Those who get their power from Amicalola EMC can save on their bill in many ways. The 34,000 people served by Amicalola in rural northern Georgia are able to keep rates down in the first place because the company is a co-op, which means it’s owned by its members. The rates are as much as 25% less than those a for-profit company would charge. However, there are several additional ways that you can save money on your power bill. To learn more, read on.
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Like many electric power cooperatives, Amicalola Electric Membership Corporation offers a service called levelized billing for their members. Levelized billing, in short, averages out the power bills for the last 12 months and uses this average for the next monthly bill. This can save you money if you have an occasional month where your bill is much higher than normal.
In order to qualify for levelized billing, you must have been an Amicalola Electric Membership Corporation member for at least one year. You also need to have a zero balance. Finally, you cannot have any late charges or cut-off notices on your account. If you meet these qualifications, you can apply for levelized billing. Your bill when you are on this program is determined by yourcurrent months usage in kilowatt hours of consumption. If you were on a normal plan, this is where the calculation would end. However, with levelized billing, the calculation continues with the previous 11 months of actual kilowatt usage added to the current month and divided by 12 to get an average. For as long as you’re on levelized billing, your bill is based on this average. It is recalculated every month. It is a rolling 12-month calculation, meaning the oldest month is dropped for every new bill.
All you have to do it to sign up is fill out a form and mail it in. You can sign up to be billed with a bank draft, or you can complete a separate form to be on levelized billing without a bank draft. Once you know which option you will take, simply mail the form in to the Amicalola headquarters in Jasper.
Get a Capital Credit Refund!
Amicalola Electric Membership Corporation, as with all local electric cooperatives, is owned by its members. All electric cooperatives offer credits to the members once the operating expenses have been covered. For Amicalola members, these are called capital credits. There is no guarantee that there will be capital credits, as they are only paid out when there is a budget surplus. The amount of these capital credits can be significant. For example, more than 1.8 million dollars was returned to members in the form of capital credits during 1997 and 1998. The amount of the capital credit is not the same for every member. It is based on the amount of electricity that the specific member bought from the cooperative. The capital credit is not cash, it is automatically applied towards your power bill. To get a capital credit, you need to supply Amicalola with your name, address, account number, and spouse name if applicable. Photo ID may be requested. If you no longer have an active account, a check will be mailed to the address you supply.
Sign up for the Water Heater Maintenance Program!
One unique benefit offered by Amicalola is the water heater maintenance program. For just $1.49 a month, Amicalola will carry out any necessary repairs on your water heater. You not only save on repairs, you can save on your power bill by having a properly functioning water heater. The water heater must be working before it can be added to the maintenance program. After the heater has been added, there is a 30-day waiting period before repairs can be made. If you have an emergency and you are not yet signed up for the program, you should call a local water heater repair professional to take care of the problem. To sign up for the program, all you have to do is fill out a form and fax it in. You can also call the customer service line and speak with one of our representatives.
Maintenance service is provided during the business week. Amicalola will carry out repairs on the weekends, but only for leaking water heaters and emergencies. Regardless of when repair is carried out, the water heater must be in a place that is easily accessible by the technicians. If you are renting a property, rest assured that the bill will be sent to the homeowner’s account. However, you should keep in mind that Amicalola’s water heater maintenance program only covers normal maintenance of the water heater itself. Problems caused by incorrect installation are not covered. Neither are plumbing leaks or water pressure problems. Electrical and circuit breaker issues are also not covered.
Get help paying your Amicalola EMC bill!
Georgia has a comprehensive low-income home energy assistance program, commonly known as LIHEAP. This program provides low-cost improvements to low-income households that will help them save on their energy bills, especially during the winter. Some of the more common improvements include installing weather stripping and caulking. The LIHEAP program also installs a great deal of ceiling insulation.
Some of the funding for the LIHEAP program is transferred to local community action agencies, who carry out the same actions that the LIHEAP program would carry out. Every community has a local community action agency. Look up your local community action agency and contact them for information relevant to your area.
You should keep in mind that only low-income families are eligible for the services. To get more information on what is considered a low-income family, click here. The income levels change from year to year, so make sure to stay on top of this information.
