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Billing Options

For your convenience, Peoples offers a Budget Billing Plan and a Third Party Notice billing option.

Budget Billing Plan

Residential customers, say goodbye to seasonal fluctuations in your gas bills. On the Budget Billing Plan, your gas usage is averaged over the past 12 months, then adjusted for current rates. That way, you pay a similar amount every month.

  • Budget Billing spreads higher bills over long periods. Actual or estimated meter readings, gas usage, and gas costs appear on your monthly bills.
  • Your budget amount is reviewed periodically and may be increased or decreased based on significant changes in your gas usage or rates.
  • At budget review, any remaining account balance is automatically adjusted into your new budget amount.
  • You can leave the plan at any time, however when you leave the plan, your account balance is due in full.
  • To make sure the plan works, you have to pay only the budget amount (not your current charges or the actual account balance) on each bill.
  • Stay on the plan by making sure to pay the budget amount by the due date each month. We also do not grant credit extensions or payment agreements if you're on Budget Billing.

Customers can enroll in Budget Billing, at no additional cost, through your Peoples e-account online or by calling us at 1-800-764-0111.

How Does Budget Billing Work?

We use records of your past usage and a simple formula to calculate your Budget Billing payment. We look at actual or estimated meter readings, gas usage, and projected weather conditions to calculate your “Average Gas Usage Per Year.” We divide that number by 12 to get your "Average Gas Usage Per Month.” Your “Average Gas Usage Per Month” is multiplied by the current gas rate to generate your affordable monthly budget payment. Through the Budget Billing program, you are required to pay only the budget amount. You are not required to pay your current charges or the account balance, which also appear on your bill.

To prevent any shortages or overages, we review your gas usage on a quarterly basis and adjust your Budget amount to more accurately reflect your usage habits, or a change in gas rates. Many people don't realize this, but there are certain charges on your bill that are actually pass-through charges. What you pay for the gas is what we pay for the gas; we can never markup those pass-through charges. So if the gas costs more for us to purchase from a supplier, then your gas cost (commodity charge or Price to Compare) might fluctuate. This means your “Affordable Monthly Budget" payment could increase or decrease after the quarterly review period. At the time of a budget review, any remaining account balance is automatically adjusted into your new budget amount.

To stay on the plan, you must pay the budget amount by the due date each month. Credit extensions and payment agreements will not be granted to customers on the Budget Billing plan. You can withdraw from Budget Billing at any time. At the time of withdrawal, your account balance is due in full.

Third Party Notice

Peoples wants to help you avoid the possibility of your service being shut off. When you are ill, disabled, or away from your home for long periods of time, you may not be able to pay your bills by the due dates. Peoples Third Party Notice allows you to choose a third party who is notified if you did not pay your bill or if you have overdue payments. This can be a relative, friend, clergyman, or even a social service agency. We will then send a copy of notices for past due bills to that third party, who can help to arrange payment and keep your service active.

The third party will not be legally responsible for paying your bill.

If you or someone you know could benefit from Third Party Notice, please complete and submit our mail-in request form.

Braille or Large Print Bill

If you have a visual impairment, Peoples is happy to provide a large print bill or braille bill. Contact us to sign up for a braille or large print bill. You must document visual impairment. If you are renting, you must have the landlord's approval.

Call: 1-800-400-9276

Email: peopleshelps@peoples-gas.com