Prepay Power is for people who want to take control of their electric accounts and energy use. Think of your account balance like you do your car’s gas tank. You can purchase small amounts of “fuel” every few days, or fill up the tank and not worry about it for several weeks. You can decide what works best for your budget.
With traditional billing, you pay an amount calculated by Baldwin EMC for electricity you used in the previous month. With Prepay Power, you can pay how much you want, when you want. Unlike Baldwin EMC’s traditional billing methods, Prepay Power does not require a member deposit.
Is Prepay Power Right for You?
- Would it be easier for you to make daily, weekly or biweekly payments rather than one large payment each month?
- Would you like to avoid paying late fees or a deposit?
- Would it be more convenient for you to pay when you can, instead of meeting a due date set by Baldwin EMC?
If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, keep reading — here are a few more reasons to choose Prepay Power:
Benefits of Prepay Power
- Choose your own payment schedule.
- Purchase electricity when convenient.
- Monitor electrical use.
- Customize the plan that’s best for you.
- Pay what you want, when you want.
- No security deposits or late fees.
How Prepay Power Works
The process is simple: Put as much money as you want in your prepaid account, and we supply you with electricity. As you use power, your account balance goes down. When the funds run out, the electricity does, too.
You can buy more power by adding money to your account any time day or night by visiting us at our website or at one of our 24-hour Easy Pay Kiosks in Summerdale, Orange Beach or Bay Minette. If you add to your account after your power is disconnected, your power will be restored. (Note that, for payments made after 11 p.m., power may not be restored until 6:30 a.m. the next morning.)
Monitor What You Use and Spend
You can track your power use and monitor your account balance online or by downloading the Baldwin EMC app for your smart phone or tablet.
By monitoring your energy use and adjusting your habits, you can reduce the amount of electricity you use each day and save money: When you monitor your power consumption on a regular basis, you will begin to notice patterns in your day-to-day use. Any variation from this pattern, such as a house guest (increase) or a vacation (decrease) will become evident as you monitor your account. Observing and controlling daily use can help keep your electric costs down.
Frequently Asked Questions about Prepay Power
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HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
Prepay Power gives you the option to prepay for your electricity on a daily, weekly or biweekly basis rather than being billed monthly for the power you used in the previous month. You can think of it like putting gas in your car’s tank: You can “fill up” your prepaid account balance, which buys you electricity. As you use power, your balance will go down.
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HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY DO I NEED TO PURCHASE?
When you first sign up for Prepay Power, you will need a credit of at least $100. After that, it’s up to you. You can pay as much or as little as you want. Just keep in mind, paying a small amount will only buy you electricity for a short period of time.
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HOW WILL I KNOW WHEN MY BALANCE IS GETTING LOW?
Baldwin EMC will notify you with a phone call when your balance drops below $35. You can also sign up to be notified via text message or email through SmartHub, Baldwin EMC’s online billing program.
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WILL I STILL GET A BILL EVERY MONTH?
No. When you sign up for Prepay Power, we won’t mail you a bill each month. Your bill will be calculated daily based on how much power you use, and that amount will be deducted from your Prepay account each day.
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HOW CAN I CHECK MY ACCOUNT BALANCE?
You can go to SmartHub to monitor your account balance and your power consumption. You can also download the Baldwin EMC app to quickly access your account from your smartphone or tablet.
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HOW CAN I KNOW IF I’LL HAVE ENOUGH POWER TO GET ME THROUGH THE NEXT DAY, WEEK, ETC.?
SmartHub can analyze your daily power use to determine the amount of funds you’ll need to put on your account to cover any number of days. Input the number of days you want to cover, and it will provide an estimated cost. This is only an estimate and you will still need to monitor your daily use.
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WHAT IF MY ACCOUNT RUNS OUT?
If funds in your account run out, your electricity will be automatically disconnected. You will be notified by phone, text or email. You can purchase more power through our website or by visiting one of our Easy Pay Kiosks any time of day, seven days a week. During our normal business hours, you can also come into one of our offices or call (251) 989-6247. (You can “refill your Prepay balance” within 48 hours and service will be restored with no reconnect fee.) If funds in your account run out and if no payment is received for more than two days, your account could be closed and additional fees may apply.
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HOW QUICKLY WILL MY POWER BE RESTORED AFTER I MAKE A PAYMENT?
Once a payment posts to your account, your power can usually be restored within 15 minutes. However, if you make a payment after 11 p.m., your power may not be restored until after 6:30 a.m. the following day.
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ARE THERE ANY FEES ASSOCIATED WITH PREPAY POWER?
There is a monthly charge of $4 to use Prepay Power. However, you won’t be required to pay a security deposit. And since you decide when to make your payments, you’ll never be charged a late fee.
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I ALREADY PAID A SECURITY DEPOSIT. WILL IT BE REFUNDED IF I SIGN UP FOR PREPAY POWER?
Your deposit will be credited to your Prepay account balance.
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CAN ANYONE SIGN UP FOR PREPAY POWER?
Prepay Power is available to the majority of our members. However, we don’t recommend the program for those with medical needs dependent on electricity.
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WHAT KIND OF PAYMENTS WILL BE ACCEPTED WITH PREPAY POWER?
You can make a payment to your Prepay account using cash, a credit card or a check. However, service charges for checks returned due to insufficient funds will be deducted from your Prepay account.
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CAN I CONTINUE USING AUTOMATIC DRAFT?
No. When you sign up for Prepay Power, your automatic draft will be discontinued.
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CAN I STOP PARTICIPATING IN PREPAY POWER AT ANY TIME?
Yes. In order to re-establish standard billing, you will need to pay a security deposit.