Pay-As-You-Go with Pre-paid Billing
Berkeley Electric's pre-paid billing plan allows members to pay for electricity before they use it. You decide how much and how often you pay into your pre-paid account. The plan gives you the ability to control your budget by depositing money into the account online, through your mobile device, over the telephone, in person at a Berkeley Electric office or even through one of our 24-hour, drive-thru kiosks.
In order to take full advantage of the pre-paid billing program we urge members to sign-up for a Smarthub account online or through the free mobile app. For instructions on how to sign-up visit our Smarthub page.
You purchase electricity before you use it by visiting your local Berkeley Electric office to sign up for the plan and add money into your account. When your account runs low, you will receive an alert by your choice of phone, text, or email informing you it’s time to add funds to your account. You can track your usage by phone or online at www.berkeleyelectric.coop 24 hours a day. Or simply access your SmartHub App to view your daily usage or make payments into your pre-paid account.
Please note that in the event of a power outage you may still receive daily usage notifications - even though no power is actually being used. When our digital metering system loses communications with a member's meter it assumes that it is a temporary interruption and will continue to estimate the average usage. Once the outage has been cleared the member's account will be re-calculated to remove the estimated charges.
Your electrical service will be automatically disconnected when your funds reach a zero balance. You can purchase more power 7 days a week and will not be charged a disconnect or reconnect fee. To avoid disconnects, Berkeley Electric suggests that you keep a reasonable balance on your pre-paid account. Please note that we will not disconnect pre-paid accounts over the weekend or holidays. Although the account will not be disconnected, members are still responsible for paying for any energy used during these periods.
No. One of the advantages of the program is that our pre-paid members do not pay a deposit. This makes it a more affordable option for opening an account. Current Berkeley Electric members, who already have a deposit on their account, will have their deposit applied/transferred to their account(s) if they opt to switch to pre-paid.
No. Pre-paid accounts do not receive a monthly bill by mail; however, you may view your account balances online and follow your usage patterns daily through your SmartHub app. Members can still access a copy of their monthly bill through the app.
Any Berkeley member receiving electric service under the residential rate can enroll in our pre-paid program. Businesses and churches can also participate as long as they use a regular 200-amp service. To get more details about pre-paid contact your local district office.