Tag: Utility Bills

When Utility Bills Go Unpaid: Lowering Bills by Lowering Consumption (Part III)

By Andrea Jakubas

This post is the final part of a three-part series discussing three avenues for reducing the “uncollectible burden”–the inability of people to pay their utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Part one examined government grants and policy; part two looked at incentivizing and changing consumer bill-paying behavior. Part three, below, discusses clean energy initiatives that promote efficiency, reduce consumption and use cleaner forms of energy.

In pre-pandemic times, if utility customers did not or could not pay their bills, the company could generally disconnect their service. But in response to the COVID-19 emergency, many states have issued moratoria against such utility shutoffs for nonpayment,[1] recognizing both that utilities are vital to human health and well-being and that customers are facing daunting levels of unemployment and decreased ability to pay their bills.

These shutoff moratoria are necessary but raise an additional problem: how bills will ultimately be paid. Generally, uncollectible accounts are “socialized” across utilities customers. The rate paid covers not only the customer’s direct consumption but also administrative costs, including other customers’ nonpayment. As the pandemic—and orders against utility shutoffs—drag on, the mountain of “uncollectible” debt will continue to grow, and there are no clear answers on how (and by whom) bills will ultimately be paid.

Programs that reduce consumption, or that use non-carbon fuel sources are doubly advantageous: they can make bills more affordable for customers and increase the likelihood the bills will be paid, and can reduce carbon emissions.

Distributed solar

Energy generated in a dispersed manner or by customers, rather than at a central location (like a nuclear power plant), is “distributed generation.”[2] The most common distributed generation method is home solar panels. But many customers, especially those who are already struggling to pay their bills, will have trouble investing in panels—though some companies offer the option to lease panels.[3]

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When Utility Bills Go Unpaid: Changing Customer Bill-Paying Behavior (Part II)

By Andrea Jakubas

This post is part two of a three-part series discussing three avenues for  reducing the “uncollectible burden”–the inability of people to pay their utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Part one examined government grants and policy; part three will discuss clean energy initiatives that promote efficiency and reduce consumption. This post discusses how incentivizing and changing consumer bill-paying behavior could help address the uncollectibles problem.

In pre-pandemic times, if utility customers did not or could not pay their bills, the company could generally disconnect their service. But in response to the COVID-19 emergency, many states have issued moratoria against such utility shutoffs for nonpayment,[1] recognizing both that utilities are vital to human health and well-being and that customers are facing daunting levels of unemployment and decreased ability to pay their bills.

These shutoff moratoria are necessary but raise an additional problem: how bills will ultimately be paid. Generally, uncollectible accounts are “socialized” across utilities customers. The rate paid covers not only the customer’s direct consumption but also administrative costs, including other customers’ nonpayment.

As the pandemic—and orders against utility shutoffs—drag on, the mountain of “uncollectible” debt will continue to grow, and there are no clear answers on how (and by whom) bills will ultimately be paid.

Changing bill-paying behavior requires first that customers have at least some ability to pay their bills, but there are several options to help bills become more manageable.

Deferred Payment Arrangements

A deferred payment arrangement (DPA), for example, allows the customer to pay later for services used now. It does not waive the customer’s obligation to pay; rather, it allows them more time to pay their bills, often with at least part of the past due amount due each billing cycle.

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When Utility Bills Go Unpaid: A Growing Problem of COVID-19 (Part I)

By Andrea Jakubas

This post is part one of a three-part series discussing three avenues for reducing the “uncollectible burden”–the inability of people to pay their utility bills during the COVID-19 pandemic. Part one examines government grants and policy; part two will examine incentivizing and changing consumer bill-paying behavior, while part three will discuss clean energy initiatives that promote efficiency and reduce consumption.

In pre-pandemic times, if utility customers did not or could not pay their bills, the company could generally disconnect their service. But in response to the COVID-19 emergency, many states have issued moratoria against such utility shutoffs for nonpayment,[1] recognizing both that utilities are vital to human health and well-being and that customers are facing daunting levels of unemployment and decreased ability to pay their bills.

These shutoff moratoria are necessary but raise an additional problem: how bills will ultimately be paid. Generally, uncollectible accounts are “socialized” across utilities customers. The rate paid covers not only the customer’s direct consumption but also administrative costs, including other customers’ nonpayment. As the pandemic—and orders against utility shutoffs—drag on, the mountain of “uncollectible” debt will continue to grow, and there are no clear answers on how (and by whom) bills will ultimately be paid.

Pre-Pandemic Government Funding and Programs to Address the Uncollectables Problem

State and federal programs established before and during the pandemic have helped some customers reduce their debt.

Utility bill affordability was an issue long before the current pandemic, especially in lower-income homes. Now, during the pandemic, low-income individuals are more likely to have lost their jobs and are more concerned about being able to pay their bills, with only 23 percent of lower-income families reporting that they have enough emergency funds to last three months.[2]

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