Nat Grid Balanced Billing question

I’ve been on a balanced-billing plan for almost two years now and the monthly payments have also fluctuated quite a bit. I was also required to put down a $750.00 “ commercial” deposit when we moved in, since our house is zoned as 3-family though we live in it as 2-familly.. That said, I’ve never had the frightening $250 or $300 a-month winter bills I worried about when we switched from an apartment to a house, so I plan to continue it. Guessing the fluctuations are linked to underlying commodity price swings. Same as gas, jet fuel etc.

est

in Heating and Cooling 11 years and 10 months ago

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catbk | 11 years and 10 months ago

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Does anyone else have a National Grid “balanced billing” or “budget” account for their gas heat? The reason I ask is because the entire point of balanced billing is to pay a set amount monthly. I used about $2200 a year in gas last year, so I would expect to pay a little more after an annual adjustment, lets say $200/month each month all year, in anticipation of higher usage or gas price next year.

What happens instead is that every month my billing is different. I pay $196 one month, $54 the next, $143 the month after that, etc. Then they claim that they adjust quarterly, and these differing amounts are because I have a balance(!). I thought the entire point was to PRODUCE a positive balance in order to draw against it in the winter when the gas usage would be more like $400/month.

There has been no one at Nat Grid I can explain myself to that understands how I am puzzled at this varying billing. How can a balanced billing plan be different every month and still be a balanced billing plan??

slopette | 11 years and 10 months ago

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They’ve got some bizarre ideas over there. I specifically *did not* enroll in balanced billing and got a $32 bill for my first month in my new apartment — when I was undertaking a renovation, didn’t live there, and didn’t even have a stove attached. When I called to complain, they reduced it to $16 because “that’s the minimum”. Meanwhile I’ve never received a bill over $12 for the apartment I actually live in.

Bklnite | 11 years and 10 months ago

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I’m on balanced billing with national grid and it works fine for me. I get new monthly amount in December and next year November I pay whatever the difference between usage and billed amount and a new level payment. It did adjust downward in the middle last year (mostly due to the drop in gas supply price per therm I believe).  Works best if you sign up for level billing around November / start of the heating season. That way they’re giving you free credit – you pay less than you use in the winter and pay them back in the summer when the level bill amount is more than your usage.

Townie | 11 years and 10 months ago

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yes we have been using it for years, which is why it is so right on with a minimal balance being carried forward.   Billed $99 per month gets us through the winter months when the bill is $300+

Stonergut | 11 years and 10 months ago

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I had been using it for years too, and had a steady $142-ish payment with occasional adjustment. I don’t know what has caused these huge swings – it started last fall when they did the quarterly change. Do all of you have remote reading? That’s the only thing that’s changed.