Has anyone received a notice or have done the Fixed Bill where your bill is the same every month?

If so, what would you say you like or dislike about the program?

I received a notice in the mail and it sounds like an interesting concept.

Are you referring to budget billing?

I used it in the past for electric and now use it for my natural gas service. It's nice to have a consistent bill with no surprises, you're basically evening out your payments over the year instead of having say 6 months of low bills and 6 months of high bills, you have 12 months of one consistent bill $ amount.

If they offer it, I say go for it. There's really no downside to it. I much rather would pay a bill of a consistent $200 per month (as an example) than $300 a month for 6 months and $100 a month for 6 months.

Hi Edmond, I used to work for Duke in southern Ohio and Indiana before moving to Central America. Budget billing was a great thing when we had it. One thing to consider though, sometime during the year there will be an evaluation of your usage. This could lead to your bill going down for the coming year or it may go up. There should be one month where the correction is made. So, if you are using more than they figured when they calculated your bill, there will be a correction and you will get a new rate. If could go up or down based on your average usage for the year.

That's offered where I live.

Basically, the utility just sum totals the last 12 months of use and divides by 12, offering to let you pay a flat fixed amount each month.

Periodically the utility will once again refigure your yearly total and average and adjust the payment.

It's easier for your budget, and it's easier for the utility to, more or less, count on their monthly income to be a more predictable amount.

Good luck to you, Sir.

I'm a huge fan. Not with Duke, but have used with every utility available in 3 cities for a decade plus. Most now adjust on a rolling basis, so there's not a one-time recast like an escrow account calculation. So bills creep up or down gradually, but never by more than a few percent.

We have used a similar program with Consumers Energy since the late 90's. At least in ours they build in some cushion so normally our last month or two bills have a credit.

It has been offered a long time in my area. I just count on paying more in the summer months and much less in the winter. My income fluctuates due to self employment so I am used to it. I see how it could help those who would like a fixed amount per month.

At one time I believe Duke had a program that charged a lesser rate for electricity during off peak hours. Innovative idea.

I have had it where I live for many years, works well for me. "Budget Wise" is how the utility company calls it in my area, they adjust it every so often, and it applies to electricity and natural gas, as the same company provides both.