How to Sign Up for Service
Signing up for your electric service is easy! All you have to
do is visit our Customer Service Office located at 44
South 8th Street.
You need to bring a photo I.D., such as your driver's license.
In addition, if you are renting a property, please bring
in a copy of your lease agreement. Signing up for service
only takes a few minutes of your time.
Office Hours
The Customer Service Office is open:
7:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday through Friday
Deposits
Will a Deposit Be Required?
New residential customers aren't usually asked to make
a deposit. However, current customers may be asked to
make a cash deposit if either of the two following situations
apply:
- You have an unpaid Richmond Power & Light bill from
a previous residence.
- Your service was disconnected because you didn't pay your
electric bills.
When a deposit is required, Richmond Power & Light will
add all of the electric bills for the past 12 months,
then divide that total by 6.
If you are told that a deposit will be required, you will
need to pay the deposit at the time that service is requested,
or reconnected.
Will My Deposit Earn Interest?
Yes! If your cash deposit is held for more than 6 months,
you will earn interest at a rate of 1% a year.
When Will My Deposit Be Returned?
In order to have your deposit returned, you need to pay
your electric bills in full, and on time, for at least
10 of the last 12 consecutive months with no disconnect
notices. Once your payment record meets these guidelines,
your deposit plus any interest earned, will automatically
be refunded to your account.
If you request a disconnection of service at your current
residence, your deposit plus any interest earned, will
be transferred to your new account, refunded to you, or
applied toward your final bill.
Paying Your Bill
Pay By Mail:
You can mail us your check or money order, along with
the bottom part of your electric bill, using the return
envelope provided. You keep the top half of your bill
for your records. Make sure you mail your payment in plenty
of time for it to reach our office by the due date. Your
payment will be credited to your account on the day it
is received by our office.
Pay By Credit Card: Available
to residential and commercial customers. We will accept
Mastercard, Visa, and Discover cards in addition to debit cards.
Credit card payments will be taken at our Customer Service Office,
over the phone or online.
Pay In Person:
There is a night depository box at our Customer Service
Office for customers to pay their bills when the office
is closed. To avoid a penalty and make sure your account
is credited in a timely manner, we suggest that if you
pay your bill at one of the local businesses, that you
do so five days prior to the due date because your account
won't be credited until we receive your payment at our
Customer Service Office.
Pay at Our Customer Service Office:
There are two ways for you to pay your bill at our Customer
Service Office, which is located at 44 South 8th Street.
You can make your payment inside at the service counter,
or you can use the drive-up window which is located to
the rear of the building.
The office hours at the Customer Service Office are from
7:30 A.M. to 5:00 P.M., Monday through Friday.
Direct Debit Payment Plan:
The following "Question and Answer" section details
how Direct Debit works. When you're ready to sign up, follow
this link!
Question - What is Direct Debit
Billing?
Answer - The Automatic Payment
Plan is a method by which RP&L draws money from your
bank account to pay your monthly electric bill. The payment
is made automatically each month.
Question - How will the Direct
Debit Billing work?
Answer - Once you sign up
for the direct debit billing, you will receive your bill
each month as usual. Included on the bill will be a statement,
"THIS AMOUNT WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR BANK ACCOUNT".
We will draft your account on the due date of your bill.
Question - Is there a charge
for Direct Debit Billing?
Answer - RP&L does not
charge for this service, however, we suggest you check
with your bank to see what their policy is.
Question - When will my account
be drafted each month?
Answer - The automatic bank
drafts will occur on the due date. If the date falls on
a holiday or weekend, the draft will occur the next business
day.
Question - Can I cancel direct
debit billing whenever I wish?
Answer - You can cancel direct
debit billing at any time with written notice to the RP&L.
Question - How will this affect
Budget Billing?
Answer - If your account is
set up on the budget program, your bill will appear as
it has in the past. The only change is that the payment
will be drafted each month automatically for you.
Question - How do I sign up
for the direct debit billing?
Answer - If you are interested
in the direct debit billing, you simply need to fill out
an authorization form. Include all the information asked
for and be sure to attach a check marked "VOID"
or a deposit slip from your bank account. Mail the form
to RP&L and we will do the rest.
Question - After I send in
the authorization form, how long will it take before my
payments are
made automatically by bank draft?
Answer - As soon as we receive
your authorization form, we will put the information in
your billing file. Once we have done this, we are required
to do a pre-notification to your bank to double check
the information for accuracy. Once the information has
been verified, your bill will include the message, "THIS
AMOUNT WILL BE DEDUCTED FROM YOUR BANK ACCOUNT".
We estimate that it will take one billing cycle to complete
this process.
Question - Who do I call if
I have more questions?
Answer - Call the RP&L
office at 973-7200 and ask for our Billing Department.
Budget Billing:
Richmond Power & Light offers a budget billing plan to its
customers who want to evenly distribute their summer cooling
bills or winter heating bills. There are two prerequisites
to taking part in the budget billing plan: 1) you must
sign the authorization form; and 2) your account must
not have any past due amounts.
We determine how much you would pay on the budget billing
plan by figuring the 12-month average for your address.
This amount becomes your budget amount. We review your
budget periodically and make necessary adjustments as
a result of changes in usage or in service rates.
If you would like to sign up for our budget billing plan,
just call our main office at 973-7200, and we will send
you the paperwork to give us authorization.
IMPORTANT:
If, at any time, you are disconnected for nonpayment,
you will be removed from the budget billing plan, and
the outstanding balance on your account will become due.
Agreements for Partial Payments & Late Payments
Partial payments and payments that are made with a disconnect
or reminder notice, will only be accepted at Richmond
Power & Light's Customer Service Office.
If you write a check for your bill, and the check doesn't
clear the bank, a $20.00 returned check charge will be
added to your bill. If your check doesn't clear the bank,
you will have to pick up your check at our Customer Service
Office, and the full amount of your check plus the $20.00
returned check charge must be paid in cash at that time.
You have at least 17 days to pay your bill from when it is
mailed. After the due date, a penalty is charged. Although
a late charge is printed on all accounts, it is not added
to the total amount due until the bill becomes past due.
At this time, you would be sent a reminder notice giving you approximately 15 days to make the payment current. If you have a balance that becomes 39 days past due, you will receive a disconnection notice.
If you receive a disconnect notice, please contact our Customer Service Office to see if you are eligible for a payment arrangement. Our customer service representatives
will be glad to
work with you. However, if a customer makes only a partial
payment, sends in a promissory note, or makes no contact
with us concerning a delinquent bill, we have no alternative
but to disconnect the electric service.
Available Assistance
A number of programs are designated each year in Indiana
to assist households in paying heating costs during the winter months. If you need help with
any of your utility bills, you can contact either of the
following agencies for information on getting assistance:
Community Action of East Central Indiana
201 East Main Street
Richmond, Indiana
966-7733
Wayne Township Trustees Office
County Administration Building
Richmond, Indiana
973-9392
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