In May 2003, customers began receiving more information about their CWLP accounts than had ever before been provided on their monthly statements. The utility’s ability to provide this increased amount of account information stemmed from the long-awaited startup of CWLP’s new Customer Information System (CIS), which replaced an obsolete billing system that was installed in the late 1970s.

The major pieces of new information customers now receive include:

• monthly customer charges for each meter are now broken out from your actual cost of consumption;
• you see exactly what rate you are paying for each kilowatt-hour (kWh) or kilowatt (kW) of electricity or unit of water you use during the month;
• your sewer charge is now broken into two portions – Sewer Fund (for the Springfield Department of Public Works) and Sanitary District – indicating the amount of this total charge that goes to each of the agencies responsible for maintaining and operating the city’s sewer and wastewater treatment system.

It is important to understand that, although you are being provided with more information about your account’s financial transactions, the actual rates and other charges you are paying have not increased. The only change is in the amount of information that is presented. (A water rate increase scheduled to take place November 2003 is not related to the startup of the CIS or the new bill format.)  Click here to see a sample of the new bill format.  (To view the online version, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Reader, you can download a free copy by clicking the icon below.)

For the present, the basic look of the bill will remain the same as it has for the past several years, but a new bill design is in the works. When it is finalized, we will be able to provide you with even more detailed account information.

The top portion of your monthly bill, which should be returned to CWLP with your payment, reflects the date you were billed, the payment due date (21 days after the billing date), the billing name and address (please check for accuracy), your service address (if different from the billing address), the total amount due, and the account number. Under the new CIS, your nine-digit account number is the same as in the past; however, it is now accompanied by an eight-digit customer number. Every separate account you have with the utility has its own account number, but your customer number remains constant across all of your accounts. For instance, if John Smith owns property at 100 E. 1^st Street and 200 W. 2^nd Street and has the utilities in his name at both properties, each property has its own individual account number but the customer number on both is identical, identifying John Smith as the person responsible for the utilities.

The bottom portion of the bill lists:

• the type(s) of service for which you are being billed (e.g., electric, electric demand, water);
• the size of your water meter;
• your meter number(s)
• your rate classification (which determines the amount you’ll pay per unit of electrical or water consumption, as well as your monthly customer charge);
• the date your meter(s) was read;
• the number of days in the current billing cycle;
• the bill code, which indicates whether your bill was based on an actual or estimated meter reading or if your statement is being rebilled (check the back side of your bill for code definitions);
• your previous and current month’s meter readings;
• your meter multiplier, which is the amount by which your current meter reading is multiplied to determine your actual usage (for all water meters and residential meters, the multiplier will be 1.0; commercial electric meters, which tend to record only increments of actual usage, can have meter multipliers of 1.0 or higher);
• your usage – in kilowatt-hours of electricity, kilowatts of demand (applicable to residential customers with a second electric meter and to commercial customers), and units of water;
• the amount and date of your last payment;
• any unpaid balances on your account;
• your next scheduled meter reading date;
• your average daily electrical usage (determined by dividing your total kilowatt-hour consumption for the month by the number of days in the billing cycle);
• your average daily electrical cost (determined by dividing your total electric charge by the number of days in the billing cycle);
• your current balance (which is calculated by adding any unpaid balance to your customer and consumption charges, electric fuel adjustment and state utility tax, and any penalties that might have been applied to your bill, and then subtracting any credits or rebates you have received); and
• the amount you must pay.

If you are on CWLP’s Level Payment Plan, the figure in the Please Pay This Amount box (lower right corner) will reflect the amount your account is charged each month according to the terms of your Plan.

On the back of the bill, you’ll find detailed explanations of much of the information provided on the front of the bill. (Please note that, because we are using up old bill stock, the explanation of the Sewer Service Charge does not take into account the way the bills now differentiate between Sewer Fund and Sanitary District charges.) Other information contained on the back of the bill includes a definition of the due date; information about late penalties; and circumstances under which service can be discontinued and restored. This side of the bill also provides space for you to correct misspellings of your name (as printed on the front of the bill) or to update your home or business phone numbers. In addition, there is a list of telephone contacts for several of the major services and assistance programs offered by CWLP.

Last update: 01/07/08

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