Looking for ways to save on your Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative bill? Begetta asked and we did some research.
Unfortunately, the Bowie-Cass Cooperative website is fairly new and many pages are labeled “coming soon.” We weren’t able to find a lot of useful information, but we’ve reached out to the company for more information.
Here’s what we’ve found so far:
Save Money Every Month on Your Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative Bill!
Test your meter.
If you’re receiving suspiciously high bills, there may be a problem with your meter. You can have your meter tested, free of charge, every four years. Testing more frequently will result in a $25 fee if the meter is functioning properly. To read more about what happens if your meter is determined to be faulty, please click here.
Avoid unnecessary fees.
Don’t pay your Bowie-Cass Cooperative Bill on the phone! If you do, you’ll pay an extra $4.95 for the “convenience” of the live phone payment.
Avoid unpredictably high bills throughout the year.
Like most companies, Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative offers a convenient budget billing program that helps you level out your seasonal bills. When you enroll in Levelized Billing, BCEC will estimate your annual usage and divide it into equal payments. This will help you avoid seasonally high electric bills!
Avoid a Crisis with Help from Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative
Establish an alternative payment plan.
If you’ve maintained a good payment record with no broken agreements over the last 12 months, you can ask for an alternative payment plan. You may be able to make pay your balance in installments over time.
Please note that Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative is a bit of a stickler with their payment arrangements. For example, nobody who has had service for less than twelve months will be eligible for any sort of extension or payment arrangement unless they have a medical condition certified by their physician.
If you make a payment arrangement, make sure to honor it! Any customer who fails to follow through on a Promise to Pay arrangement will not be eligible for another PTP for the next twelve months.
Avoid service shut-offs.
If you’ve been living the low income life very long, you’ve probably experienced a dreaded disconnection visit from the utility company. It’s one of the worst feelings ever. Fortunately, there are several ways to avoid a shut-off from Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative.
Your BCEC power cannot be shut off in the following situations:
- You didn’t pay for merchandise, appliances or services OTHER than your electric bill.
- You dispute an unusually high bill.
- Someone residing at the home would become seriously ill or more seriously ill as the result of the disconnection.
- The Cooperative personnel are not available for making collections or restoring service on that day or the next day.
- The temperature was 32 degrees F or less yesterday and is not expected to rise above 32 degrees over the next 24 hours.
- There is a National Weather Service heat advisory in effect (or there was a heat advisory in effect within the last two days).
If you claim that you or someone who resides with you will become ill or more ill due to the disconnect notice, you’ll need to have your provider call or submit a written statement to Bowie-Cass Electric Cooperative before the disconnection date. Your provider will need to submit a written statement and you will need to enter into a deferred payment plan for the outstanding balance. This moratorium will last only 63 days.
Get emergency assistance from other agencies.
If you need additional help, you may be able to receive help from other community agencies. If you apply for assistance and are awarded benefits, the organization can contact Bowie-Cass immediately and prevent them from turning off your electric service. The BCEC rules state that they cannot disconnect your service if they have been notified that you have applied for and been awarded assistance.
Nicole Thelin
Nicole is the founder and lead researcher of Low Income Relief. After a personal experience with poverty and homelessness following her husband's sudden medical discharge from the U.S. Army, Nicole discovered the life-changing impact of community resources. This experience ignited her passion for empowering others to navigate similar crises. Nicole launched her writing career at age 16, working for various newspapers and publications. Her commitment to in-depth research and accessible content has been recognized by Google for Publishers and other industry leaders. For over 20 years, she has applied her investigative skills to uncover the most helpful, up-to-date information on benefits programs and community resources, ensuring Low Income Relief maintains the most extensive resource databases available.