Who qualifies as a low-income customer?

"Low Income Customer" means a residential customer who has qualified under the income criteria of Section 6 of the Energy Assistance Act of 1989 [305 ILCS 20/6]. Qualification is effective for purposes of this definition when the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) administrator notifies the customer's utility of the customer's low income status. Unless water and sewer utilities begin participation in a low income assistance program with the LIHEAP agencies, it shall be the individual customer's responsibility to notify and provide proof to the water and/or sewer utility of the customer's low income status under the income criteria of Section 6 of the Energy Assistance Act of 1989. Qualifications established on or after September 1 shall remain effective for purposes of this definition until December 31 of the following year. Qualifications established before September 1 shall remain effective until December 31 of that same year. The utility shall notify the customer 30 through 90 days prior to the expiration of a customer's qualification.”

 

What options do I have as a low-income customer?

LAte payment fee waiver

  • Customers who qualify for "low-income" status shall not be assessed late payment fees for as long as he/she is qualified. 
  • Rockwell Utilities reserves the right not to waive late fees that were assessed prior to a customer's qualification for "low-income" status.
  • If a customer does not re-qualify for "low-income" status, Rockwell Utilities may begin assessing late fees on past due amounts.
    • Late fees shall not be assessed retroactively on bills issued during the time period the customer was under qualified "low-income" status. 

budget payment plan

who qualifies for a budget payment plan?

  • Any customer without any existing past-due amounts can enroll in a budget payment plan at any time. 
  • Customers with past due amounts must either pay the existing balance or enter into a "deferred payment arrangement" with Rockwell Utilities.
    • Delayed payment agreements are negotiated on a case-by-case basis and must be mutually agreed upon between Rockwell Utilities and the customer. 

How do i enroll in a budget plan?

  • A qualified customer may enroll at any time simply by contacting Rockwell Utilities.
  • The budget payment plan specifics will be agreed upon between the utility and the customer. 

what will my bill look like?

All customers on a budget payment plan will have their bill itemized with the following:

  • the budget payment amount
  • the amount of accrued credit or shortfall

Can my plan be altered?

  • Yes-- if your current billing and usage changes such that the current plan no longer works for you, Rockwell Utilities will work with you on adjusting the plan to fit your new needs.
  • Upon changes made to any budget payment plan, Rockwell Utilities will send confirmation of the changes in writing either with your next bill or sent separately. 

reconciliations

  • Unless another time frame is requested by the customer in writing, Rockwell Utilities shall review each budget plan at least once between the 4th and the 7th month of the term of the plan to ensure that significant shortfalls or credits do not accrue. 

  • If a customer's budget payment plan shortfall or credit becomes so large as to necessitate a reconciliation, Rockwell Utilities shall:

    • in the case of a shortfall, offer the customer the option to pay off the shortfall or have the payment plan adjusted to accommodate the shortfall.

    • in the case of a credit, offer the customer a refund or have the budget amount adjusted to accommodate the credit balance. 

will i be assessed late fees?

  • Late fees will not be assessed on a budget payment plan unless there is an existing budget deficit at the time the late payment occurs. 
    • The late fee will solely be assessed on the late installment only, not on the entire deficit of the account. 

can i cancel my plan?

Yes-- a customer can cancel their budget payment plan at any time.

can rockwell utilities cancel my plan?

Yes-- Rockwell Utilities upholds the right to cancel a budget plan if the customer:

  • pays less than the agreed upon amount for the plan
  • is 21 days late in submitting their payment

Upon termination of a budget plan, any shortfall or credit on the account will be added to the next billing cycle.

Customers can choose to remain on a budget payment plan if the above occurs ONLY if they agree to paying late fees on the owed amount as an alternative to termination of their plan.

 

Low income customers are also entitled to adjusted deferred payment arrangements.

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