Prepaid Service is a flexible pay-as-you-go plan where you pay for your electricity before you use it.
Our prepay service puts you in control of how and when you pay for your electricity. Instead of paying for all of your electricity at the end of each month, your account balance is reduced daily based on your usage. You can add money to your account anytime you want, in whatever amount you want! This flexibility allows you to better manage your budget and energy usage.
Additionally, there are no deposit requirements, no credit checks, and no reconnect fees when you participate in our prepaid service.
How the Prepaid Service works:
- No deposit required, just a $25 initial balance to start*
- If you have an existing deposit, it can be refunded back to you
- No monthly bills
- Pay what you want, when you want
- Multiple notification options let you know when your account is low
*The initial payment is $37.31 for new NRLP customers, which includes the connect fee for a new account. Please keep in mind this is not a deposit.
Studies have shown that prepaid service can lead to overall energy usage reductions. In some cases, energy usage fell by as much as 15%!
Sign up for Prepay!
Do you want to...
- say goodbye to monthly bills?
- choose your own payment schedule?
- have the flexibility to pay what you want, when you want?
If so, our Prepaid Service plan may be the right option for you!
Email nrlp-csr@appstate.edu if you are an existing customer who wishes to switch from traditional monthly billing to prepay.
If you are a new customer and want to sign up for prepay, please check the appropriate box on the Service Application Form.
Prepaid Service Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pay a deposit for prepay service?
No deposit is required, just an initial balance of $25 is required to get started. If you have an existing deposit it can be applied to the initial $25 balance or refunded back to you if the deposit amount exceeds the minimum initial balance.
Will I receive a bill?
No, there are no monthly bills associated with prepay. You can check the status of your account through the online customer portal, our mobile app (NRLP Connect), and through automatic notifications by email and text message.
How do I know when to add more funds to my account?
You will be set up with email notifications for daily balance, low balance (<$25), and pending disconnect. We also offer text message alerts, however customers must set these up themselves.
How much money should I add to my account at a time?
That’s up to you! That’s one of the benefits of prepay service. You can pay what you want, when you want. Create a plan that fits your budget!
What happens if my account runs low?
You will receive a low-balance notification that will give you time to add more funds to your account. If your account reaches $0 your power will be disconnected. However, NRLP will not turn off power before 11am, on the business day the account reaches $0, on weekends, holidays, or if the temperature is below 32 degrees.
What happens if I get cut off?
If your prepay account is disconnected, you must pay enough to bring the credit on the account to $25. For example, if your account runs out of money on a weekend, but your power is not disconnected, you will owe NRLP for the electricity that you used after your balance reached $0. Let's say that is $5.
On Monday, you will be notified of a pending disconnect. If no money is added to your account, your power will be cut off at 11am.
To restore power, you would need to pay $30 ($25 credit required for reconnection + the $5 owed for the electricity that was used over the weekend after your account balanced reached $0).
Once the $25 credit balance is paid, your power will be restored (usually within an hour).
There is no need to call and report an outage in this situation, the process works automatically!
What happens if my meter can't be read?
In the event that your meter cannot be read, your account will still be charged a daily Basic Facilities Charge and tax. Meter reading issues may arise from various factors such as communication errors between the meter and our billing system, equipment malfunctions, or adverse weather conditions.
As soon as your meter can be read, the appropriate charges will be posted and funds taken from your account. These charges would account for the days when your meter could not be read and could appear larger than normal.
What if I want to switch back to a traditional billing method?
You can switch back at anytime! It will become active on the following month's bill.
Will prepay billing affect my credit?
No, prepay does not affect a customer’s credit, good or bad.
How do I sign up for prepay?
Existing customers can sign up for prepay billing by emailing nrlp-csr@appstate.edu. Simply let our team know you want to switch to prepay. Please include your account number, name on the account and copy of your photo ID. You can also switch your account over to prepay by visiting our office. New customers can check the appropriate box on the Application Form.
