FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Prepaid accounts allow utility customers to pay for electricity, gas, water, and/or other utility services before they use them. Prepaid accounts empower customers to monitor their energy consumption and take control of their energy budget. In most prepaid programs, customers do not have to pay a deposit, late fees, or disconnect/reconnect fees.

My Usage™ Prepay (formerly known as PAMS) is Exceleron Software’s prepay account management solution. MyUsage Prepaid is a web-based, hosted solution that is fully integrated with utilities’ existing AMI/MDM and CIS solutions, with no requirements for additional hardware or in-home devices.

Prepaid accounts eliminate the need for deposits, so new customers can establish service without making a large financial outlay. If the prepaid balance falls to zero, service is disconnected, but the customer may reestablish service simply by depositing additional funds in the account—without any late fees or disconnection/reconnection fees. Customers who have already paid a deposit may opt into the prepaid program and have those funds be applied against their future consumption. Finally, with access to the MyUsage.com web portal, customers can view detailed information about their energy usage, which empowers them to take control of their energy budget by focusing on conservation.

Prepaid accounts reduce the risk of delinquent accounts while minimizing bad debt and write-offs for the utility. Prepaid accounts also decrease utilities’ operating expenses due to fewer truck rolls and reduced billing/mailing expenses. Prepaid programs also improve morale among utilities’ customer service representatives, who enjoy being able to offer a low-cost, practical alternative to customers who might otherwise view them as “the bad guy.”

Yes. Data has shown a linkage between prepayment of energy bills and a conservation effect, with significant usage reductions of 5 to 15% found when customers switched from post-payment to prepayment. A recent study of data from a utility using MyUsage Prepaid determined that enrollment in prepay results in a significant reduction in energy usage of on average 11%. For more information, read the study.

No. A utility may make prepaid accounts available to all customers, but participation in the program is voluntary. New and current customers may opt into the prepaid program at any time, and they may opt out of the program so long as they pay the deposit and/or other fees required of customers participating in the traditional billing program.

MyUsage Prepaid includes an alert engine that automatically generates alerts to inform customers of the status of their prepaid account. Customers may choose to receive alerts via an automated telephone call, SMS text messaging, or email. MyUsage Prepaid can be configured to generate Daily Balance, Recharge, Low Balance, Pending Disconnect, and Monthly Usage Statement alerts. In addition, customers may access their account information through the online web portal,www.MyUsage.com, or by placing a call to the interactive voice response (IVR) system.

MyUsage supports all the existing payment methods of the participating utility, and also facilitates additional convenient options, such as debit/credit card payments, Western Union, MoneyGram, Fidelity Express, payment kiosks, and more.

For sales and pricing information, call (972) 852-2711 or send an email to [email protected].