The EES Billing Process

Approximately every 30 days your meter is read by an EES meter reader. Our four meter readers read from 250 to 400 meters each day for a total of over 24,000 per month. Yes, they actually read every meter they can possibly get to. Readings are estimated only when it is impossible to get to a meter (usually due to bad roads, locked gates, bad dogs, etc.)

It takes under five seconds for an experienced meter reader to read your meter, record the entry on a hand-held computer, and be on the way to the next meter. If you want to learn how to read you own meter, see How To Read Your Meter.

The information is then brought back to our offices, where it is downloaded to our main frame computer for processing. Once processed, the bills are printed and sent out to our customers. For more information on how to interpret what is on the actual bill, see Understanding Your Light Bill.

All EES revenues come from bill payments. We pay TVA for the energy they produced for us. We buy new poles, wire, transformers, bucket trucks, and pay our employees with what is left over. For a description of this process, see Where Your Electric Dollar Goes.

For tips on how to save money on your bill by reducing wasted energy in your home, go to the energy right® web site. You can find information and make cost comparisons between gas furnaces and electric heat pumps.

Your bill amount is directly proportional to the weather outside. Well insulated homes will not cool down or heat up as quickly, but energy is required to maintain a steady temperature. Of course, the outside air temperature is anything but steady. Wind, humidity, and cloud cover also play major roles in the amount of energy required to keep our homes comfortable. The way this energy requirement is measured is called "Degree Days" (either Heating Degree Days or Cooling Degree Days). The number for each day is the amount of change (in degrees Fahrenheit) necessary to bring your home to 65 degrees; the temperature most comfortable for humans. To see the Degree Days posting for each month in our area, go to the NOAA web site.

If you have any other questions about your bill, please contact the EES Billing Department, or call them at (423) 542-1100.