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	Your residential bill

1. Your five-digit account number is listed here, along with the total bill amount and discount information. For those on pre-authorized payments plans, the amount and date of the debit will be noted.
   
   
2. This bar shows your account number, date the bill was sent, and the date payment must be received to earn the automatic debit discount.
   
   
3. Address of the property where electrical service is provided.
   
   
4. Under "Electricity Used," your rate classification and meter number are printed. The date of the current meter reading is listed next. (If weather conditions prevent actual meter reads, the letters C ESTIMATE will appear after this date.) The prior month's reading is listed below. The difference between these readings equals your current billed usage. Billing periods can vary, so the number of days included in the current cycle is listed.
   
   
5. This box provides a comparison of your present bill with the last month's bill, and with your usage at the same time last year.
   
   
6. Reminders about the early payment discount and automatic debit payments are found here.
   
   
7. This area provides information about your payment history, including past balances and discounts earned. The amount due is the total due before the prompt payment discount.
   
   
8. Under "Cost of Electricity," the breakdown of charges that make up the total bill are shown. The kilowatt-hour charge reflects three services: energy or generation, transmission, and the distribution of electric power, along with a small monthly "Customer Charge" (unrelated to your usage). Here's what they mean:
   
   Energy is the electric current produced at power plants, which use fuels such as oil, gas, water or nuclear fission to turn turbines that produce electricity.
   
   Transmission is the cost to move bulk electricity from power plants to local substations. In New England, power plants and utilities share common transmission lines, and the lines' owners charge utilities for moving the purchased electricity from the power plant to local destinations.
   
   Distribution is the local delivery of electricity. High-voltage current leaves the transmission lines at a substation, where transformers reduce it to a medium voltage. Electricity then travels through distribution lines on poles or underground to neighborhoods. Here it passes through another transformer, which reduces it to 120/240 volts for household use. The final step is for the electricity to pass through a meter to measure use in the kilowatt-hour units that appear on the electric bill.
   
   Effective Aug. 1, 2003, BELD re-instituted a Power Cost Adjustment (PCA). This charge will allow BELD to recover energy costs as fuel fluctuates, and may be adjusted up or down periodically. For information on the current PCA, please see the rate schedules under Electric Pricing and Packages.
   
   
9. The monthly bill message and confirmation of the senior citizen discount appear here.
   
   

Your bill is payable upon receipt and due 45 days later. You agree to pay us monthly by the payment due date as shown on your bill and for any administrative fees due to late payments or other charges due us. You agree to pay all federal, state, local, and user taxes, and other charges, if any, which we may now or in the future be required to assess you. Billing rates are subject to periodic adjustment as permitted by franchise agreements and federal law.

If payment is made within 15 days of the bill date, residential customers are entitled to a 10% discount on the total Distribution and Transmission charges. Customers may also apply for BELD's senior citizen discount. Partial or late payments automatically forfeit early payment discounts.

An effort will be made to contact the writer of a returned check to secure payment; returned checks are subject to a $30 service charge. If payment has not been made for all unpaid charges 30 days following the due date, we reserve the right to apply interest charges of 5% per month and terminate service for delinquency. If you are on the automatic debit plan and your check is returned for the second time, you will be removed from the plan.

You may pay for multiple months of service in advance if that is more convenient for you. If changes in rates occur after advance payments are made, you are responsible for any adjusted rates as of the applicable rate change effective date.

You may pay with cash, check, money order, credit card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express, or Discover), automatic debit, or online. Please write your account number and service address on your check and allow 5-7 days for processing. To ensure prompt attention, please write your inquiries or requests on a separate piece of paper rather than on the bill itself. You may:

• Pay your bill online! This feature makes it easy and safe to manage your account right from your computer. In addition, you can pay your bill over the phone by calling 781.348.1001.
• Enclose your payment in the return envelope provided with the bill and mail with the remittance stub to BELD. Do not mail cash.
• Pay your bill at our Potter Street offices.
• Place your payment in one of the BELD drop boxes located at the top of Potter Road or Braintree Town Hall. Please do not pay in cash when using a drop box.
• Pay your bill at a Braintree Cooperative Bank office-1010 Washington Street or 372 Washington Street.
• Pay your bill at Town Hall. On the last Tuesday of every month, a BELD Customer Service Representative is stationed at 1 JFK Memorial Drive to take payments and answer questions.
• Sign up for our automatic debit plan to save time and money. Simply complete the authorization form, print it out, sign it, attach a voided check, and return both to our office. You will still receive a monthly statement, but your bill payment will be automatically deducted from your bank account.

Why your electric bill may change from month to month

The most likely reason for a change in your bill may be due to a change in how you used energy. Typically, a home is equipped with many energy-using appliances that are not always used the same amount each month. You may have had guests, which could have contributed to higher water usage (causing your electric water heater to run more), more lights being used (or being used longer), more laundry, cooking, etc.

The time of year is another possible reason for changing bills. During the summer months, some appliances—such as dehumidifiers, air conditioners, fans and swimming pool pumps—run more. In the winter, most heating systems use electricity to circulate the heat. We also tend to spend more time indoors, running appliances and lighting for longer hours.

Finally, a bill may be higher or lower because there was a difference in the number of days between readings. Generally, your meter is read every 30 days, but there are times when your meter reading may be for less than 30 days or more than 30 days. It will state on your electric bill the number of days the bill covers.

If your think your bill has changed drastically and none of these factors seem to apply, contact our Energy Advisor. We may be able to offer an explanation, make arrangements to have a check reading done to make sure your meter was read properly, or schedule an energy audit.

If you are unable to pay your bill

If you are having difficulty paying your utility bill, you can make a payment arrangement with BELD's Delinquent Accounts clerk. Under this plan a past due balance may be paid in equal installments over a specified period. Current charges will be due in addition to the payments on the past due balance. The length of time that a payment arrangement extends will vary from a minimum of four months, depending on the past due balance and your ability to pay. Also, if you own a home that contains electric heat and hot water, you may apply to be put on a budget plan. Contact BELD Customer Service for more information on these plans.

In addition, there are regulations allowing flexibility for people facing disconnection:
Bad health: If losing your electric service would be an immediate and serious health hazard for you or someone in your home, ask your physician to write a letter to BELD explaining the situation. This letter is good for 30 days. It can be renewed for 30 more days or for a total of three 30-day periods in a year.
Severe winter weather: These guidelines are in effect between November 1 and March 31 each year. If you or someone in your home is 65 or older, your electric service will not be shut off for non-payment if the weather forecast calls for the temperatures to drop below 32°F during the 48 hours starting the morning of the shut-off day. You must provide advance written notice to BELD that the household qualifies to remain with power under these conditions and, if necessary, provide proof. Otherwise, service will not be disconnected if the 48-hour forecast is predicted to fall below 10°F.
Renters: It is illegal for a landlord to evict a tenant by asking that the electric service be shut off. If a landlord discontinues service for a rental unit that is in his/her name, BELD must give the tenants a chance to continue the service.