Round Up
Neighbors helping neighbors!
The Board of Aldermen has voted unanimously in support of a new program aimed at helping customers in financial crisis or those who are at risk of not being able to pay their utility bills.
The New Bern CONNECTS Round Up program is funded by donations from New Bern utility customers and other individuals or organizations that want to help their neighbors in need. The City is partnering with Religious Community Services (RCS), a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to families and people in crisis, to administer the program. Only residential New Bern customers who meet program requirements will receive assistance with their utility bills.
Here’s how the program works; customers sign up voluntarily to have their utility bills “rounded up” to the next dollar with the remaining funds going into the Round Up program. For example, if your utility bill is $92.75, the bill would be rounded up to $93 and the extra 25¢ would be deposited in the New Bern CONNECTS Round Up fund. The average contribution per customer is approximately 50¢ per month, or $6 annually.
Customers can also opt to add $1, $5 or more to their monthly utility bill. When you enroll in Round Up, designate the amount to automatically be added to your monthly bill. The monthly contributions will remain in effect until the customer notifies the Customer & Payment Services (CAPS) office to discontinue.
If you are not a City of New Bern utility customer, you can still contribute to the New Bern CONNECTS Round Up program. One-time donations are welcome and residents, businesses and other organizations are encouraged to participate.
Want to sign up for Round Up? Click here, contact us at UtilCustomerService@newbernnc.gov or call us at (252)639-2750. You can also sign up by visiting the Customer & Payment Services office located at 606 Ft. Totten Drive. We're open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Load Management
Lower your energy costs, lower your deposit & save $ throughout the year!
The City of New Bern has launched New Bern CONNECTS, a series of programs designed to benefit city utility customers. One of those programs is Load Management Rewards, a way residents can save money on their utility bills by participating in city's load management program. Participants may also qualify for reduced deposits.
Load management is a peak load control device. It is not used every day, only during periods of peak demand. Usually, on hot summer afternoons between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m. and on cold winter mornings between 7 a.m. and 9 a.m.
- Water heaters are cycled off, but are designed to keep water hot for several hours.
- Compressors on heat pumps in cooling mode and central air conditioners are cycled off for 7½ minutes each half hour of the peak demand. When the light or lights on the load management box are on, it means that power has been interrupted for those 7½ minutes. The indoor fan is not cycled allowing cooled air to be circulated.
- Heat pumps in heating mode have their auxiliary heat strips cycled off. The compressor is not cycled and will continue to heat.
City utility customers who participate in the New Bern CONNECTS Load Management Rewards program can receive up to $110 or more per year in energy credits. Monthly credits are applied to homes equipped with certain appliances such as water heaters, heat pumps, and heat strips. Credits depend on the qualifying appliances and the time of year.
If you'd like to participate in New Bern CONNECTS Load Management Rewards, contact us at UtilCustomerService@newbernnc.gov or call us at (252)639-2750. You can also sign up by visiting the Customer & Payment Services office located at 606 Ft. Totten Drive. We're open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.