Understanding Your Bill

Customer Service

• What other business locations will accept M.U.D. bill payments?

  All Walmart locations. You can now pay your M.U.D. bill at any Walmart in the United States. See the map below for convenient metro Omaha area locations.

  Here’s how to use the service:

  • Ask for Walmart Pay (not Check-Free) at any area Walmart location.  You must request “Walmart Pay” for your payment to post immediately.
  • Provide the phone number associated with your M.U.D. account.
  • Confirm your M.U.D. account number.
  • If you are a first-time Walmart Pay user or if your payment is over a certain amount, you may be required to show a government-issued I.D.
  • Pay any amount you choose using cash or a debit card with PIN. Credit card and check payments are NOT available.
  • There is no fee to use this service.

  

  Please note: Paycheck cashing locations are not affiliated with M.U.D. These businesses advertise that they will accept M.U.D. customer payments for a fee that is paid by the customer. If you choose to pay your bill at these locations, it typically takes 3 to 5 business days for M.U.D. to be notified and receive the payment. M.U.D. cannot stop a disconnection notice until we receive the payment.

• Why do you charge reconnect fees?

  Reconnection fees are charged to pay for a portion of the service technician’s time associated with the reconnect and to establish the new account in our system. For current fee information, check the Billing Price Book link in Related Resources on the Rates & Fees page.

• What are ERTs?

  Your home may have an encoder, receiver, transmitter (ERT) device which allows us to read your meter via radio signals and save money on meter reading costs. For more information on ERTs, call 402.554.6666 or e-mail us.

• Why do you estimate bills?

  We estimate bills if we are unable to obtain an actual reading.

• May I change the due date on my bill?

  No. The due date is determined by when your meter is read and based on a certain number of days from which a bill is generated.

• Will you take a post-dated check?

  No. Post-dated checks are not considered legal tender.

• What is therm billing?

  Therm billing is an equitable method of billing for the natural gas you buy from us, based on the energy content of the gas.

  Natural gas expands in volume depending on the elevation of your home or business. Also, our gas comes from different wellfields, therefore energy content can vary.

  By recognizing these two variables and converting them to British thermal units (Btus), you pay for the amount of energy used instead of the volume of gas.

• Do I still receive a bill if my payment is deducted from my checking or savings account?

  Yes. You will receive a bill statement approximately 15 days before the payment is withdrawn from your financial institution. This gives you time to contact us if you have a question about the bill.

• Is a signed application required to begin M.U.D. service?

  No. By accepting service from us, you show that you accept and agree to the terms and conditions of our service agreement. This does not change any other agreements you may have with M.U.D.

• Is a security deposit required to begin M.U.D. service?

  If you are a residential customer, a security deposit or a way to waive deposit is required. Ways to waive the deposit include:

  • Previous Customer – prior customer with good payment history
  • Current customer with good payment history
  • Letter of credit reference from another utility, showing the last year’s good payment history
  • Co-signer – a personal guarantor – must be a current M.U.D. customer with recent 24 months of excellent payment history
  • Homeowner – first-time M.U.D. customer purchasing real estate
  • Recurring payments – customer must sign up online for recurring eCheck within 30 days of starting service

  If a security deposit is required, arrangements must be made before we can open an account. After 12 consecutive months of timely payments, the residential deposit will be refunded upon request to your account.

  A form of security deposit is required for all new commercial accounts. Commercial customers have the option to use a cash deposit as a form of security, an irrevocable letter of credit from a bank, or a surety bond from an insurance company. We will refund the deposit on commercial accounts upon request following three years of timely bill payments.

  For more details, please call Customer Service at 402.554.6666 or email us at [email protected].

• Who is responsible for paying for M.U.D. services?

  The customer of record is responsible for all usage at the premises. Any consumption found between parties will be billed to the owner of record of the property. Use will be billed monthly at rates established by the Board of Directors.

• Why do I get charged something on my bill when I have been gone or not used any gas or water?

  There is a minimum service charge for gas and water to cover costs for meter maintenance and replacement; leak detection; maintenance and replacement of mains and services; meter reading; billing and Credit Services.

• What happens if I fail to pay my M.U.D. bill?

  You may receive notice that you are subject to shutoff. For bill paying arrangements, call Customer Service, 402.554.6666. Business hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Monday through Friday.

  Once service/services are shut off for non-payment please contact Customer Service to make arrangements for payment. If paying on-line or through the IVR phone option, this will not automatically restore your service.  You must call Customer Service to verify payment and set an appointment for service activation. Your services will be turned back on promptly.

  If a shut-off of your utilities occurs for non-payment, there is a turn-on fee. The fee is posted in the Billing Price Book, updated annually. To access the book, look for the link in Related Resources on the Rates & Fees page.

• Can my service be disconnected in winter?

  Disconnection of service is a last resort when a customer’s bill has gone unpaid. However, if your bill remains unpaid and no payment arrangements are made, we may disconnect your service during the heating season.

  If you have difficulty paying your bill, call us at 402.554.6666 right away so we can work with you and avoid service interruption. Office hours are 7:30 a.m. to 5:15 p.m., Monday through Friday.

• How do I cancel service?

  Call 402.554.6666, or if outside the calling area, 1.800.732.5864. We need at least two working days’ notice and access to the meter(s) to discontinue service.

• How do I establish service if I move to a different address?

  Call 402.554.6666 or outside the calling area at 800.732.5864 to arrange for service to be established at a new address or disconnected at an old address.
  We need at least two working days’ notice and access to the meter(s) to disconnect service. There is a charge to connect to a different address.

• Who is responsible for protecting M.U.D. property on the premises?

  Our service agreement with you states that you shall safeguard and provide adequate protection for District property located on your premises.

• Can you interrupt my service without notice?

  Yes. However, we will make a reasonable effort to notify you of temporary service interruptions to make repairs to the system. In the event of an emergency, such as a main break or where considerable damage may be caused, your service may be interrupted without notification.

• What is the charge to light pilots?

  Please review the Billing Price Book on the Rates & Fees page for current pricing.

• Do you service appliances or sell parts?

  Our service technicians will inspect and repair gas appliances (gas water heaters, ranges, dryers, furnaces, outdoor gas lights and space heating equipment) on a Time and Material (T&M) basis. Select services, such as cleaning pilots and adjusting burners on gas appliances are also on a T&M basis.

  We do not sell parts for appliances.

  Note: Warranty on labor is limited to 30 days from the date of the original call. Warranty on parts is limited to that provided by the manufacturer.

  For details on gas appliance services and price quotes, call 402.554.6666.

• Can I plant flowers or shrubs by my M.U.D. meters?

  Flowers or shrubs that are planted near outside meters or by the glass block should be low to the ground and should not impede access to the front of the meter in order for us to read the meters or do repair work on them. When we need to change a meter or a gas regulator, we need to be able to kneel in front of the meter set. If the shrub is blocking the meter set front, we may need to remove it to do our work. More information can be found in our Gas Rules under Natural Gas Resources.

• How do I understand my Budget Payment Plan on my bill?

  Budget Payment Plan is shown on the top right hand section of your bill.

  TOTAL DUE: The Budget Payment Plan amount that was determined when you signed up. This amount is recalculated every year on your budget plan anniversary.

  CURRENT BUDGET VARIANCE:  Actual charges for the month minus the budget payment amount.

  TOTAL BUDGET VARIANCE:  Accumulated variance of all actual charges minus the budget payment amount.

  – If this amount is a credit, or negative amount, it means that the budget payment amounts have exceeded the charges based on actual usage.

  – If this amount is a positive balance, it means that the charges based on actual usage have exceeded the budget payment amounts.

  – If your positive balance is more than three times your budget payment amount, please contact us to evaluate if your budget payment amount should be increased. Or consider paying extra towards your budget variance. If you are paying extra to be applied to your budget variance, please indicate this with your payment. 

   

  How is your Budget Payment Plan payment amount calculated?

  Your  monthly budget payment is the total of the last 12 monthly actual bills, adjusted for normal weather and projected rate changes, plus or minus your total budget variance balance divided by 12.

  Example:

  • Current Budget Plan payment amount = $125
  • At the end of the budget billing year customer budget payments =  $1,500 ($125 payment each month for 12 months)
  • At the end of the budget bill year customer’s actual charges = $1,700
  • Total Budget Variance = $200 ($1,700 actual charges minus $1,500 payments)
  • New Budget Plan payment amount = $158 ($1,700 last 12 months actual bills + $200 total variance divided by 12 months)

  Budget plan changes:

  We review the last 12 months of history, project out for weather (degree days and precipitation) and also any known or projected rate increases for gas, water and sewer. We are a billing agent for several different cities and take into account their sewer rates for the budget plan.

• How is my budgeted amount calculated?

  Your initial monthly budget payment will be the total of the previous 12 monthly bills at your current residence plus your current account balance divided by 12. On your Budget Payment Plan anniversary date, your payment will be entirely recalculated by adding the total of the previous 12 months’ actual bills at your current residence to your current account balance and dividing by 12.

  Budget plan changes:

  We review the last 12 months of history, project out for weather (degree days and precipitation) and also any known or projected rate increases for gas, water and sewer. We are a billing agent for several different cities and take into account their sewer rates for the budget plan.

• Why did my budget payment increase?

  We review the last 12 months of history, project out for weather (degree days and precipitation) and also any known or projected rate increases for gas, water and sewer. We are a billing agent for several different cities and take into account their sewer rates for the budget plan.

• Who sets sewer and trash fees?

  Each municipality sets its sewer use rates. Municipalities include: Bellevue, Bennington, Gretna, La Vista, Omaha (including the unincorporated portion of Douglas County), Ralston and Sarpy County.

  Metropolitan Utilities District is the billing agent that invoices and collects sewer use fees and provides them back to the municipalities. The combined bill eliminates duplication, resulting in a cost savings to both sewer users and M.U.D. ratepayers. Residential sewer rates are the total of two charges:

  The combined bill eliminates duplication, resulting in a cost savings to both sewer users and M.U.D. ratepayers. Residential sewer rates are the total of two charges:

  1. Customer Charge (fixed monthly fee)
  2. Flow Charge (varies with usage)

  The monthly sewer use fee during the winter season is based on the actual amount of water used. The winter season will encompass four billing cycles, starting with the M.U.D. December billing schedule and ending with the March billing schedule. The four winter billing cycles are averaged to determine a base monthly usage level to be used during the non-winter period when calculating your sewer fees. In some instances, the base monthly usage level may be reviewed and adjusted as appropriate.

  During the non-winter period, from April’s billing schedule through November’s billing schedule, the sewer use fee is calculated by using either 1) the actual water use during that specific billing cycle, or 2) the base monthly usage level (the average of the four winter billing cycles), WHICHEVER IS LESS. Remember, your water use in the winter can impact your bills throughout the year.

  If you have an emergency, such as a flooded basement, which may be related to the sewer system, contact your city’s public works department. In Omaha, the phone number is 402.444.5332.