Churchville Village Electric

The Village of Churchville is a member of the Independent Energy Efficiency Program (IEEP), which is a not-for-profit corporation that seeks energy solutions designed to create measurable advantages for New York State Municipal Utilities and customers in a technology-focused environment.  In 2008 the Village of Churchville implemented or planned to participate in many of the programs the IEEP offers which you can find at www.ieepny.com and click on annual reports.

Some of the programs the IEEP has put in place that benefit Village residents are:

• LED’s – New residents now receive an LED light bulb when they move into the Village to help them start their change from regular bulbs to energy saving bulbs.
• Appliance Advantage – This program encourages residents to buy energy star labeled appliances by offering a rebate when you mail in the information of your new purchase.
• Heat Pump Rebate – This program encourages residents to upgrade to high-efficiency Cold Climate and Ground Source Heat Pumps.
• Tame the Refrigerator Monster – This program offers residents a $75.00 rebate when you have the IEEP pick up your old unit (must be in working order- cold & operational).
• Infrared Technology – The Village will do an infrared scan of your house to check for energy loss.  This will then be put into a written report with pictures and will be explained to you by an employee of the Village of Churchville. Call the Village Office to schedule a scan, 293-3720.

The Village encourages you to take advantage of these great programs!

As one of the 43 Municipal Electric Department’s in New York State, the Village Electric system offers some of the lowest rates in New York State. The Village Electric Department participates in numerous energy efficiency programs such as Tame the Refrigerator Monster, Rebates for Energy Star Appliances, etc and offers an infra red analysis of your home free of charge.

You must be a resident of the Village of Churchville to be a Municipal electric customer. New customers should contact the Village office for a Service application form. If you are a renter, a deposit may be required.

The meters are read monthly by our electric department employees. Bills are mailed the first of the month and due without penalty by the 20th of the month. After that date a 1.5% is applied.

The Village of Churchville’s Electric is regulated by the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS).  The DPS has a great website to provide consumers with information.

If you are experiencing difficulties paying your electric bills or have received notice of disconnect due to lack of payment please contact the Village Office at 585-293-3720.  A payment plan may be available to help you.  Help may also be available at the following websites:

• Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP)
• NYS Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance
• Salvation Army

Disconnection is regulated and monitored by the New York State Department of Public Service. For further details, see the DPS’s Home Energy Fair Practices Act (HEFPA).

Your electric service may be disconnected due to lack of payment. This is regulated and monitored by the New York State Department of Public Service. For further details go to http://www.askpsc.com/

For consumer complaints that cannot be resolved with the Village, you may contact the New York Department of Public Service (DPS).  DPS complaints may be directed as follows:
Website: www.dps.ny.gov/complaints
Phone: DPS Hotline at 1-800-342-3355 (M-Th 7:30am-7:30pm, F 7:30am- 7:00pm)
Mail: Office of Consumer Services, NYS Department of Public Service, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223

NYCRR Title 16A § 11.17 Public Service – Notification Requirement

Consumer Rights as a Village of Churchville Electric Customer

Please find below a summary of your rights and obligations under HEFPA (Home Energy Fair Practices Act).  More detailed information may be accessed at: www.dps.ny.gov/hefpa

We have the responsibility to supply electricity in a reliable manner, and you have a responsibility to pay utility bills promptly.  Contact our office at 585-293-3720 if you have any complaints, questions or problems about your service.  Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday.  Summer hours are 8:00am to 4:00pm Monday-Thursday and 8:00am to 1:00pm Friday. After business hours, please leave a message for our office staff.  They will return a call during normal business hours.  For electric emergencies please call 585-746-8025.

Bills are issued on the 1^st of every month. Bills paid after the 20^th of each month will be considered overdue and the electric portion will be assessed a 1.5% late payment fee.  Bills may be paid in the following ways:

• In person at the Village Office located at 23 E Buffalo Street during usual business hours
• Leaving your payment in the drop box located in front of the Village Office main entry doors
• Through the US mail addressed to Village of Churchville, PO Box 613, Churchville, NY  14428
• Over the telephone or at the Village Office using a MasterCard, Visa or a Discover card.  Our third party credit card payment processing company charges a convenience fee of 2.65% or a $3.00 minimum (whichever is more) to cardholders who use this service.
• Through automatic preauthorized withdrawal from your account.  Form available at the Village office or on our website at www.churchville.net (see Forms and Applications tab; Utilities; ACH agreement form).  This program sets the bank account of your choice to be debited for the amount of the monthly bill on the 15th day of the month.

If a deposit is required when you open a residential account, it is based on an amount up to two times the average monthly billing for the address.  Deposits accrue interest annually at a rate consistent with the recommendation of the NYS Department of Public Service (DPS) directives.

We may disconnect your service for nonpayment.  We must send you a Final Termination Notice which will provide you with 15 more days to pay the bill or complete a deferred payment arrangement.  We will reconnect your service within 24 hours if the amount is paid or an agreement is signed with a down payment as the tariff allows.  Any customer may designate a third party to receive copies of a Final Termination Notice.  You must voluntarily inform us if you want to designate a third party.

There are Cold Weather Protections and Special Protections for certain customers such as the elderly, blind, disabled, undergoing a medical emergency, receiving public assistance.  Please inform our office if any of these circumstances apply to you.

Base Rate – Your base rate covers a portion of the cost of hydropower and all other costs that are associated with running the electric department.  It does not include all of the costs of the delivering of the hydropower to the Village.  Our current base rates have been approved by the New York State Department of Public Service (DPS) and are listed in the table below. The base rate can only be changed by the Village applying to the New York State Department of Public Service and receiving their approval.

Purchased Power Adjustment (PPA) – We are often asked what this charge is on your electric bill.  The Village is billed each month for the kilowatt hours sold, demand and wheeling/transmission charges (the cost of delivering power to the Village).  The Village receives its power from two sources.  The first source is hydro power from the New York Power Authority’s Niagara Project.  We have been allotted an amount of energy that we can receive from this source. If we exceed this, we purchase the balance (the second source, known as incremental power) through a joint action agency that the Village participates with other municipal electric systems, the New York Municipal Power Agency.  This source of power is more expensive than the hydro power.  The Village often exceeds the hydro allotment during the cold winter months and the hot summer months.

Clean Energy Standard (CES): This is an additional charge that is calculated on all electric invoices for the Clean Energy Standard.  All utilities are required to procure a quantity of Renewable Energy Credits (RECs).  This is part of New York State’s initiative to support new renewable generation resources.  Our charge is based on a percentage of our load, and that percentage will increase over five years, then be reevaluated every three years thereafter. The Clean Energy Standard also requires us to purchase Zero-Emissions Credits (ZECs) from NYS Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA). The ZECs preserve attributes that the DPS has determined are essential to the State and its near-term clean energy goals making sure that the state’s nuclear plants remain functioning.  The ultimate goal of the Clean Energy Standard is to cut emissions in half by the year 2030.  Municipal Electric systems are being held to the same requirement of the Clean Energy Standard as the investor owned utilities.

Budget Program: The Village of Churchville is pleased to offer a budget program.  If this is of interest to you and you have received electric bills for at least one year as a Churchville Municipal Electric customer, please contact the Village Office billing department about this program at 585-293-3720 extension 117.

Energy Efficiency: Conservation of Energy within the Village of Churchville is a priority. Most recently our efficiency goals have been supported by:

• LED Streetlights
• Energy Efficiency Appliance Rebates
• Refrigerator Monster Rebates
• Energy Monitoring kits
• Infrared scans for residential heat loss

The Village of Churchville partners with the Independent Energy Efficiency Program along with 34 other municipal systems in researching and implementing energy efficiency programs.

Please direct any questions or complaints to the Village of Churchville:
Phone: 585-293-3720
Mail: Village of Churchville, PO Box 613, Churchville, NY 14428

For consumer complaints that cannot be resolved with the Village, you may contact the New York Department of Public Service (DPS).
DPS complaints may be directed as follows:
Website: www.dps.ny.gov/complaints
Phone: DPS Hotline at 1-800-342-3355 (M-Th 7:30am-7:30pm, F 7:30am- 7:00pm)
Mail: Office of Consumer Services, NYS Department of Public Service, 3 Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12223