Okay I know this is basic but I’ve been in my East Harlem one-bed for years and every January/February the Con Ed bill makes me want to throw my radiator out the window. I keep seeing the Level Payment Plan option on the app and ignoring it.

Do any of you actually use it? I understand the idea—same amount each month—but I’m suspicious of the ‘settlement month.’ Like they average you low all year, then hit you with a catch-up bill right when you’re recovering from Christmas.

If you’re on it: how close was the monthly number to your real usage? And did they recalculate halfway through or just let it ride?

I’d rather eat a small surprise than a giant one.

Wait, so it’s not just a discount? I just moved to the Bronx and signed up because the welcome email made it sound like a budget tool. I assumed they split the actual total into 12 and that’s it. Now I’m nervous lol. Does the settlement month mean I owe the difference all at once? What if you used more than they predicted because your roommate runs a space heater? Sorry if this is a dumb question.

Unpopular opinion but level billing is just a smoothing trick, and not always a good one. You’re not paying less—you’re deferring part of the bill to a month where you have less visibility. The utility benefits because you stop watching usage. I get why people do it in rentals with bad insulation, but you could also make your own ‘level plan’ by taking your trailing 12-month average, auto-transferring that amount to a separate checking sub-account, and paying the actual bill from it. At least then the cash is yours until Con Ed actually bills you. Does the official plan even pay you interest? No. Just something to consider before you click enroll.

QueensOffended I hear you on the self-escrow thing, I basically do that for my MetroCard money but somehow never did it for Con Ed. I think part of it is the app just making the amount predictable.

bronx_newbie not a discount, no. It’s like the utility saying ‘we’ll guess what you use and charge that.’ Settlement is when they true up. If your roommate is blasting a space heater that prediction gets thrown off quick.

I might try the manual version for a few months first. Anyone know if Con Ed lets you switch to level billing mid-cycle or only at the next read?

Oh this is so timely. I just got a bill noticeably higher than last month and I didn’t even change anything except finally plugging in my window AC for two nights. New to NYC and still learning that ‘same apartment, same habits’ doesn’t mean same bill. Does the level plan look at your previous address too? My lease started in October so they don’t have a full year of me here. Maybe that’s why they haven’t offered it to me yet.

bronx_newbie do you have a link where you enrolled? I went through the app but got confused at the ‘estimated annual usage’ screen.

big_city_beth I think it was under ‘Billing & Payments’ then ‘Budget Billing’ or something. It asked for my account number and showed an estimated monthly amount, but honestly I clicked too fast.

EastHarlem_E that’s a good point about roommates. I’m going to check my next bill and see if the estimate was way off. I don’t want a surprise settlement right after the holidays either.