Customer Services Manager Nadine Huxley says the Budget Payment Plan helps customers, but they need to understand how it works.

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About 1,900 customers take advantage of the PUD's Budget Payment plan. They know it evens out their monthly power bills so they don't face seasonal ups and downs. But not everyone understands how it works, says Nadine Huxley, customer services manager.

"They may not understand how to read their bill, so they can't figure out what their budget payment is, or how it compares to their actual energy charge," Nadine says. "Or when we change their budget amount, they can't figure out why."

The concept behind the plan is an easy one, she says. Each customer's budget bill is determined by taking the household's actual electricity use for the previous year and dividing that amount by 12. They are billed for that amount of power use for the following year.

The Budget Payment year ends in May. That's when adjustments are made to reflect changes in the customer's actual energy use. One problem, Nadine says, is that customers may not notice when changes are made to their budget amount. "Sometimes customers keep paying their old budget amount, and without knowing it, get behind," she explains. Customers need to pay close attention to the amount due each month, she says. The information is found in the lower left hand corner of the bill stub, where it says "amount due."

Other customers are confused because the PUD no longer sends Budget Payment coupons. Today, the budget bill amount is listed right on the PUD bill each month.

The bill also shows the actual account balance, so the customer can keep track of how well their budget payments are tracking their actual energy use. This is especially important to note, Nadine says. "If there is a debit at the end of the year, that means the budget payment amount will have to be increased. If there is a credit, the amount will be decreased." If a customer sees a large debit, she advises them to contact the PUD so the budget amount can be adjusted.

Another important thing to note is when the budget bill is due. With the old computer system, all budget bills were due on the 10th of the month. Today, they are due when the bill is received, and become past due 10 to 14 days after that date. The bill's due date is found on the left side of the bill stub, where it says "past due date."

For more help understanding your budget payment bill, Nadine says to give her a call at 773-7609 or toll-free at 800-548-8357. You can also reach her by email.