Even Monthly Payment

Electric use changes with the seasons—your bill doesn't have to

Enroll in our budget billing program and simplify managing your energy costs  

Our Even Monthly Payment (EMP) plan makes it easier to manage your budget. We’ll average your electric bills from the past 12 months to project your monthly payments for the next year. Whether it’s the biting cold of January or the searing heat of August, you’ll pay the same amount each month.

We’ll review your account twice a year and adjust your EMP amount if your electric use changes significantly. We’ll also pay interest on your average daily credit balance. And if EMP doesn’t work for you, you can return to conventional billing at any time.

Enroll in Even Monthly Payment by mail

Enroll in Even Monthly Payment online

Combine EMP with other options

Once your bill is on our EMP plan, you may want to further simplify bill payment by enrolling in autopay through one of these payment programs:

  • Electronic bill pay is our free electronic payment program that lets you choose from a variety of payment methods. Schedule payments each month for a day that works best for you or set up autopay to never miss a payment. To enroll in electronic bill pay, click the log in button above and Register.
  • Ready Check pays your bill automatically each month from your bank account. No online registration required.

Frequently asked questions

  • EMP helps manage budgets by smoothing out the highs and lows of your monthly electric service bill.
  • Yes. We’ll notify you by letter if we adjust your budgeted amount midway through the EMP plan year.
  • At the start of a new EMP plan year, we’ll list changes to your budgeted amount as a line item on your billing statements. 
  • If you have a credit or debit balance at the end of your EMP plan year, we’ll roll that balance into your next annual EMP plan and consider this when calculating your new budget amount.
  • If you have a credit balance, we’ll apply it to your account to reduce any balance owed.
  • If you have a debit balance (resulting from greater energy use than your budgeted EMP amount), we’ll apply it to your account, and it will be due on your next billing statement.
  • We appreciate your prompt payment. Minnesota rules require that we offer EMP to all customers regardless of their payment history. We may place customers with an outstanding balance on a budget payment plan that includes repayment of the outstanding balance.
  • If you have two past due payments within 70 days or we issue a disconnect service order for your account, we may remove you from EMP.
  • No. We calculate EMP based on your electric energy use over the past 12 months. Your monthly EMP amount isn’t adjusted to reflect energy assistance payments received.