Norwich Public Utilities - AutoPay Frequently Asked Questions

1Q What is AutoPay?

A AutoPay is a new and easy way to pay your Norwich Public Utilities bill. With your written authorization, NPU will automatically deduct your monthly utility payment directly from the checking, savings, Visa or MasterCard account that you choose. This means you will not need to mail, phone or walk your payment in to our Customer Service Center! The amount charged will be your account balance, unless you are already a budget customer. Budget customer payments will be the budget amount.

2Q How do I sign up?

A As long as your account is in good standing and you have a bank or credit card account, you can go online to www.norwichpublicutilities.com and print the AutoPay Authorization Form. You can also call us at (860) 887-2555 and we will be happy to send you one. After you fill out the form in its entirety and sign it, send it to:

Attention: AutoPay
Norwich Public Utilities
173 North Main Street
Norwich CT 06360

Please be certain to provide us with a daytime phone number and email address. This will ensure that we can reach you with any questions or issues about setting up or maintaining AutoPay.

3Q When will automatic payments begin?

A AutoPay will be set up as soon as NPU receives your written authorization. You will know that AutoPay is in effect by looking at the shaded summary box and the remit stub on your statement. Normally, you will see the AutoPay notice on your next statement; however if we receive your authorization form very close to your billing date, AutoPay will begin the following month.

PLEASE NOTE: Until you see the AutoPay notice on your billing statement, you should continue to pay your bill as usual to prevent late charges.

4Q Will the payment come out of my account or be charged to my card on the same day every month so I can plan?

A No. You will receive your bill at the usual time each month and the AutoPay date will be shown on your bill. Generally, the AutoPay date will be about 20 - 25 days after your billing date. The exact date that the transaction applies to your bank or credit card account depends on the bank; however, you will not be charged before the AutoPay date.

5Q What if there are problems with my payment?
What happens then?

A We will make every effort to contact you by phone or email if we are unable to process your AutoPay transaction. Sometimes it can be something as simple as correcting an account number or an expiration date. NPU will help to resolve the problem and then resubmit the transaction.

Please remember that it is very important that you contact us immediately if anything changes that would affect your automatic payment, such as a new credit card expiration date, new bank account number, etc. If the problem is due to insufficient funds, you will be charged $20, just as you would be if you sent a check that was returned.

6Q Does AutoPay work for budget customers?

A Yes, but only the monthly budget amount will be charged by AutoPay. If you have other charges on your statement, such as furnace cleaning or appliance repair, you will have to make a separate payment for the miscellaneous amounts. These are due as usual before your next billing date.

7Q My bill varies quite a bit each month. If I use AutoPay and I cannot count on the same day every month, this could be a problem. Is there a way I can have equal payments deducted from my account each month?

A Yes, please call us at (860) 887-2555 to set up a budget. We will calculate the budget amount based on your billing history and your payments will be the same every month until a new budget is calculated, generally once a year. Be aware that if you are signed up for budget and AutoPay, you will have to pay separately for all service charges, such as furnace cleaning, appliance repair, etc. These amounts will not be added to the AutoPay amount if you are on a budget.

8Q I have some other accounts where I can sign up online for automatic payments and I do not have to send in a paper authorization. Why can’t I do that with NPU?

A Protecting your personal information is vitally important, and on line sign up requires security features not yet available through our software vendor. NPU will provide the added convenience of online sign-up when we are confident that we can securely do so.

9Q If I want to change the bank or credit card account from which my automatic payments are deducted, what do I need to do?

A For your protection and security, all automatic payment changes must be made in writing. To make a change, please complete and return another AutoPay Authorization Form.

You can download it now (223K PDF) or get one by calling customer service at (860) 887-2555. If you don't have Adobe Acrobat to read PDFs, you can download it here for free.

Please remember that during the transition period, you may have to make a one-time payment by another method, depending on the timing of the change. The AutoPay notice on your statement is a reliable way to know whether you need to initiate a payment or depend on AutoPay.

10Q What if I want to stop automatic payments?

A The AutoPay cancellation process is simple. Just call, write or email NPU and we'll take care of the rest. In most cases, we can cancel your bank or credit card deduction before your next billing statement. To contact us use any of the following:

Call - (860) 887-2555
Write - Norwich Public Utilities
Attn: Customer Service
173 North Main Street
Norwich, CT 06360
Email - billpayinfo@npumail.com

11Q What if I move?

A As soon as you know that you are moving, please contact us at (860) 887-2555. If you are moving within Norwich, NPU can arrange for service at your new address and update AutoPay. Please mention to the customer service representative that you wish to keep your AutoPay arrangement at your new location.

12Q I get multiple NPU bills for places I own or rent. Can I combine these into a single automatic payment?

A There are some instances when a single automatic payment can pay multiple utility accounts, but these utility accounts must be in the same billing cycle and have identical “customer numbers.” (Your customer number is the last six digits of your utility account number.) For more information on whether this is an option for you, please contact customer service at (860) 887-2555.

13Q Can I have my automatic payments come out of multiple bank or credit card accounts?

A AutoPay cannot split the payment amounts and charge multiple bank or credit card accounts as part of one transaction. You must choose a single checking, savings, debit or credit card account when you sign up for AutoPay.