How Smart Power Works
Every day at 2:00 p.m. the system reads your account balance, and within 30 minutes, you’ll receive a text message that displays what your BALANCE is, and your previous kWh usage. If there is CREDIT on your account, it will show. There are several different messages you may receive, based on the various scenarios and your credit balance on your account. Examples follow.
Example 1
If your balance has fallen below the safe threshold of $15.00, you will receive a low balance warning. It’s advisable to add credit then, because the system will not read your balance and bill you again until the next day at 2:00, and you could go into debt by then.
Example 2
If in debt, you’ll receive a warning that your account is pending cut off. You will have a grace period until 10:00 a.m. the following day to add credit.
Example 3
The day after you receive the message shown in example 2, the system will check your account balance at 10:00 a.m. If there is debt your meter will shut off. Within 30 minutes after shutoff, you’ll receive an alert that indicates power is off. It’s better NOT TO LET THIS HAPPEN, as you’ll be required to add a minimum balance amount, and it may be much more than you are accustomed to.
How To Revalue
ONLINE To pay on-line or with the mobile App, create an account. Go to My Accounts, New User, Create an Account. Have your account number handy and follow the prompts. Once set-up, you can log on to add credit any time.
BILL PAY APP To get the free App, just search for “Wood County Electric Cooperative” in the Apple Store or in the Android Market and download it. To use the App you must have an on-line account. Go to My Accounts, New User, Create an Account. Have your account number handy and follow the prompts. If you need help setting that up, call the office at (903) 763-2203.
PHONE Pay via the auto-system by calling (903) 763-2203 or in person weekdays from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm.
If Your Meter Shuts Off
This can be a frustrating scenario. Hopefully, it will never happen to you as you’ll receive several warnings days before shut off, with ample time to add credit. But, if it does, the best thing to do is to call the cooperative to learn the required amount needed to restore power. To restore, you MUST REACH A MINIMUM CREDIT BALANCE of $20.00. To do that you’ll need to OVERCOME ANY INCURRED DEBT from kWh used between the time your balance reached zero and shut off. For example, if you used $3.00 worth of kWh in that in-between time, the minimum credit needed will be $23.00. ($3.00 to satisfy the debt, plus $20.00 to satisfy the minimum the computer must detect to turn power back on).
In the example above, if there is also a debt arrangement, remember, 20% of every payment is automatically sent to satisfy that. So, if you add $23.00 of credit, 20% ($4.60) is automatically alloted to the debt arrangement. That only leaves $18.40 credit. Your, power will NOT TURN ON, because the computer must detect a $20.00 credit balance to restore power. If that happens, the next payment you make to try to restore power will also send 20% to the debt arrangement. Rather than guessing, the surest way to know the correct amount that reaches the $20.00 minimum is to call the office at (903) 763-2203. Once the credit threshold is reached, and power is restored, you’ll receive a text indicating that.
Meter Shut Off Times for Meters in Debt
Automatic meter shut off happens the first non-holiday weekday after a grace period, between 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. System parameters give a grace period (no shut off) during holidays, and weekends, or if the National Weather Service issues an extreme temperature alert for the area.
Reporting System Outages
In the case of a power outage (not due to zero credit) members should report these via the outage hot-line, the free My WCEC app, or by sending a text. See the instructions here.
Member Obligations
WCEC members have several payment methods to choose from. SmartPower is a member managed system and members that select this method assume the responsibility of keeping their power on by ensuring credit remains on their account.
SmartPower accounts do not receive monthly bills or statements, so it’s highly recommended members elect to receive periodic notifications of account balances via text or email. Members who decline these notifications are responsible for tracking account balances on-line or by calling the cooperative. It’s the member’s obligation to know the amount of credit remaining on their account to avoid auto-disconnect. Failure to receive any notifications does not release a member from payment/account balance obligations.