At Northern Wasco County Peoples Utility District (NWCPUD), we’re constantly looking for ways to improve our service to you, our customer-owners. Our recent transition to our new system brings significant improvements designed to give you more insight into your electricity use and greater control over your monthly bills.
What’s Changed?
A Side-by-Side Comparison
Your Previous NWCPUD Bill
Our previous bill format provided basic information, including:
- Account information and payment amount at the top
- A simple bar graph showing monthly kilowatt-hour use history
- A brief comparison section with days of service, total use and average daily use
- Basic meter reading information and calculation of charges
- Just 1 payment option listed
Your New NWCPUD Bill
Our enhanced bill format provides significantly more information to help you understand and manage your electricity use:
- Detailed use graph that includes temperature correlation, helping you understand how weather affects your electricity consumption
- Comprehensive comparison data showing the current month, last month and same month from the year prior
- Clear breakdown of your average daily use, cost and temperature
- Enhanced account summary with previous balance and payment tracking
- More detailed breakdown of current charges
- Multiple convenient payment options, including online, mobile app, phone and in-person methods
Why More Information Matters
The additional information on your new bill isn’t just for show. It provides valuable insights that can help you take control of your energy costs:
- Temperature correlation: By seeing how outdoor temperatures affect your use, you can better understand seasonal bill fluctuations and plan accordingly.
- Historical comparisons: Comparing your current use to the same period last year helps identify unusual patterns or consumption changes.
- Average daily costs: Understanding your average daily electricity cost helps with household budgeting and identifying potential savings.
- Detailed use data: More granular information about your electricity consumption patterns helps identify opportunities for conservation and savings.
The More You Know - Understanding Your Facility Charge
You may notice a line item on your bill called the "Facility Charge" (called “Facilities Charge” on the old bill and sometimes called a "Basic Charge" or "Customer Charge" by other utilities). This is an important component of your bill that deserves explanation.
What is the Facility Charge?
The Facility Charge is a fixed monthly fee that covers the costs of maintaining our electrical system and providing service to your home, regardless of how much electricity you use. This charge is the same for all residential customers within the same rate class and helps ensure that the basic costs of running our utility are shared equitably among all customer-owners.
What does the Facility Charge cover?
The Facility Charge helps pay for:
- Physical infrastructure: Maintenance of hundreds of miles of power lines, thousands of utility poles, transformers, and substations that deliver power to your home.
- Grid reliability: Equipment inspections, vegetation management, and system upgrades that prevent outages and ensure quality service.
- Basic utility operations: Billing systems, customer service, and emergency response capabilities.
- Cybersecurity measures: Protection of our grid and customer data from digital threats.
- Administrative services: Staff and facilities needed to effectively operate your community-owned utility.
Why is the Facility Charge important?
Even if you use very little electricity or are a seasonal resident, the infrastructure to deliver power to your home must be maintained year-round. The Facility Charge ensures that all customers contribute fairly to these fixed costs, regardless of their electricity consumption. This approach helps maintain system reliability while keeping our overall rate structure fair and balanced for all customer-owners.
Empowering You Through Better Information
As your community-owned, not-for-profit utility, Northern Wasco County PUD is committed to providing you with the tools and information you need to manage your energy costs effectively. Our new bill format is just one example of how we’re working to make your electricity service more transparent and user-friendly.
We encourage you to take advantage of the additional information on your new bill to gain insights into your energy use patterns. By understanding when and how you use electricity, you can make informed decisions that could help reduce your monthly costs.
Don’t forget to download the SmartHub app, which puts all this information and more in the palm of your hand.
With SmartHub, you can track your use in real time, pay your bill, report outages, and manage your account from anywhere. It’s the easiest way to stay connected with your utility and take control of your energy use. We’re here to help you make the most of your electric service.