AES Indiana made a few changes to a payment program that makes your monthly bill more predictable.
Levelized billing, as it’s called now, is very similar to budget billing. The idea is that you pay a fixed amount each month, and AES changes your bill amount at set points throughout the year based on how much electricity you use.
But state lawmakers made utility companies change some things about how the program works.
How it works
With levelized billing, your monthly payment is the average of your last 12 bills. That means you pay the same amount each month, regardless of how much electricity you use.
Starting in 2027, AES will look at your bill twice a year (April and October) to see how much you paid compared to how much electricity you actually used. This is called a settle-up.
So, if AES looks at your bill in April and sees your electric use went down, your new bill amount will be lower until the company looks again in October. Or, if your electric use went up, your new bill amount will be higher.
That setup means you’re either underpaying or overpaying. So in April, you have to pay the remaining balance on your account if you underpaid, or AES gives you a credit on your account if you overpaid.
What’s different?
There are two main differences between levelized billing and budget billing.
- Under the old system, settle-ups happened four times a year. Now, starting in 2027, settle-ups will happen twice per year.
- Under the old system, the balance or credit came at the end of the year. Now, starting in 2027, that will happen in April.
When does this start?
For 2026, customers on levelized billing had only one settle-up bill in July, and the first levelized billing payment will show up on August bills.
The next settle-up will be in April 2027.
Here’s the schedule:
📅 April — Your first account settle-up of the year. Your monthly amount due could change based on your electric use. Any credit or balance due will show up on this bill.
📅 October — Your second and final settle-up of the year. This bill will not include a credit or balance due.
How do I enroll or opt out?
If you were enrolled in budget billing and didn’t opt out by July 31, you’re already on the levelized billing plan.
Any customers who qualify for and have applied for state energy assistance were also automatically enrolled.
For everyone else: Click this link if you want to enroll.
After signing in to your account, you can see how much your monthly bill would be. Customers who are up to date on their bill are eligible to enroll.
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Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.
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