9 Secrets We Energies Doesn't Want You to Know

If you're one of the many Milwaukee residents frustrated by WE Energies, we have some tips for you to make your relationship a little more manageable. In fact, there are some very useful services they offer to help your budget and with your credit if you know where to look.  Here are 9 secrets to help you master this important relationship and your utility bill today... 

1. They Impact Your Credit EVERY Month

WE Energies is notorious for continually reporting your good and bad payment activity to the credit agencies. Therefore, tackling your delinquent bills (and then consistently paying on time) can be one of the best things to boost your credit. But if you are missing payments regularly or even late one day, WE Energies can be one of the worst bills on your credit.

They are often one of the number one credit obstacles for families working to achieve homeownership. Before qualifying you for a mortgage, lenders will want to see that you are capable of paying your cost of living bills on-time and all the time (i.e. your rent and utility bills). Banks want to know their money is protected, and that when money gets tight, you will pay your housing obligations before anything else. 

2. You Can Setup Automatic Payments

Knowing your payment options is extremely important, and can help you select what works best for you. You can pay in person, by mail, or online (see the full list of options by clicking here). Because WE Energies reports every month to your credit, an automatic payment option, scheduled for the day after you get paid, can be one of the best things to help your credit; because it will force you to pay on-time every month in full. 

Because life can get busy, the automatic payment program can truly be a time saver! This automatic program is through the Direct Payment Plan. The process can take more than 4 weeks to kick in, so make sure you are paying the bill with one of the other ways until you are sure it is working correctly.  Also, be sure you have enough money to cover the bill each month after you select this automatic payment option (see the budget billing plan below for ways to make this a predictable fixed monthly amount).

3. Get A Free Estimate For Your New Bill

Before a big move, have you ever wondered what your expected electric and gas bill will be? Well, WE Energies has to tell you this if you ask! Call (or even email) them and they can give you the average of the past 12 months at that address. There is a great benefit in knowing this since homes can vary significantly in efficiency. (Some older homes may run you more than $400 a month in the winter for energy costs.) If you have multiple housing options and you are looking to narrow down your selection, knowing your estimated energy bill can help you compare each option and stay within your budget. 

It is also important to consider that this is only an estimate and there are many ways that it can be wrong: such as homes that have sat vacant, comparing a cold winter to a warmer one, and the habits of the past occupants (i.e. whether they set their thermostat to 80 or 67 each night). For example, before one recent purchase, WE Energies provided one family with an estimate of $220 a month on average, but after living there for 7 months, and because of their habit of setting the furnace to go colder at night when they were asleep, they have only had one month that came anywhere close to this amount.

Either way the estimate is a very useful piece of information to help you get an idea of what your expected costs will be for your new housing budget.

BONUS TIP: Also, if you are moving, don't forget to start, stop or transfer your services with We Energies which you can do online or by phone.

4. You Can Setup A Fixed Monthly Bill With Budget Billing

Because of the seasons, your energy bills costs will vary throughout the year.  If the month has an average temperature of 15 degrees your monthly energy bill will be much different than a month with an average temperature of 70 degrees. However, if you prefer knowing the exact amount of your energy costs each month, or a fixed monthly bill, consider getting on the Budget Billing Plan. Like with estimates above, WE Energies will give you a fixed monthly bill equal to the average of last 12 months, and they will charge you this set amount each month to help you avoid the high costs of the winter months.  

To sign up for Budget Billing call 800-242-9137. Be advised, there is a review process that takes place every 6 months or so, which adjusts the amount you are paying if your previous budget is not in line with the amount of energy you are using. So if your actual costs are over or under your budget, they will adjust your monthly bill to equal your actual energy costs.  Also remember that the Summer months will now be more expensive than normal, but you've smoothed out the bills so that by the end of 12 months you should be even with your actual energy costs.

Click here to read the second half of the We Energies Tips You Should Know.  Subscribe to our Education Center today to get our future posts.

Staying on top of your monthly bills is part of being financially responsible. Utilizing automatic payments, budget billing, or assistance programs can truly help you keep your finances and credit in order. If you are looking to become a homeowner in the near future, this is important because banks need to be able to trust you with their money before they will give you a mortgage...it can all start with a positive relationship with WE Energies. 

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At Strong Blocks, we offer a 21 month rent-to-own program to help you strengthen your personal finances and credit to prepare for home ownership and accomplish your goals.  Want to learn more about rent to own? Read How to do Milwaukee Rent to Own right?  Still have more questions?  Click the button below...