Payment Options

If you are struggling to pay your bill, please call us at (800) 835-9586. We can work with you to make pay arrangements or refer you to organizations that provide assistance.

When a bill becomes past due, a charge of five percent is added to the bill and collection efforts will be initiated. HREC may disconnect service for a past-due bill 10 days after the date of mailing written notice to the member. If service is disconnected, all collection, disconnection and reconnection charges and all other utility charges must be paid before service is restored. Heartland will make every effort to restore service on the day payment arrangements are made, or no later than the next business day.

While Heartland is not required to follow the Cold Weather Rule established by the Kansas Corporation Commission, Heartland's board of directors has elected to adopt its own version of the policy. See below for details.

Please be aware that the Cold Weather Rule does not apply to prepaid accounts.

(1) The provisions of the COLD WEATHER RULE establish the disconnection procedures for delinquent accounts of any Residential Customer of the Cooperative throughout the cold weather period, which extends from November 1 through March 31.

(2) The Cooperative will not initiate the disconnection process for Residential Customers’ service between November 1 and March 31 when the National Weather Service office forecasts the temperature to drop below 35 degrees (the activating temperature) within the following 48 hour period unless:

(a) It is at the Customer’s request;

(b) The service is abandoned;

(c) A dangerous condition exists on the Customer’s premises;

(d) The Customer violates any rule of the Cooperative, which adversely affects the safety of the Customer or other persons, or the physical integrity of the Cooperative’s delivery system; or

(e) The Customer causes or permits tampering as defined in section 6.J.

In any of these situations, the Cooperative may disconnect the service immediately. Services disconnected under (c), (d) or (e) above may be restored as soon as possible after the physical problems defined in (c), (d), and (e) above have been corrected.

(3) To avoid disconnection during the cold weather period and qualify for the benefits of the COLD WEATHER RULE the Customer must meet the requirements of the GOOD FAITH TEST. To meet the requirements of the GOOD FAITH TEST, the Customer will:

(a) Inform the Cooperative of the Customer’s inability to pay the bill in full;

(b) Give sufficient information to allow the Cooperative to make payment agreement;

(c) Make an initial payment acceptable to the cooperative;

(d) Enter a level payment plan agreement for past, current and future charges for electric service with arrears paid in equal installments over the next two months. The Customer and the Cooperative may negotiate other payment arrangements mutually agreeable, individualized to the Customer’s situation providing the most appropriate terms, after the Customer has been informed that he or she has at least two months in which to pay;

(e) Apply for federal, state, local or other funds for which the Customer is eligible;

(f) Not obtain electric service by tampering as defined in Section 6. J.; and

(g) Not default on a payment plan.

(4) In addition to fulfillment of the procedures outlined in Section 5, (with the exception of C.2., which is replaced with the more stringent requirement of (a) below), the Cooperative will:

(a) Send one written notice mailed first class at least ten (10) days prior to termination of service.

(b) On the day prior to disconnection, make at least one telephone call attempt with the Customer of record. The telephone call requirement may be fulfilled by use of an automated phone system which records the time and date that calls were attempted and delivered.

(b) On the day of disconnection, receive a 24-hour forecast above the activating temperature from the National Weather Service. If the temperature is then forecast to be below the activating temperature, the disconnection may not be carried out and the Cooperative must wait for another 48-hour forecast above the activating temperature to initiate the disconnection procedures;

(c) Inform the Customer in the telephone contact of the existence of the Cold Weather Rule and that the Customer can avoid disconnection by bringing the Customer’s electric bill current;

(d) Inform the Customer in the telephone contact that a list of organizations where funds are available to pay electric bills is available.