Understanding your bill after switching to the new AMR meter

You may have heard that MJM Electric Cooperative has been making plans to install an Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system. The January 2011 edition of the Along the Lines MJM newsletter included an article titled “The Value of Automated Meter Reading”, which outlined a number of the benefits associated with an AMR system, including improved operating and billing efficiencies that will result in a cost savings for the Cooperative and its members. The payback on an AMR system is normally 8 years or less.

Billing of electricity for MJM Electric Cooperative members has always been behind by about two months. For example, the bills due in February are actually for December’s electricity usage. However, once your meter is changed out, the Cooperative will be able to read your meter at the end of the month and bill you for the energy consumed during that month, with no time gap in between energy usage and billing. Because of this change in billing, there will be a “catch up” month that will include an extra month of usage. (That means if you receive your new meter in January, then your next bill in February would include December’s electricity usage as read by your old meter AND January’s electricity usage as read by your new meter.)

We understand that it could be difficult for most people to pay two months worth of electric bills at one time. Therefore the Cooperative decided that it will allow members 15 months to pay for the “catch up” month. Your “catch up” amount will automatically be figured into your next bill, following the meter change out. If you would rather pay off the “catch up” month up front, as opposed to making monthly payments, you may do so by contacting the office to make such an arrangement.  However, please wait to call until after you have received the first bill following the meter change out.

Simply put, you will be billed for two months of usage and two facility charges at one time but will be credited back half of the charged amount to offset the bill. The credit will be stated as an “AMR Contract Credit” on your bill. Another item that you will see under Current Bill Information is the “AMR Meter Exchange Installment Amount.”  This figure is actually the “catch up” amount that you will see for a total of 15 billing periods which is the equivalent to about 2 days of usage.

Once your electric meter is changed out, it will not be necessary to read the meter anymore. Installing an Automated Meter Reading system is one more way the Cooperative is illustrating its commitment to provide you with better service and improved reliability by utilizing a cost effective technology. If you have any questions concerning the AMR system, you may call the Cooperative at 217-854-3137 / 1-800-648-4729 or send an e-mail to amr@mjmec.coop.

Sincerely,

Chris M. Spears, President/CEO