SmartPay

SmartPay is a prepaid program, which helps you better manage your energy costs and be more aware of energy use. 

By monitoring your use on a regular basis, you become more aware of how you use electricity and often find ways to reduce energy consumption 5-15 percent, thus reducing your energy costs.

Members on SmartPay pay the same rate for electricity as those on traditional billing. Setting up an account is easy. It must be set up with a positive balance that should be monitored daily. If you are on SmartPay, you pay as much as you can, when you can.

Upon enrollment, a member must purchase at least $75 of energy. Also, there is a one-time $25 administrative fee required for all new accounts.

Because this is a pay-as-you-go program, you are responsible for keeping a positive balance. You know how much energy you can use and plan payments around your household budget and cashflow. Although members on this program do not pay any disconnection or reconnection charges.

You can check your balance daily by clicking View My Account/ Pay My Bill under Service Options, or calling 910-892-8071. If you decide to participate in SmartPay, SmartView monitoring is the most important tool.

If your account runs low, you receive a notification to add money to the account. If you do not add money, it will be automatically disconnected after you run out of money.

The SmartPay program is set up so that you can keep a close eye on your account to prevent using more energy than you have paid for. Therefore, the program is structured so that you can predict when certain measures are taken daily.

• South River EMC reads your electric meter at midnight daily.

• Balances are updated and available for viewing by 8 a.m.

• If warranted, you may begin receiving alerts or notifications by 8 a.m.

• If your account has a negative balance and you do NOT make a payment, it will be automatically disconnected at 10 a.m. the following day.

• If you have been disconnected and you make a payment, the meter will be remotely reconnected (if you have a remote disconnect meter).

• Remember, your electric use is updated once a day.

If you are a current member, we can set up your account and provide a mechanism to payoff your outstanding balance. If you are getting new service and owe South River EMC a bad debt it too can be paid through debt recovery. If a prior balance is transferred to your prepay account, 30 percent of each payment goes toward eliminating that debt. The amount of your debt recovery balance can be viewed on your account as you review it daily.

How do I know how much to pay to cover my debt recovery amount? Take the total the amount you want to pay toward energy and divide it by .7. This will tell you how much to pay.

Example: $50 (amount to pay toward energy)
                 ÷ .7
              $71.43 amount of payment due

Login into your Smart Energy Profile to access a six day energy forecast for your electric account(s). When it opens, click on “Energy Forecast” from the tabs along the top. The tool looks at your use from the last billing period to the most recent midnight read and tells how much your bill is “so far.” It also looks at weather trends and estimates what you can anticipate your monthly bill to be. Additionally, about midway down the page you will see a weather forecast and an estimated daily energy use.

South River EMC is communicating messages and updates with members via e-mail and text (SmartAlerts). We will also continue to communicate material as we have previously done so, through our monthly newsletter, Twitter, Facebook and our website.

You can recharge your account at a South River EMC office during working hours (M-F 8 a.m.-5 p.m.), or on sremc.com, 24 hours a day, with a credit card. Additionally, you can pay using our automated system at (910) 892-8071. There will be a $15 minimum for credit card transactions. If you don’t have a credit card, you can pay at any MoneyGram location or at one of our pay stations. However, don’t use a pay station if you are close to disconnection, payments typically post around 10 a.m. the next day.

Alerts are used to notify you of important details of your account. To ensure you receive these alerts, please keep your contact information up to date!

Your account is subject to disconnection when your balance goes into the negative. If your account is not recharged, electric service will be disconnected. The first time your account is disconnected, a remote disconnect meter will be installed. If your account runs out of money after this point, your meter will be disconnected automatically.

When recharging your account after disconnection, you must pay enough to bring your account to a positive balance.

If your account is disconnected and does not become active for five (5) consecutive days, the account will be considered inactive and a final bill will be mailed.

If you have additional questions, or if you are interested in signing up for SmartPay, contact the Cooperative at 910-892-8071 or visit a South River EMC office.