Customers of Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corp. will soon see a new look on their utility bills. “We’re updating the appearance and layout of our bill so that it’s better organized, more colorful and easier to understand,” said Anthony Campagiorni, Vice President of Customer Services and Regulatory Affairs. “The new design allows for important information to be more easily recognized and is intended to improve our customers’ understanding of their energy use.”

The new design will begin to be issued later this month, and customers will receive the new bills in either their August or September statements depending on their billing cycle. Customers receiving electronic bills will also see the new version. This is the first major bill redesign in nearly 30 years.

“The new bill will graphically show components of energy delivery, supply and taxes, and the chart comparing usage in the current and past months has been updated,” said Campagiorni. “Important information is also more easily seen and presented, and helpful seasonal content such as safety tips and ways to reduce or manage energy use is included. The new bill is easier to read, navigate and understand.”

Improvements to the bill include:

• Contact information for regu­lar inquiries and reporting outages and emergencies is prominently placed at the top of the first page;
• A graphic to the left of the bill sum­mary offers a quick overview of the main billing components, such as delivery, supply, taxes and any other charges;
• The usage charts will be displayed prominently at the top of the bill­ing detail page. Electric us­age will be denoted in green, natural gas usage in blue and other charges such as area lights, traffic lights and on-bill fi­nancing in gray;
• The bill summary is easier to read, indicating the total amount and due date;
• Customers will more easily see actual versus estimated read­ings;
• Ways to pay will be clear­ly indicated, including payment options using digital channels;
• A new message center will contain important and timely information; and
• A portion of the information traditionally provided on separate inserts is now printed direct­ly on the bill, which is especially helpful to customers receiving electronic bills.

“The energy industry is in transition, and it’s more important than ever that our customers are provided with resources to help them understand what is taking place,” said Campagiorni. “We hope our updated design will provide our customers with a better understanding of their energy usage and the components of their bill.”

For more information on the new bill design, including a video showing its new features, visit www.CentralHudson.com/Rates/BillsExplained.

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