FAQs

Bills are due 20 days from the time the service was billed. If a bill is being paid within this 20 day period, you need only pay the net amount shown on the bill. Payments received after the due date are subject to a penalty in the amount of 10% of the current wastewater service billing and 3% each for the current water and electric service billing. A great way to avoid penalties is to sign up for direct debit.

We certainly do! In fact, it saves you time and money, and helps us keep your rates low. We set your account up for automatic debit from your checking account. Your bill will be mailed to you just as before, but it will include a comment line, “DRAFT—DO NOT PAY.” We will debit your checking account 20 days after the bill date. You have until the due date to review your utility bill and contact us if you feel the charges are incorrect. To sign up or learn more, visit the Payment Options page to see 6 easy ways to pay your bill. Select Automatic Draft, EFT Pay.

Glad you asked! There are 7 easy ways to pay your bill. Visit the Payment Options page for more information.

We do! Customers who are home owners living in total electric homes are eligible to participate in the Budget Billing Program. The budget amount is based on the previous year’s consumption and calculated on current rates. The program begins each June and the reconciliation month is the following May. Please contact our Customer Service department for assistance.

We certainly do! Please keep in mind that when you pay online, the pending payment shows immediately on our screens but does not "post" to the system until the next morning's reconciliation. Visit our secure payment site.

Prior to the date of disconnect, a customer who is unable to pay a bill by the due date can make arrangements to pay a past due bill through a “Promise To Pay Agreement.” These agreements can be structured to meet the needs of individual customers. However, customers who have failed to abide by previous agreements are not allowed to enter into new agreements until their credit history indicates that they have not been delinquent for 12 consecutive months.

Customers who have not paid a bill by the due date are subject to a penalty in the amount of 10 percent of the current wastewater service billing and 3 percent each for the current water and electric service billing. Failure to pay within 14 days of the due date results in termination of services. Disconnections will not be done past noon on any day that precedes a weekend or a holiday. Disconnections will not be done when the temperature is below 32 degrees F, unless the disconnection is for a bad check.

Customers paying bills with checks drawn on accounts with non-sufficient funds will be given 3 days to correct this deficiency. Customers failing to do so will be disconnected without further notice. Customers disconnected due to bad checks will not be allowed to pay via check until their credit history indicates that they have not been delinquent for at least 12 consecutive months.

Customers disconnected for non-payment may be reconnected by paying the past due amount, the current bill and a reconnect fee. The current reconnect fee may be found in the Rates and Service Conditions Section. Payment must be made in cash or by money order. Checks are not acceptable. Payment must be made at the business office during regular business hours. Peru Utilities field service employees will not accept money from customers for any reason.

Customers who are retired or disabled and who receive their only income from retirement, disability and/or Social Security may be exempted from penalties if the due date of their bill falls prior to receipt of their monthly check. To be considered for penalty-exempt status, the customer must make an application at the main office. To retain penalty-exempt status, the customer must pay the full amount of the bill each month without having any charges carried forward to subsequent billings. The customer must establish 9 months of satisfactory payment history prior to being eligible for penalty-exempt status. An exception to this would be those customers who are on the Budget Billing Program and whose budget payments are less than the actual bill for a given month.

Peru Utilities does its best to read each water and electric meter every month. There are, however, circumstances that make estimating a necessity. All estimates are based on an average of the customer’s historical monthly usage with consideration for weather changes. If consumption is estimated, it is so stated on the bill. Any over or under-estimation is reconciled at the time of the next actual meter reading, so the customer is always billed or credited with the difference.

About Our Rates

As stewards of the electric power, water, wastewater and stormwater resources belonging to the city of Peru, Peru Utilities’ mission includes providing utility services in a dependable, competitively priced and environmentally responsible manner. A not for profit entity, Peru Utilities voluntarily maintains rates according to the guidelines established by the Indiana Utility Regulatory Commission. Profits sustained by revenues earned are returned to the rate payers in terms of lower rates. Peru Utilities received approval of current rates by the Peru Utility Service Board in conjunction with the Peru City Council after careful consideration of the cost to provide services. The rate structure is considered public information and can be reviewed on this website.

Hold Harmless

Peru Utilities makes no guarantee of continuous service. Each customer agrees not to hold Peru Utilities liable for the interruption of its service which may cause inconvenience or damage to the customer. In consideration of the acceptance of the customer application for utility services, the customer and all those persons using the utilities at the location stated in the application thereby release and discharge Peru Utilities of all claims of damages, demands or actions whatsoever in any manner arising or growing out of the use of said utilities.

Application Process

We require proof of identification to obtain or transfer service. A driver’s license is preferred. All unmarried adults listed on the rent receipt or lease agreement must sign the contract for service. Any other balances owed Peru Utilities by the applicant(s) must be paid at the time of service. Also required: - Renters rent receipt or lease agreement. - Property owners legal description of the property (within 14 days of signing a contract for service). - Individuals buying property on contract copy of the contract. - Mobile home park occupants lot rent receipt.

Deposits

City Ordinance Number 23 requires that we collect deposits from residential as well as commercial customers. Residential deposits are as follows:

• Electric $200 (Total Electric—$300)
• Peru Water $40
• Grissom Water $35
• Peru & Grissom Wastewater $30
• Commercial deposit requirements are generally based on twice the average monthly balance.

We hold your deposit for 1 year. The retained deposit will be applied to the final bill or may be transferred to a new account number under the same name (by your request).

Returned Checks

A $35 fee is charged for each returned check or rejected draft. We reserve the right to refuse payment by check from customers with two returned checks within a 12-month period. Customers on electronic draft are removed from the electronic draft program after one returned draft.

Payment for Service

Your payment is due within 20 days of receipt of the bill. Payments made after the due date are subject to late fees. The current late penalties are: 3% for electric, 10% for wastewater and 3% for water.

A Disconnect Notice for non-payment appears on the monthly bill. Once services are scheduled for disconnection, you must pay: the past due amount, the current amount due (even if the bill has not been sent) and a $25 or $50 service fee. The payment must be made in cash or by credit card; personal checks are not accepted. We may also require a deposit before your service is restored.

In case of default on payment, we will place a lien against the property. The amount of the lien will be the storm water and wastewater fees plus the lien fee.

Payment Arrangements

We will work with customers who require special arrangements for additional time to pay due to extreme hardship or unusual circumstances. However, keep in mind that arrangements are a privilege. Arrangements must be made prior to the disconnection date. If you fail to fulfill the arranged payment schedule, future requests for special arrangements may be denied. Termination of service may occur if you do not completely fulfill your obligations.

Closing Account

You must notify Peru Utilities of the date you intend to vacate the premises. If you fail to notify us, the service will remain in the name of the customer who signed for service until notification of non-residency is received.

Landlord Requirements

Property owners are not permitted to retain utility service in their name to assist tenants in avoiding paying debts to Peru Utilities. Such action may result in legal action against the landlord. Landlords are required to sign for the return of service to their name upon a tenant moving out or to sign an “owner’s letter” for the right to conduct business via phone. The owner is responsible for the wastewater and storm water portions of the tenant’s bill should the tenant fail to pay, as mandated by Public Law 354-1987.

Access to Service

It is each customer’s responsibility to keep all trees, bushes or shrubs trimmed away from meters and lines so that they are at least two feet from the wires and meters to allow for meter reading. If our personnel are unable to read your meter, you will be notified with a service tag on your door. If we are unable to read your meter for three consecutive months due to growth, enclosure, pets, etc., services are subject to disconnection without notice until access for reading is obtained.

Meter Tampering

The customer is prohibited from tampering with a meter in any way. Should tampering occur, the account holder is subject to disconnection and prosecution in the amount of the cost of parts, labor, equipment and overhead plus an estimate of lost service revenue.

Right to Disconnect

We reserve the right to disconnect all services if the customer fails to abide by our contract.

Peru Utilities buys all electric energy from the Indiana Municipal Power Authority (IMPA) and delivers it to Peru’s customers. The wholesale price of electricity changes frequently. It is especially sensitive to the cost of fuel used to produce electricity whether the generation is powered by natural gas, coal, or nuclear fuels.

Even small changes in our cost of energy can have a significant impact on our local operations. As the wholesale cost of our electricity increases or decreases from the cost basis included in our rate, we are permitted to pass the change through, up or down, to our customers, in the form of the Tracker.

The tracker mechanism assures our customers that they receive credits when credits are due. It also allows us to adjust prices without requesting a base rate change every time fuel prices fluctuate. The tracker is a fixed surcharge per kWh of energy we expect to sell during the next quarter. It is fixed for 3 months at a time but fluctuates from quarter to quarter.

Here is how it works: We estimate that we project our wholesale cost of power will be looking ahead 3 months. At the end of each quarter, we compare the usage and cost we projected 3 months earlier to what actually has happened. Any variance is added to or subtracted from the tracker calculation we make up for the next quarter.

In short, the Tracker surcharge is based on an estimate of utilization for the next quarter after adjusting for any variances between the estimated and actual utilization in the prior quarter.