setting new goals, and managing energy bills can be an achievable resolution. With the aim of supporting consumers in 2025, various resources and tools are being offered to make this process smoother.
In May 2024, a switch was made to ACI Speedpay as the third-party electronic payment vendor. This change allowed credit card and debit card transactions to be processed through this system, along with added flexibility through Venmo and PayPal options. As of January 2025, bank account (ACH) payments are also handled by ACI. Automatic payments via bank draft have been transitioned into the AutoPay Bank Account program, while one-time monthly payments can continue using this method in ACI.
Changes have been made to service fees for one-time payments: residential customers will see a decrease from $4.75 to $2.75 per transaction for credit or debit card payments; commercial customers will experience a reduction from 3% to 2.75% of the total transaction cost. Additionally, there is now a new service fee of 50 cents per transaction for both residential and commercial customers making one-time ACH payments.
Consumers can avoid these fees by enrolling in the AutoPay Credit Card or AutoPay Bank Account programs.
“My Account” offers users several features such as viewing account balances, signing up for eBill, checking payment history, making secure payments quickly, receiving customized energy-saving tips, enrolling in assistance programs, managing electric services like starting or stopping them easily, receiving important notifications about bills via email or text alerts, and reporting outages.
The Home Energy Analyzer provides personalized strategies for optimizing household energy usage after signing up for My Account and answering some questions.
For those looking to predict their energy bill better throughout the year regardless of seasonal changes in usage levels—options like Equal Payment Plan (EPP) available in Ohio, Pennsylvania and New Jersey; Average Payment Plan (APP) available in Maryland and West Virginia help spread annual costs evenly across twelve months.
Various income-based assistance programs are available too—for individuals who may need help paying their electric bill due to different circumstances—by exploring options that might help manage seasonal bills more effectively catch up on past-due balances avoiding disconnection issues altogether if qualified under certain criteria provided therein.
