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Frequently Asked Questions (with Answers)  “How do I get billed?” The same way you have always been billed – from your PROVIDER (The folks who maintain your wiring coming in from the street). You’ll get basically the same bill – only the cost of your electricity (supply) will go down. When you join the CoOp, the Supplier gets reimbursed for the electricity they put on the electric grid from your Provider (like Delmarva, Pepco, BG&E, Allegheny, Connectiv). That ALSO means that you pay the same way you originally arranged – you can have the same budget billing (of course it will average a lower budget cost), or other arrangements (direct debit from your checking account, as an example)!  “Does it cost me anything to sign up?” NO ! There are other cooperatives in various towns and areas, and they usually charge a sign-up fee. With our association with Veterans and Volunteers, there is NO cost to sign-up.   “Do you work for BG&E (or other provider like Connectiv) or for the supplier (like WGES)?” NONE OF THE ABOVE ! We act as the service bureau for several tax-exempt organizations – our interest is to save members of these organizations as much as possible on their utility bills. “What utilities and utility bills are eligible to sign-up for the CoOp?” All “deregulated” utilities in your state, EXCEPT where your State Utility Commission has granted exemption from deregulation. Currently in Maryland, members receiving electricity from SMECO, ChopTank Electric, and a few town-generated electric companies have such exemptions. Ask us about YOUR utility provider. Maryland has most electric and natural gas deregulated. Virginia has mostly natural gas deregulated. Delaware has Electricity ONLY deregulated.  “Can anyone sign-up for the CoOp?” Theoretically, yes – we are chartered to cover everything from our starting group (The American Legion) to and including volunteer fire departments, not-for-profit labor unions, medical groups, and even non-profit churches! However, we started this CoOp specifically to improve membership for the Veterans and Volunteer groups, so we concentrate on these groups, and we abide by the rules at each establishment to assure that the benefit we provide of lower costs actually improve volunteerism.   “Will my electric Provider (BG&E, Connectiv, Pepco, Delmarva, etc) penalize me for signing-up or charge me extra fees?” NO! That would be illegal in your state. Deregulation – the law in your state – is specifically to encourage lower costs for you, the tax paying citizen. There are no charges from your Provider for signing-up with a Supply Coop, and there are no extra fees from your Provider NOW or even after your contract expires (if you let that happen). If your contract expires, then your Provider can charge you ONLY the existing provider rates – NO extra fees for your having been in the CoOp.   “How long before the new rates from the CoOp take effect?” Usually about a month – but it depends where your bill is in the monthly cycle. The Supplier first checks your credit (to make sure you are likely to pay your electric bill), and simultaneously notifies your provider of a pending shift for the your supply of electricity. You receive a letter (no action required) confirming that this shift is pending. Once your credit clears, you again receive a notification letter. The rate will go down in the first full billing cycle that occurs AFTER your credit acceptance, and it will remain at that low rate for 12 full months (all seasons – summer, winter, etc.) and at all times of day or night (no differential rates).  “What if I want to cancel the contract before the time expires?” This is covered in some detail on the back of the contract. There are various conditions that could cause you to cancel – some of these can create a one-time charge of up to $150 to cancel, while others are no-cost to cancel (such as relocating your residence).   “If I move, can I take the contract with me?” IF your Supplier operates in the area you move to – then YES, it is YOUR option or choice – you may take the contract or cancel it at no penalty to yourself. If your Supplier does not operate in the area you are moving into, then your Contract will be cancelled at NO penalty to yourself when you notify your Provider of your move.  “What if I am on Budget billing?” You can continue on Budget Billing by initialing that box on your contract, or activate it later – your choice! Nearly any arrangement you have made with your Provider can continue with our contract – with two notable exceptions or warnings: 1) If you are a welfare recipient or get direct aid from the State for your Electric Bill, the State may have legislated that only the portion of your bill that goes to the Provider can get reimbursed – in that case, joining our CoOp MIGHT cost you more than NOT joining. We are interested in keeping your cost as low as possible, so in this case we will suggest you NOT join the CoOp. 2) There have been some cases when the Provider has accidentally charged BOTH their budget billing and our Suppliers’ Budget billing – this is an error that may need to be called to your Provider’s attention - - they can only charge ONE budget billing. If you are on budget billing and your rate goes up when you bill shifts to the Cooperative’s supply of electricity, then that’s a fairly likely sign of this type of error – we don’t want you EVER to be paying twice for the same thing – so call your Provider if this happens! “What happens when my contract period is up?” You will receive from your Supplier written offers of renewal (usually NOT at the same rate) about 90 days from contract expiration. We recommend you check with the officers of your Post, Lodge, or group – since we may at that time have a lower rate with a different supplier (we negotiate nearly every month for best rates from all the licensed suppliers). Or you can let such offers and your existing contract simply expire, and you will automatically revert to the current Provider’s rates.