I was gonna ask you - -

Is this when they charge you the same amount every month? If so, yes I’ve been doing it for about 3 years.

My personal opinion: useless.

The cost is the same in total either way, so the difference is just whether I do my budgeting or RIE does my budgeting, and I do not trust RIE to do my budgeting. Then anecdotally, seeing the high and low bills keeps me more connected to my energy use, and a high bill can be a kick in the pants to keep my energy waste in check rather than just floating along paying the same every month.

What's more, they still reserve the right to change your monthly amount if your usage or their price changes, so you're not even fully protected from unexpected bills.

I assume you're read through their FAQ, but here's the link for anyone else thinking about it: https://www.rienergy.com/RI-Home/Bill-Help/Budget-Billing

I’ve just started this fall and enjoy it so far! You can still see your energy usage and how much $$ you have in surplus or deficit with each bill. If you keep your usage around what it has been in the past, you shouldn’t end up with a deficit and owe them money.

I prefer paying my $89 a month vs paying $150+ in the winter and $40 in the summer time.

Thanks!

Thanks!

I signed up for it in October for electric and gas. So far so good. We've been on or under budget most months until the January bill - electric was only a few dollars over, gas was way over but usage was the same as last year, just higher rates.

Like someone else said, they may adjust our monthly billing up around the six month mark but our plan currently is $65 a month for electric and $130 a month for gas. 1100 sf two-floor house, 2 residents, been here since 2020. Previously we would have gas bills in the $250-$300 range during winter so seeing our higher amount on the January bill wasn't totally unexpected (even with higher rates).

Overall for us it's easier to plan/budget knowing how much it will be month to month rather than having a variety of costs through the year. To each their own.

Yep. Been doing it for a decade+.

Yes the whole point is Not because it’s actually cheaper but that you can (tada) budget the amount instead of sticker shock when the temp drops or AC goes in. And they aren’t currently charging for credit card use so use that method of payment and get your credit card rewards du jour if that’s something you want (cash back).

I didn't know about the CC thing. Thanks!

I’m sure at some point they’ll go back to having a surcharge for credit cards (I think it was a Covid thing that has yet to go away) but that’s what we’ve been doing and paying off the budget balance each month. Adds up.

I’ve had it for years. Every 6 month they re-evaluate your use. So you see your actual amount each month (that you actually use) and then there is the agreed amount. The way I think it works is they take the total of the 6 months and average it. Then do that the next six months. During the winter my bill is more because im paying the summer estimate. In about may? My bill gets much cheaper through December because it’s based on winter usage (no ac) you can cancel it anytime but you have to pay that “ actual” balance you used. Right now with everything being so expensive it’s nice to know exactly what you’ll be paying.

Yes; I recommend it.

we've been doing that for nearly a decade. it's 99 a month for gas for us at least.