Flippin' the Switch
Flippin' the Switch
S6 E1: Innovative Billing - A Guide to Energy Management in the New Year
Unlock the secrets to managing your energy bills with ease and flexibility as we kick off the new year. Our special guest, Jodi Florian, a seasoned member service representative from Jones-Onslow, guides us through innovative billing options like FlexPay and Budget Billing. Discover how FlexPay can alleviate hefty security deposits and provide daily energy usage updates, perfect for those with fluctuating incomes. Jodi also sheds light on Budget Billing, which offers predictability by allowing you to pay a consistent amount each month based on your previous usage, giving you peace of mind and financial stability. Tune in to this comprehensive guide and make the most of the resources available to you in 2025!
Hey there, listeners, and happy new year. Jones-onslow is ready to dive headfirst into 2025. And what better way to do so than by empowering our members to have a seamless experience paying their energy bills? We're kicking off season six highlighting some of the most budget-friendly ways to pay your electric bill. We have seven ways you can pay and you can look at all of those options on our website. But today we have a special guest here to break down FlexPay and budget billing. One of our trusted member service representatives, Jody Florian, is here to walk through ways you can pay your bill this year that will help you save money and budget. Use this episode as a step-by-step guide and resource for any questions you may have and to determine what way to pay works best with your lifestyle. Stay tuned after the interview portion of the episode for what's happening at the co-op this month and what you can look forward to as we head into the new year. And with that, let's start flipping the switch.
Speaker 2:On this edition of' the Switch. We are back in January and it is 2025. And we have the pleasure of having Jodi Florian with us. She is one of our outstanding member service representatives, so welcome, jodi.
Speaker 3:Thank you, Crystal.
Speaker 2:Now, Jodi, we know you're member services, but how long have you been with Jones-Onslow?
Speaker 3:I started working here in 2011, so almost 14 years Wow.
Speaker 2:Okay, so you got a wealth of knowledge coming in here first of the year to help our members. Now can you start by telling us a little bit about what your role is at Jones-Onslow as a member services rep and how you help our members every day?
Speaker 3:I interact daily with members, answering questions, resolving any issues, providing information about our services by phone, in person, via email. We can take payments over the phone, help set up auto draft. I've helped them walk through how to register to pay online through our website or app. Some customers come in and they're wanting to use the kiosk for the first time and they don't realize they need their account number to do so. I'll look their account number up for them.
Speaker 2:It sounds like you are awfully busy on each and every day because there are so many ways that members can pay. There are so many questions that come into our office and they're all different member by member.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 2:As we start the new year and it is January, like we mentioned before a lot of things come to mind. People want to hit the gym. They want to, you know, start healthy eating, and one of the other healthy things they want to do is learn how to budget their dollars so they can get more bang for their buck. About a new year, saving money and budgeting and since that's on the top of your minds, and ours too, how can jones onslow help our members a little bit? What tools do we provide them to help pay their electric bills with ease and some flexibility? What are some options?
Speaker 3:members can. If they want to do the traditional mella check, they can do that. But we have so many new ways that they can pay. If they register on our website, they can pay via our app, our website. They can pay where they shop. They can pay by our automated system and pay that way with their credit card or electronic check. They can call us and set up bank draft or go on our website and set up bank.
Speaker 2:And so there are also some other options, like there's a service called FlexPay, right, absolutely Okay. So how does FlexPay and you know we also offer budget billing, so let's start with FlexPay how does that work for members at Jones-Onslow?
Speaker 3:FlexPay is our prepaid option. So if you're a new customer, you call into Connect. We do a light credit check to determine if you have to pay a security deposit or not. Some people do, some people do not. If you do have to pay one, it's $300. And $300 can be a lot to come up with all at one time, absolutely.
Speaker 3:So the FlexPay option. Instead of having to pay a security deposit, you pay a startup fee. The startup fee with tax. Pay a startup fee. The startup fee with tax is $101.75. A lot less than $300. Absolutely $26.75 of that takes care of your Connect fee and then you're starting out with $75 of prepaid usage. Instead of getting a bill, you get a daily text message email or you can sign up for both. It'll tell you how much power you used the day before and how much of that $75 you have left, and you just have to keep it out of credit balance.
Speaker 2:So with that I kind of envision it like your gas tank. So if you're running low and you're getting close to E, you put like 20 bucks because you know like at that moment 20 bucks is all you got that day, but 20 bucks could carry you over to the next day and you could refill your tank if you have to, because maybe Friday's payday that's right.
Speaker 3:Some people go. My husband, he'll go and he'll fill it up every time and sometimes I don't fill mine up, I'll just be like I don't have time for this.
Speaker 3:This is a judgment-free zone, like my grandbaby's waiting on me, I'll put 20 in and I'll get some more and more the next day. It just depends on your situation. But if you get paid weekly, daily, if you're someone that gets tips, you know it may benefit you instead of having to come up with a total at the same time in which maybe your rent mortgage car payments do, and then have to struggle to get to the next payday. The ball is in your court to pay as you can pay.
Speaker 2:As long as you're keeping a credit balance on there, you're good and I love that it gives you those little text notifications, those alerts to your phone, so there's no surprises yeah. So that way you know okay, whoa, who's been like cranking up the heat in January. You can kind of be mindful of that. Now, with FlexPay, there's some other perks to that, Because I think that if you do run out of money and you get turned off, are there fees associated?
Speaker 3:There are no fees If you do get cut off and just say you are in the negative by $3.37,. Our disconnects happen at 9.30 in the morning. So when you set up your initial notifications you want to make sure you're getting them in time to be able to call us and pay or log into our app or website and pay. But if you don't meet that 9.30 deadline and you're in the negative, if you're in the negative by, we'll say, $3.37. After it gets cut off, instead of it being whatever you want to pay to keep it in the positive, at that point you have to pay $20 plus what you're in the negative. So your minimum to get reconnected is $23.37. As soon as you pay it, it's back on pretty instantaneously without any reconnect fees.
Speaker 2:Well, and the nice thing about that is then at least you're building a little cushion in the account for the next day. So you can figure out what your situation might be moving forward Exactly. So FlexPay is a good option for members that are maybe having a harder time keeping up with their budgets. Right, Maybe they get paid daily or work with tips. You know that's a good thing if you're thinking about that. You don't ever know what your income is going to be like every day Right.
Speaker 2:So FlexPay gives that flexibility for sure, hence the name FlexPay. Now there's another option for our budget-conscious folks that are out there and that's called budget billing, and that's a little bit different on the spectrum. So can you tell us a little bit about the budget billing?
Speaker 3:Yes, With the budget billing, you have to have your account open for at least a year, because the way we calculate your budget billing amount is based on the past 12 months of your usage and that determines what your budget amount is going to be. We'll just say we'll go on the high end $200. And that's the amount that you have to pay on the due date every single month. But you know that's what you have to come up with Now. When you get your bill on page one, you're going to have to pay on the due date. It will tell you if this were your true up month, because on month 12, it'll be the true up will happen. So if you've paid more, if you paid 200 each month and some months your bill was 150 or 100, then you know, come true up time, you're probably going to have a nice refund.
Speaker 3:Yeah, that's nice and you're seeing that, you know, winter months were brutal and your bill was 300 or several times, and you're seeing that you're going to owe, then you might want to pay a little extra. You know, some months if it's nothing but $20. Just so when you get to that true up month, you're not having to come up with a large amount.
Speaker 2:So as long as you monitor it, customers love it, so a member can still see how much their usage is every month with the budget, so they would know. So a member can still see how much their usage is every month with the budget, so they would know. Okay, my flat rate was $200, but this month was really cold so my bill was a little bit higher so I could pay extra. So I don't have to pay it at the end of the year, right? So what are some of? Like a member that's doing that? How do they benefit from doing budget billing?
Speaker 3:You don't know how much you're going to use from month to month. No, but with the budget billing, you know, this is the amount that I have to pay to keep my electric intact.
Speaker 2:Yep, that way they can manage their money a little bit better too.
Speaker 3:That's right.
Speaker 2:So if you're one of those people in January and you're going to create your Excel spreadsheet, you're going to no plug for Dave Ramsey. But if you're doing a Dave Ramsey budget, no relation you. But if you're doing a Dave Ramsey budget, no relation you. Can definitely put that in there and you know it's $200. That is something I can plan for and no surprises until the end. And you've already kind of been mindful, you're watching that every time. So you know, okay, I will have to pay a little bit at the end or I might get a nice little gift at the end of the year. So that's a win-win for budget billing.
Speaker 3:That's right, and on every bill it'll tell you if your true up month was this month and it'll have the amount your amount would be. If you see a minus sign ahead of it, that means we would owe you. If there's no minus sign, that means that's what you would owe. I want to see a minus sign.
Speaker 2:I want to see a minus sign. Yeah, me too. I want money back Now. What are the requirements for budget billing members?
Speaker 3:Again. They just have to have their account open at least one year so we can calculate what their budget amount will be, and their account has to be current. We like to have it paid in full start with a zero balance and then the next month.
Speaker 3:that's when their budget amount would start. Now, each year it's recalculated. So if you stay on budget bill and after your true up month, you'll get what your new budget amount's going to be, and it'll be based on the past 12 months, which it could be a little bit less if the calculation comes up to be less than it was for the previous 12 months, or it could be a little bit more.
Speaker 2:Okay, so a member can sign up for budget billing any month.
Speaker 3:right, it doesn't have to be just in January, they can sign up any month, but that's when their true up month is going to be.
Speaker 2:Right.
Speaker 3:So if they, were to call me today and sign up for it, then their true up month would be in December.
Speaker 2:Okay, nobody was that up Of 2025.
Speaker 3:No offense to me, it's Christmas. For the ones that are getting a nice check, you know that are actually using less than what their amount is, it could benefit them, but for the ones that actually are using more than what the budget amount, it could pose a problem at Christmas.
Speaker 2:Yeah, that's true. Well, these are two great options for our members. Like you mentioned previously, there are lots of options at Jones Onslow for members to pay their bill, but the two that we highlighted today. Flexpay definitely is flexible. A member can do that anytime, anywhere from their phone, from their computer or even visit the kiosk at one of the locations. They can pay where they shop, yeah there are so many options as long as they have their barcode.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, there are lots of things associated with that that are helpful. And then next up is the budget billing that we covered. That's kind of like that set it and forget it type thing. You know, just keep an eye on it, but you know you've got that in your budget. Both of these are great options to budget your bills and kind of keep up with things for the year and hopefully you'll have a nice little nest egg come January 26. Right, come January 26th. Are there any other things that you think that are important for members to know that encounter some sort of obstacles with payments and things like that?
Speaker 3:I did forget to say about the flex pay. There is a $5 monthly charge to have that prepaid service. However, you're not getting charged late fees, reconnect fees etc. But it's broken into 17 cents per day and your facilities charge that's $26 a month. If you're on standard billing it's broken down into a daily rate. So just say you're on vacation, you turn everything off. There's going to be a charge on there each day, I did want to mention that the standard billing.
Speaker 3:There's not a charge to have that one, but if you're late you're going to be charged a late payment fee.
Speaker 2:Because it's more like our traditional billing.
Speaker 3:It is the traditional billing. So that's the only thing that I forgot to say about the flex pay.
Speaker 2:There is a $5 monthly fee. And that makes total sense, and you know, these again are great options and we hope that you would take advantage of them. There are things that are available for each and every person in every lifestyle, and these are just two of those options and, jodi, we're so happy that you joined us today. It was my pleasure.
Speaker 3:Well great.
Speaker 2:You know we're kicking off January with a bang and we hope that 2025 is full of great things for all of our listeners. And thanks again, jodi.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having me.
Speaker 4:If you're already checking your inbox more than your mailbox, or if you're paying your bill online. Sign up today for paperless billing. Once you do, we'll email a bill notification to you each month. You can even set up your notification dates. So go paperless and get a bill credit. Member focused service driven. That's our co-op.
Speaker 1:Welcome to the very first segment of what's happening for season six in 2025. Jones Onslow is thrilled to be entering the new year and we are excited about what's ahead. Let's jump in. We have big news. Jones-onslow's annual meeting is going virtual this year. Joemc is making an exciting change to ensure all of our members can participate in one of our most important events In 2025, we're returning to a virtual annual meeting format, making it easier for members, especially those unable to attend in person, to stay connected with their cooperative. The virtual meeting will stream live on Friday, march 28, 2025, at 10 am. During the meeting, we'll share in-depth updates on the cooperative's achievements, future plans and initiatives. Plus, just like in past meetings, we'll feature exciting prizes as part of the experience. You won't want to miss it. Stay tuned for more information. Attention, high school juniors, a great opportunity awaits. Are you ready to grow your leadership skills and make new friends? This June, join students from across North Carolina and the United States for an exciting trip to Washington DC with the Electric Cooperative Youth Tour. Each year, joemc sends four rising high school seniors to attend this special event. Students learn about how cooperatives work, visit historic sites and gain leadership skills that can help them in the future. Many past participants have gone on to make a difference in their schools, communities and careers. For more information, head to our website and read our Spotlight newsletter.
Speaker 1:Our quick tip of the month is designed to help you be mindful of air vents around the home. Taking steps to help your home heating system run more efficiently can reduce energy use and lower your bills. Are air vents around your home blocked by furniture, curtains or other items? Obstructed vents force your heating system to work harder than necessary and can increase pressure in the ductwork, causing cracks and leaks to form. Make sure your air vents are clear and you'll be sure to save some money. We hope everyone had a safe and happy holiday season and happy new year, and that's what's happening at your co-op. Well, folks, that's all for today's episode of Flippin' the Switch. Be sure to follow us on our social media platforms to stay in the loop with Jones Onslow. We'll see y'all next time.