When Liz Yeager moved to a new place in Charleston, West Virginia’s historic East End neighborhood, she wasn’t sure what she was getting herself into. Her building was built in the early 1900s, and older homes tend to be less insulated, leading to higher electric bills. 

The previous tenants used APCo’s Average Monthly Payment (AMP) plan, which helps customers know what to expect. AMP averages a customer’s last 12 months of bills to create an average monthly payment. The amount changes slightly each month, based on usage, but monthly bills still stay roughly the same.

For Yeager, AMP helped her avoid massive price spikes during the summer. 

“My house has a lot of very big windows, and there aren’t a lot of trees around it. So, I don’t really have any shade,” Yeager said.”In the summer, because I use so much air conditioning, my electric bill is a lot higher than normal.”

AMP helped Yeager even out her electric costs, so she pays roughly the same year-round, instead of having a huge bill in the summer. 

“It was very eye-opening, and it helped me figure out my annual budget for electricity, pretty much as soon as I moved in,” Yeager said. 

AMP relies on a “deferred balance.” This number calculates the difference between the amount you pay and the amount of electricity you use. If you use more electricity than you pay for, your next monthly payment increases. At first, Yeager used less electricity than she paid for, so her costs went down slightly every month. 

“In my case, I had been paying for slightly more electricity than I was using,” Yeager said. “So, every month, my bills would get smaller, as APCo’s software adjusted them in real time for me. It was nice to have that small bit of relief.” 

Yeager also appreciates planning in advance, because it helps her save for more fun purchases, like a trip to Carolina Beach she plans to take later this year. 

To sign up for AMP, visit this link.