Mailed Payments
As part of our effort to increase efficiency, we are contracting with a payment processor to handle mail payments. This move will allow us to avoid investing in new equipment to handle a diminishing number of check payments and will save labor costs.
Most customers, including those enrolled in IREA’s Auto Pay program, will not be affected by this change. Customers who mail their monthly bill payments, however, will soon send them to a central payment processor outside the state.
The new payment address will be in Carol Stream, Illinois, and will appear on your monthly bill’s payment remittance form, which is the portion you return inside the window envelope we include with each mailed monthly bill. Customers who use the provided remittance form and envelope and those who pay electronically will do nothing different when sending their payment. Those who opt to hand-address their own envelope, however, must do so with the new address. Customers who use third-party billers to pay their IREA bill may need to update IREA’s mailing address with their bank or other third-party biller.
Customers who send us check payments and some customers who use
bank bill-pay options should prepare for this upcoming change,
which we expect to implement by the end of 2018:
If you use the pre-printed remittance envelope we include with your mailed monthly bill, no additional action will be necessary. The remittance form you include with your payment will have the correct address. The provided window envelope will require postage.
If you use your own hand-addressed envelope, you will need to include the correct mailing address, which will change in the coming months. Once the change is implemented, the new mailing address will be available here, as well as on your monthly bill.
If you use a bill-pay service provided by your bank or another third party, you might need to update IREA’s mailing address within your bill-pay service. More detailed information to help you determine whether you need to do so will be available here in the coming weeks. The new address also will be available here and will appear on the remittance portion of your monthly bill.
Customers who mail their payments can streamline their bill-paying process and avoid any confusion by enrolling in our free, easy-to-use Auto Pay program. This service automatically deducts the amount due from a checking or savings account of your choice on the due date noted on your monthly bill. You won’t have to write a check, use a stamp or initiate electronic payment.
As an added incentive, IREA will give third-generation Nest Learning Thermostats to 10 randomly selected customers who are enrolled in our Automatic Payment program as of Dec. 31. The third-generation Nest can save the average household around 10% on heating bills and 15% on cooling bills. It automatically adjusts to your lifestyle and the outside weather to intelligently heat or cool your home, and can be integrated with voice command systems such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant.
You can enroll in Auto Pay right now by logging into My Account or by calling our Consumer Services department at (800) 332-9540 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. You are already eligible to win if you are currently enrolled in our Auto Pay program; no action is required. If you are unsure whether you are enrolled in Auto Pay, check the payment portion of your most recent monthly bill. You are enrolled if “automatic payment” is listed on your bill stub.
Winners of the 10 Nests will be randomly selected and notified in January. Only one Nest may be won per IREA membership.
