Westar Energy Partners with Exceleron to Offer Prepay Utility Service Pilot Program
Kansas Corporation Commission Approves Westar Energy’s Prepaid Pilot with Exceleron’s MyUsage
Dallas, Texas – June 2, 2014—Westar Energy’s prepay pilot program powered by Exceleron’s MyUsage was approved by the Kansas Corporation Commission on May 29. The prepay pilot will be available to up to 1,000 customers who have an advanced digital meter and meet a few other basic requirements. A significant milestone, Westar Energy joins a growing number of utility service providers that have selected Exceleron Software’s MyUsage Prepay.
“Customers let us know they want more options in how they do business with us,” said Jeff Beasley, Vice President of Customer Care for Westar. “They compare Westar to other companies’ products and services and they want access to timely usage information. We want to meet those expectations and give our customers more product and service options that fit their lifestyle. This pilot program will let them determine the value of these options.”
Once a customer opts to participate in Westar’s Prepaid Program, there are no deposits, no late fees, no disconnection charges, and no monthly bills. Customers may access their account balance and usage history via the MyUsage smartphone application, the myusage.com web portal, telephone, email, and text messaging. Customers can choose the amount and frequency of payments, and they can apply additional funds to their prepay account through a variety of convenient payment options.
Exceleron completed integration of MyUsage to the existing CIS and AMI systems in May 2013, and Westar representatives completed their training that same month. Upon successful completion of the pilot, Westar anticipates a full rollout, making prepay accounts available to all residential customers.
“We are very pleased to collaborate with Westar in bringing the benefits of prepay services to a larger customer base, given that investor owned utilities and municipalities are becoming a high-growth segment of the utility market for prepay programs,” said Jeff Severs, COO of Exceleron. “More than 85 utilities have already selected MyUsage, which is the industry’s leading, proven solution for managing prepay programs. We’re confident that Westar and its customers will appreciate all the benefits that MyUsage provides.”
For more information about Exceleron Software and MyUsage, visit www.exceleron.com. For more information about Westar’s prepaid program, visit www.WestarEnergy.com/westarprepaid.
About Westar Energy
As the largest electric energy provider in Kansas, Westar Energy is dedicated to operating the best electric utility in the Midwest and providing quality service at below average prices. Headquartered in Topeka, Westar employs about 2,400 people and serves nearly 700,000 customers in much of east and east-central Kansas. Westar’s energy centers generate more than 7,000 megawatts of electricity, and Westar operates and coordinates 35,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines. For more information, visitwww.westarenergy.com.
About Exceleron Software
Exceleron Software is the leading provider of prepayment and financial technology solutions for North American utilities, having served more than 100 utility customers and 500,000 prepay consumers. Electric, water, and gas utilities are using Exceleron’s MyUsage solution to recover more than $20 million in bad debt and process more than $500 million in payments while helping consumers practice energy conservation and avoid nearly $1 billion in service connection and late fees. Consumers have more access to detailed consumption information and greater control over the amount, frequency, and method of payments. This increases customer choice, improves customer satisfaction, and significantly lowers financial risk for utilities.
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Bob Finley
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