Facts Every Member Should Know

Requirements for Membership

Any person, firm, association, corporation, or body politic or subdivision thereof may become a member of Craighead Electric Cooperative Corporation (CECC) by:

1. Submitting an application for membership
2. Agreeing to purchase electric energy from the Cooperative
3. Agreeing to comply with and to be bound by the articles of incorporation and bylaws of CECC and any rules and regulations adopted by the board of directors and the Arkansas Public Service Commission
4. Paying the refundable, non‐transferable $1.00 membership fee, $10.00 connect fee, and any applicable deposit
5. Having service connected

SmartHub

On the go and in control. Manage your account like never before. Smart hub is Craighead Electric Cooperative’s online member portal giving you access to your account 24/7. Setting up an account is quick and easy. Go to craigheadelectric.coop/smarthub to learn more about how to register. You must have your account number and email address handy to complete the sign-up process.

Once registered you will be given the choice to activate paperless billing. Take the time to set up account notifications and add more desired users to your account. Within SmartHub you can pay your bill, set up AutoPay, track your usage, update your contact information, report an outage, and more from a web browser or smartphone app.

Billing Procedures

Bills for electric service will be processed and mailed according to billing cycle. Each bill will reflect the essential facts by which the bill was prepared and will include the following information:

1. Name of the member
2. Both beginning and ending meter reading and meter reading dates
3. Quantity (kWh) consumed and number of days in the billing period
4. Charges for service, all taxes, and charges for non‐utility merchandise or services purchased through the cooperative, and credits due to recovery of the deposit will be itemized
5. Any previous unpaid balance due
6. The date the bill was mailed
7. The due date of the bill
8. The designation of the applicable rate schedule for electric service
9. Charges pursuant to automatic adjustment clauses
10. Name, address and telephone number of the cooperative
11. If service is estimated, it will be shown on the bill
12. The net amount of any payments or credits during the billing period
13. Any applicable late payment charge

An itemized explanation of your bill is available at craigheadelectric.coop/explanation-of-your-electric-bill

Billing Adjustments

In addition to basic rates, billing may be increased or decreased by the amount to be recovered (or credited) in accordance with Arkansas Public Service Commission approved automatic adjustment charges for the cost of energy and the cost of long‐term debt (interest on long-term mortgages). These adjustments will reflect the variation in the cost of these charges to the amount embedded in the basic rates. Late payment charges will be assessed if payment is not made by the close of business on the cycle due date.

Billing and Payment Dates

Bills for electric service shall not be mailed later than the mailing date shown on the bill. The due date of the bill is 22 calendar days after the mailing date of the bill. Bills may be paid at any of the office locations listed above, online at craigheadelectric.smarthub.coop, at an authorized Vanilla Direct retail counter, at an authorized MyPaySite kiosk, or by phone at 1-800-794-5012 (option 2). There are no other authorized payment agents.

Payment Options

Pay Online

Log in to your SmartHub account at craigheadelectric.smarthub.coop and manually make a one-time payment using one of your stored payment options: debit card, credit card, or bank account There are no convenience fees to pay online and member payment information is stored safely and securely.

AutoPay

Auto Pay automatically pays your due electric bill on the same date each month using one of your stored payment methods. Sign-in to SmartHub and navigate to the Auto Pay Program menu option to get set up today. (preferred method)

Pay By Mail

The tried-and-true way: with a signed check. Write your account number(s) on your check so that it is applied to the correct account, tear off the perforated stub from the bottom of your paper bill, put them in an envelope, and mail to:

Craighead Electric Cooperative
P.O. Box 7503
Jonesboro, AR 72403-7503

Pay by Phone

Pay by Phone by dialing 1-800-794-5012 (option 2) and follow the automated instructions to make a payment with your major credit or debit card. This option is available 24/7. Note that human Member Service Representatives no longer take card payments over the phone.

Pay in Person

Pay in-person at the Jonesboro, Paragould, or Walnut Ridge offices using cash, check, or card. Our lobbies and drive-thrus are open weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. After-hours, drop your cash or check payment off at one of our drive-thru drop boxes available 24/7. Please include your bill stub and write your account number on your check or money order.

Pay by Cash

Pay by Cash at local retailers like CVS, Dollar General, Walmart, Kum and Go, and more via Vanilla Direct. Provide your unique barcode found in SmartHub at checkout, make a payment, and receive a receipt. Payment is posted to a member’s account instantly. Requires a $1.50 fee. See participating retailers’ on the Pay by Cash screen in SmartHub by navigating to the Bill and Pay menu and click/tap on Pay by Cash. Input your zip code and distance filter to see locations near you that accept Pay by Cash. Click/tap on the View Barcode button to display your barcode on your screen.

Payment Kiosk

Make your payment at several conveniently located automated payment Kiosks found at major retailers. Simply locate a Pay Site kiosk, select Craighead Electric, enter your name and account number, select your payment type, make your payment, and retrieve your receipt. Payments can be made with cash, check, or card. Note that a transaction fee may apply. Locate a payment kiosk at pay.uspayments.com/kiosk

Third-Party Bill Pay Services

Third-Party Bill Pay Services like those provided by banks and bill service providers can be used to pay your CECC bill. Note that these services print a physical check with your CECC account number on it and mail it to CECC’s main office. These payments are not posted to your account until received by mail, so allow plenty of time for postage. (we don’t recommend this method)
Learn more about payment options available at craigheadelectric.coop/payment-options.

Sales Tax Exemption:

Arkansas Act 304 of 1991 provides a sales tax exemption on the charges for the first 500 kWh/month of electrical use. To qualify, the combined family income (member and spouse) must not exceed $12,000 a year. Applications may be requested from any business office locations of the Cooperative.

Extended Due Date Plan

Members, whose income checks from the following sources, if not received by the regular bill due date may apply for an extended due date:

1. Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC), or Aid to the Aged, Blind or Disabled (AABD),
2. Supplemental Security Income,
3. Social Security or Veterans Administration disability or retirement benefits.

Pre-Paid Billing with PowerMyWay

PowerMyWay is the name of Craighead Electric’s pre-paid Metering Program, allowing you to forgo traditional monthly billing and instead pay for your electricity before you use it. You start PowerMyWay by initiating pre-paid service with as little as $20, no deposit necessary. You can add kWhs to your account with cash, credit, or debit card in any amount you choose. Payments are accepted 24 hours a day by phone or online (no payment fee). If you owe a previous balance, you can continue to make payments on it while you are on a PowerMyWay plan. If you have paid a previous deposit, once you switch to PowerMyWay you can use that deposit to pay off old bills or credit it to your account.

As your home uses electricity, it is automatically subtracted from your account. Service availability, account add-ons, and other fees are prorated once every 24 hours. Once your PowerMyWay account drops below a certain point, you receive an automated message via email or text informing you that your account is low. If your account is depleted, service is cut automatically. Once funds are added to your account, service is quickly reconnected with no reconnect fee.

PowerMyWay empowers members to manage their energy usage in a way that best suits their individual situation. Conservation, flexibility, increased information, and member control are what you have to look forward to with PowerMyWay Pre-Paid Billing. Visit craigheadelectric.coop/prepay to learn more.

Levelized Billing

Levelized billing is available to Craighead Electric Cooperative members to help budget for monthly electric bills. With Levelized Billing, your electric bill is calculated by adding your most recent month’s bill to your previous 11 month’s bills and dividing by 12. While this does not save you any money year-over-year, the result is a steady, predictable electric bill that is approximately the same amount each month. This billing option is especially valuable for members with fixed incomes or highly variable seasonal energy needs (like those who use gas heat in the winter or a pool pump in the summer).

To be eligible for Levelized Billing, you must have been a Craighead Electric member for at least 12 months. There is no charge for using the Levelized Billing Plan. Enjoy the peace of mind that comes from planning ahead. Learn more at craigheadelectric.coop/payment-options

Outage Reporting

Through rain, wind, snow and ice Craighead Electric Cooperative strives to keep the power on for every home and business in our service area. But sometimes unexpected conditions will cause our members to temporarily lose power. As a Craighead Electric member, you are the most important part of our business and we strive to deliver consistent, uninterrupted service 365 days a year. When storms or other circumstances cause an outage, we take immediate action to restore service. Visit the outage map at outage.craigheadelectric.coop for details and locations of outages.

FIRST
CONFIRM the outage: Check lights and appliances in other rooms. If you still have power in some areas, most likely a fuse or a circuit breaker in your house has blown. If all lights are off, check to see if neighbor’s lights are also off. This will help us determine how widespread the outage is.
THEN
CALL 1-888-771-7772 to report the outage: Be prepared to leave a message on our Automated Outage System where your information will be fed immediately into an outage analysis computer system. Dispatchers will use this information and direct crews to the source of the problem.
OR
TEXT your outage to 85700: Text CECC to 85700 to opt-in to SMS Text Message outage notifications (required once per phone number). Then, in the event of an outage, text OUT to 85700 to instantly report your outage via text message. Give us a call if you have any issues with text notifications.
OR
Report Outage Via SmartHub: In your SmartHub App. Log-in to SmartHub in a web browser or the smartphone app, click on Report an Issue/Inquiry, then click on Power Outage, choose the account that is experiencing an outage, add any comments, and submit the outage report (preferred method).

Deposit Requirements

Under certain conditions, a deposit may be required from new applicants to guarantee payment for the service. If desired, the deposit may be paid in two installments. In lieu of a deposit, the cooperative will accept the written guarantee of a responsible third party or a good payment record for the most recent 12‐month payment record from the previous electric utility. The amount of deposit will not exceed the estimated bill for two average billing periods. The cooperative shall pay simple interest on deposits at a rate set annually by Arkansas Public Service Commission, and such interest shall be credited to the member’s account on the anniversary of the deposit date.

For existing members, if you are late for two consecutive billing periods, or late three billing periods in the last 12 months you will be accessed a $50 deposit. Members who are disconnected for nonpayment will be charged the maximum deposit allowed under the General Service Rules. The total amount of a deposit will not exceed the amount of the member’s two highest bills unless unauthorized use or tampering is involved.

When final discontinuation of service is made by the cooperative, the amount of the deposit plus accrued interest will be credited to the member’s account. A deposit shall automatically be refunded when the member, for a consecutive 12‐month period, has paid all bills by the due date and when no insufficient funds checks have been rendered.

Meter Reading

All meter readings shall be taken monthly by cooperative personnel, by contract meter readers, or by an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) System which will allow all electric meters to be read remotely. If a meter is inaccessible for reading, the member’s account shall be billed according to the member’s usage for the same time at that location the previous year. If this usage is unavailable, the class average will be used until an accurate meter reading can be obtained.

Shut‐off and Reconnection Procedure

Bills are considered delinquent after the due date of the bill. Any account which is unpaid after the due date, will be mailed a Shut‐off notice. This notice will allow three days mail time and five additional calendar days to pay the delinquent bill prior to suspension of service. When service has been suspended, the cooperative will reconnect service as soon as the reason for the suspension has been resolved. If the reason for the suspension is failure to pay a delinquent bill, the service will not be reconnected until the total delinquent bill and any reconnection fees have been paid. If the reason for suspension of services was the unlawful or fraudulent use of the service, the cooperative may suspend service without notice. The cooperative may, prior to reconnecting service, require a reasonable payment of estimated service rendered and a deposit equal to six (6) estimated billing periods or may refuse to reconnect service unless ordered to do so by Arkansas Public Service Commission.

Remote Disconnection

The Cooperative utilizes its Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) to carry out remote service disconnections without having cooperative personnel present. Remote disconnects are made possible with AMI meters that have disconnection abilities built in. Remote disconnections are initiated by a Cooperative representative. The meter receives a signal to either disconnect or reconnect. Once that signal is received then the relay/contact in the meter opens to disconnect or closes to connect.

Voluntary Disconnection of Service

Any member may request service disconnection at any time by submitting the request to the cooperative in writing, or by telephone request to any business office location. For completion of the request, the member should allow up to five working days after notice is received by the cooperative.

Delayed Payment Agreement

If a member is unable to pay a bill in full, the cooperative will not suspend service if the following arrangements are made on or before the last day to pay printed on the Shut‐off notice:

1. An agreement to pay at least 1/4 of his bill
2. The member agrees in writing to pay the balance in reasonable installments over a period of three or more months, and
3. The member agrees in writing to pay in full all future bills, during the period of the agreement, by the due date.

The Cooperative does not have to enter a second delayed payment agreement if the member is currently bound by an agreement and may suspend service if the member does not comply with the terms of the agreement. In arranging the installment payment agreement, the cooperative will consider the member’s ability to pay, the size of the unpaid bill, the member’s payment history, and the length of time and reasons the account has not been paid. If the cooperative bills a member for an amount to correct a previous under-billing, the member is permitted to pay the amount pursuant to a delayed payment agreement that provides for repayment over a period equal to the period during which the underbilling occurred. If the underbilling is the fault of the cooperative, or if it is impossible to determine whether the previous underbilling is the fault of the cooperative or the member, the cooperative will not impose a finance charge on the delayed payment.

Serious Medical Condition

The cooperative will postpone the suspension of service to a residential member or reconnect service if the member presents a physician’s certificate that suspension of service will cause a substantial risk of death or gravely impair the health of the member, a member of the family, or other permanent resident of the premises where service is rendered. The contents of the certificate must identify the serious medical condition, specify the effect of discontinuation of service, and specify the time during which discontinuation of service will aggravate the medical condition. Certificate forms are available through the Cooperative. Note that accounts labeled as “critical” in this manner are not given priority over any other account during an outage situation.

Protection Plans for Members 65 and over & Members with Disabilities

1. Service will not be shut‐off in summer when the National Weather Service forecasts a temperature of 95 degrees or higher.
2. Two attempts will be made to contact the member at least three (3) days prior to the scheduled shut‐off of services for a past due bill.
3. Third party notification of any shut‐off notice is available (see Third Party Notification below).
4. Additional information about government assistance programs will be provided. Delayed payment agreements and levelized billing will be offered and explained.

If you qualify for this plan, contact Craighead Electric’s business office.

Third Party Notification

Third party notification will be offered which allows a member to designate a relative, friend or social agency (any third party) to receive a copy of the shut‐off notice to remind the member that the bill is due. Simply call any office location and provide the name and address of the person whom you desire to receive a copy of the shut‐off notice. Relatives of a disabled person may call and request this service on behalf of such person.

Tenant Protection Plan

A special tenant protection plan is offered to all tenants who identify themselves and who request the protection offered by the plan. A tenant is any person who occupies premises owned or managed by another person or firm (landlord) and whose rent to the landlord include amounts for payment of electric service. This plan provides special consideration to the tenant before any shut‐off of electric service. Service suspension is delayed if you are registered. Where possible, the tenant is allowed to apply for service in his or her name. Tenants are not responsible for amounts owed by the landlord. The cooperative requests that all landlords who are paying for a tenant’s electric service and all tenants whose landlord are paying the bill for electric service, to identify them by a telephone call or visit to the cooperative’s business office.

Member Inquiries

A member may verify the accuracy of a bill by contacting any business office of the cooperative. The business offices may also be contacted if there is an inquiry or complaint about a bill or electric service. Any inquiry will be received courteously and will be given a prompt response. If a complaint is not resolved to member satisfaction, a review may be requested of the Office Manager or the General Manager, and then of the Arkansas Public Service Commission.

Arkansas Public Service Commission
1000 Center Street,
P.O. Box 400,
Little Rock, AR 72203‐0400
(501) 682‐1718 or toll‐free 1‐800‐482‐1164

The Arkansas Public Service Commission requires these facts be made available to each customer. A copy of the PSC General Service Rules is available at each office location of the Cooperative.

Services Available

Your electric co-op doesn’t just sell electricity. Other services available include:

Street Lighting & Security Lighting

Lighting as a service is simple. Pay a flat monthly rate for a lamp of your choosing to be installed on any existing power pole on your property. If a new pole needs to be placed for the light to hang off from, add $3 a month to the rate for maintenance of the pole. That’s it! If the bulb goes out or the pole falls over or any other maintenance needs to be done to the light, we will come and fix it at no additional charge. The cost of maintenance and repair is included in your monthly rate. Power that feeds the streetlight does not travel through your electric meter, so there is no need to worry about increased electric usage either.

$3.00/month per pole if additional poles are required,
$75.00 trip charge will be applied if the Customer requests the Cooperative to change out an existing fixture that is not in need of maintenance.

Meter-Base Surge Protection

Power surges coming into your home through the power line can destroy or cause extensive damage to your equipment and appliances. Being prepared for these unexpected surges and spikes can make a big difference in protecting your equipment. Lightning is the most common cause of power surges, but other factors such as birds, squirrels and trees interfering with power lines can also result in a power surge. Construction work, demand fluctuations in your home, and auto accidents involving utility poles can have the same effect. Help shield your equipment and appliances with an affordable meter-socket surge protector.

Meter-base surge protectors will only guard against surges coming in through the electrical service, but when used together with auxiliary surge-protectors on telephone lines, cable services, and on individual devices, they are an essential part of a whole-home surge-protection strategy.

For only $6.00 per month, Craighead Electric will install and maintain a surge protector on the electric meter of your home, shop, apartment, or light industrial building. If it ever fails to stop a power surge from entering your home through the electric service, damaged electronics are warrantied up to $50,000. For more information on leasing a surge protector for your meter, call us today at 1-800-794-5012 or visit craigheadelectric.coop/surge-protection.

Internet

High-speed internet service is available to members from empower, delivered by Craighead Electric, a wholly owned broadband subsidiary. Symmetrical download and upload speeds of up to 1 Gig are available via fiber-to-the-home service for both home and business. Visit empowerbroadband.com to read the FAQ, request service, browse data plans, and learn more about additional digital services like home phone and streaming television.

Approved Rates

Summary of Rates available for each Class of Service Effective October 1, 2022: