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Customer
Service
Welcome:
If you are a new consumer, we would like to welcome you to our service area. We are pleased to have the
opportunity to be your electric power supplier. If you are an existing member, we would like to thank
you for being part of our electric co-op. Your support continues to help make us more than just an
electric utility. With programs such as Operation Round-Up, Bright Ideas and Rural Electric Youth Tour, our
consumer/members make a significant difference in the areas we serve through our cooperative efforts.
Tri-County EMC is a non-profit rural electric utility cooperative. We were chartered in 1940 by way of the Rural
Electrification Act and have since been an affiliate of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Our primary national association
is the Rural Utilities Service in Washington, DC. Tri-County is one of 28 electric cooperatives in North Carolina and over
1,000 cooperatives nationwide. Our primary purpose is to provide safe, efficient electric energy to the local rural service
areas at an affordable price.
Mission Statement:
Tri County Electric Membership Corporation
is a member-driven cooperative committed to providing reliable electric power at a reasonable cost, to offering
superior service, and to taking an active role in supporting the communities it serves.
Signing Up for Service:
If you are moving to the area and would like to establish a new electric service account, we will need
1) the name, address, telephone number, social security and driver’s license numbers for the person
responsible for the account, 2) the account holder’s signature on a new application for service to be
completed at our office by one of our customer service representatives and 3) a deposit of $245.00 and
a membership fee of $5.00 to be paid at the time application for service is made. Deposits may be
waived only if an acceptable letter of credit from another electric utility is provided showing at
least 24 months of good credit rating. Co-signatures are also accepted in lieu of deposits, but
only from a parent of the applicant. The parent co-signer must be an existing member of Tri-County EMC
and have a good credit history with the cooperative.
When applying for new service, having information available such as the previous occupant’s name, the
meter number and the street address will help save time and avoid confusion. Providing the customer
service representative with as much information as possible will help make your visit to our office
brief and more productive.
After making the application for service, it normally takes one to two days to have electricity
connected. If the service is to a newly constructed home or requires some construction (i.e.
pole(s) set, wires run, etc) a longer period of time may be required depending on the circumstances.
All new construction accounts must have a final electrical inspection from the county before electricity
can be provided.
Reading Your Electric Meter:
Once you have an electric service account with Tri-County, you will begin to receive a monthly newsletter.
Your newsletter will arrive the last day of the month and will contain a card with your account information
printed on it. As a “member-read” utility, our consumer-members use this card to turn in their monthly
meter reading. Simply read your meter (as you would read the milage on your car’s odometer) and jot the
reading down in the designated area on the meter card. The card is postage-paid, so just drop it in the mail
as soon as you read your meter.
When we receive your meter reading, we will enter your reading into our computer and a bill will be
calculated for you around the 12th of the month. You should receive your bill by the 15th of the month for the
reading you mailed in. Your bill will show the previous and current meter readings, kilowatt-hour usage and
days of service.
If we do not receive a meter reading from you by the 10th of the month, your usage will be estimated based
on your prior usage history. Estimated bills can sometimes be confusing, so we always encourage our members
to read their meters consistently every month.
You also now have the option to submit your meter reading online by clicking on
Submit My Meter Reading on our website www.tcemc.com
Your Electric Service Account:
Our office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. You can obtain information about
your electric service account by calling or visiting during these hours and speaking with a customer service
representative or a billing clerk. Our business office keeps information on record about your account such as
your monthly usage and charges, all payments and adjustments made to your account and credit history.
You may view a summary of your electric service account online by clicking on View My Bill.
You must have your electric bill member number found on your monthly electric bill. The information provided is intended to be only a summary of your current account status and may not provide complete account detail. For more detailed and up-to-date account information, please call or visit our office. You will receive a bill by mail by the 15th of each month for the prior service period. Our service periods are from the 1st day of the month until the last day of the month, normally the 30th or 31st. Your bill will provide you with details of your current charges, such as meter readings, usage, days of service, last payment credited to your account and the current bill due date.
Your bill will also indicate any previous unpaid balance left on your account since the last bill was issued.
This amount will have an earlier due date, normally 5 to 7 days after the bill is issued.
This previous balance must be paid by the "previous balance due date" indicated on your
bill or your electric service will be subject to disconnection.
Our office is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. You can obtain information
about your electric service account by calling or visiting during these hours and speaking with a customer service
representative or a billing clerk. Our business office keeps information on record about your account such as your monthly usage and
charges, all payments and adjustments made to your account and credit history.
Paying Your Electric Bill:
There are many ways to pay your electric bill.
- In person by visiting our headquarters office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday to Friday using a check, money order, cash or credit card.
- After business hours depository (located near our drive-thru window) by check or money order (no cash please).
- By U.S. Mail with check, money order or credit card.
- By automatic bank draft; to apply for this service, call our office or click on Bank Draft Application.
- Online by clicking on Pay My Bill.
- By telephone using a major credit card. We also accept Debit cards with the VISA
or MasterCard emblem. You will need your electric bill account number, all of
your card info (16-digit number, expiration, CVV2 number, etc.) and know the amount you wish to pay.
Late Fees:
- A 1% late fee of any previous balance on your account will be included in your current bill as interest.
- Accounts with balances remaining after the due date are subject to a $10 service charge.
Disconnection Policy:
Your electric service is subject to disconnection if your account has a previous unpaid balance. By order of our board of directors, the previous unpaid balance must be paid within seven days of the billing date of your current bill or your electric service will be disconnected without further notice.
If your electric service is disconnected, the previous unpaid balance, a $40 reconnect fee and any additional deposit required must be paid before service can be restored. A $20 collection fee will be charged if our service personnel drives to your premises to collect your bill on the day of disconnect.
General Billing Information:
Below are some terms that may help you to better understand your electric service account and may also assist helpful in discussing your account with our customer service representatives.
- Kwh (kilowatt-hour): 1,000 watts of power used for one hour or the equivalent of ten 100-watt light bulbs used for one hour.
- Kwh Usage: the difference in the readings on a meter as calculated by subtracting the previous reading from the current reading for a specified period of time (usually 30 days) and multiplied by a pre-set constant.
- Kwh Charge: the sum of the monthly minimum fee to cover the cost of maintaining the metered service and the charge for kilowatt-hours used during the billing period.
- Kwd Charge: the charge per kilowatt (1,000 watts) of Demand based on the electric capacity demanded by Time of Use and non-residential accounts during specified periods.
- Service Period: the time for which electricity usage is measured and billed (typically the 1st – 30th of a month).
- Estimated: a reading based on prior usage history, used for billing current charges because an accurate reading was not available.
Online Access:
We now offer a variety of "online services" that our members may use through our website WWW.TCEMC.COM.
To gain access to your electric account online, contact our office and ask one of our representatives to activate your account for online access.
We will give your account an initial password to use when logging in for the first time.
On our website, select "Online Services" and then "View My Bill" or "Pay My Bill" to access a login page.
There, use your member number (your electric bill account number without the last two digits) as your username and the
initial paseword as your temporary password.
Once you're logged in to your account, you can change your password, view your current and previous bills, pay your current bill, submit your monthly meter reading and contact our office.
For more information, feel free to call or stop by our office and we will be happy to help you with any questions you may have regarding our Online Services.
Contact Us:
Feel free to Contact Us with any questions you may have about your electric service account.
You may call our office during normal business hours at (919) 735-2611 (toll-free at 800-548-4869) or email our customer service department at customerservice@tcemc.com.
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