COVID-19 Account Updates

April 2, 2022 update

Important Moratorium Update - Disconnects to Resume in April

Members who have past due balances should be aware that CVEC will resume disconnecting service for nonpayment in April. CVEC has not disconnected services for nonpayment since the pandemic began in March 2020. Recognizing that the pandemic has impacted many of its member-owners, CVEC offered payment plans to help members keep their accounts current. Residential members with past due amounts who are eligible for the Safeguard Payment Plan will receive a letter this month with the particulars. For more information about the Safeguard Payment Plan, please visit our website: https://www.mycvec.com/news/detail/important-notice-regarding-cvec-safeguard-payment-plan.

---

July 1, 2021 update

Important Moratorium Update - Disconnects to Resume Soon

The Governor has announced that Virginia’s COVID-19 State of Emergency will end on June 30, 2021. As a result, the residential utility disconnection moratorium will end on August 29, 2021. Please contact us now to make payment arrangements if you are behind on your electric bill to avoid being disconnected. If you are 30 days or more past due, you are being offered a COVID-19 Relief Repayment Plan at this time.

If you are behind on your account, please contact us now to
make a payment arrangement. Representatives can be reached by calling 800-367-2832 or by email at information@mycvec.com.

 

---

November 18, 2020 update

Notice to Nonresidential Accounts:

As of November 18, 2020, nonresidential accounts may be subject to disconnection for nonpayment. Central Virginia Electric Cooperative will resume nonresidential disconnections after January 1, 2021. 

Notice to Residential Accounts:

There is a moratorium in effect for residential utility disconnections, pursuant to House Bill 5005, otherwise known as the Commonwealth of Virginia Budget, Section 4-14, Enactment 7(a), as of November 18, 2020. This moratorium means that we will not disconnect you for nonpayment of your electric bill or fees during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency.  This does not mean that your electric bill is not due, or that amounts due to us are being waived or forgiven. This moratorium will continue until the State Corporation Commission issues an order exempting the Cooperative from the moratorium. It will also end if the Governor determines it is unnecessary or until 60 days after the public health emergency ends.  Please contact us to make payment arrangements if you have not done so already.  

Notice to Residential Accounts - COVID-19 Relief Repayment Plan

There is a repayment plan available if you need assistance paying your current or past bills due, pursuant to House Bill 5005, otherwise known as the Commonwealth of Virginia Budget, Section 4-14, Enactment 7(b), as of November 18, 2020. This repayment plan is available to residential accounts 30 days or more past due, and arrearages can be paid over 6 to up to 24 months.

Entering into a repayment plan does not mean that your electric bill is not due, or that amounts due to us are being waived or forgiven. Your current billing information is listed on your electric bill, or you may call the Cooperative at 800-367-2832 to obtain up-to-date billing information. If you need help paying your electric bill, please dial 211 or contact your local Department of Social Services office, or visit https://www.dss.virginia.gov/benefit/ea/ for information on energy assistance programs. If you have a complaint about the repayment plan, you may contact the Division of Public Utility Regulation at 1-800-552-7945.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

Statement of Virginia’s Electric Cooperatives on Coronavirus Emergency

Virginia’s thirteen member-owned Electric Cooperatives are working closely with local and state leaders during this extraordinary public health emergency, to minimize impacts as much as possible on the 1.3 million Virginians we serve, while continuing to provide them with the reliable, affordable electric service they’ve come to expect. 

Virginia’s electric cooperatives recognize the hardships that the public health crisis imposes on our member-owners. Out of concern for our member-owners and their communities, the 13 electric cooperatives in the Commonwealth are waiving service disconnects and late fees for our residential member-owners at this time and continue to work with our business, commercial and industrial member-owners to mitigate the impact of the state of emergency until further notice. We look forward to working with our members, as requested and when possible, to mitigate the impact of the current public health crisis. As member-owned utilities, we have a long history of working closely with our member-owners to resolve difficult issues and to deal with emergency situations.

It is important that all members know that a suspension of disconnections is not a waiver of electric bills. Members are still responsible for paying for all power they use during this time.  We encourage all members to pay their bills, on-time, as normal, as they are able during this crisis. We strongly encourage electric cooperative member-owners to use remote payment options during this time, such as online or app-based payments, U.S. Postal mail, credit card payments by phone or, if available, at payment kiosks.

Throughout this time, Virginia’s Electric Cooperatives will continue working closely with public health professionals and with our dedicated employees, to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. Electric cooperatives are following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and our local health officials, to protect our workforce so they will be able to respond efficiently in case of a power outage. Our dispatch centers remain open 24-7 for outage reporting, and crews are on standby, ready to respond if or when an outage occurs.

In addition, Virginia’s Electric Cooperatives have eliminated employee travel to the greatest extent possible, and we are also limiting visits to our offices. Our employees are practicing “social distancing,” and we encourage all cooperative member-owners to do so as well, in their professional and personal lives.

Please know that we are closely monitoring this fast-changing public health crisis. We will continue to take all available, necessary and prudent steps to protect the health and well-being of the communities where our member-owners, our employees and our elected board members all live and work.

For additional information about COVID-19 and how to protect yourself, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov. Additionally, the Virginia Department of Health has a webpage dedicated to updates on COVID-19 in the Commonwealth at http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/surveillance-and-investigation/novel-coronavirus/.

---

Central Virginia Electric Cooperative has been monitoring the COVID-19 public health emergency and will continue to prioritize our concern for our community and for the health and safety of members and employees. To that end, below are several updates that will impact our business protocols and interactions with you. Please contact us if you have any questions.  

• For your safety and the safety of our employees, CVEC lobbies will be closed to the public until further notice effective Tuesday, March 17. Members are asked to use one of the many other payment options available to keep their accounts current, including: online, through our app, by phone, kiosk, and mail.
• CVEC recognizes that the impact of the economic slowdown related to slowing the spread of the virus could impact members. While we cannot waive electric bills, we can commit to helping members who need additional time to pay. Effective March 16, CVEC will suspend disconnects for nonpayment for residential and business accounts and will waive late fees until further notice. Please remember that CVEC is owned by you, our members, and is a not-for-profit electric provider and every member is responsible for paying for the electric service consumed in their home or business. Electric bills will not be forgiven at the end of the restriction on disconnects. We urge members to make payment arrangements so they do not fall behind on their accounts, as well as to allow CVEC to continue to pay our employees and suppliers.
• CVEC has many job positions that are critical to keeping your lights on, so we are taking every precaution to keep them healthy and heeding the CDC warnings to avoid contracting COVID-19. For the employees who are able to work remotely, we are testing those resources and working on the implementation.
• CVEC employees who are ill or who have come into contact with someone who has a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19 are required to stay home and/or self-quarantine.
• All non-essential business travel outside of the CVEC electric territory has been cancelled through April. Future travel will be re-evaluated at a later date.
• We hope that members will stay educated about risks and developments. In addition, this is a time to be vigilant against scammers who are notorious for striking during crisis. CVEC will never take your payment directly over the phone, ask for your credit card number or take payment in the field. Please do not give any personal or bank information over the phone and alert your local law enforcement if you feel you were contacted by a scammer.
• CVEC and our linemen are committed to bringing you safe, reliable and affordable electricity through this pandemic and beyond. In the event of an outage, please alert the office via the mobile app, the outage website or call the office. No protocol has changed regarding outage reporting or outage restoration.
• Our Member Services Representatives will continue to report to the offices to answer your calls. Please be patient as the inbound calls may overwhelm the resources we have and your call might be forwarded to our answering service or need to be returned at a later time.
• At this time, all projects and construction will continue on schedule. There could be disruptions in the supply chain that create delays and we will continue to monitor the need for any adjustment.
• Normal construction and field work will continue. You may still see CVEC personnel or contractors in your area and on your property to perform regular duties. The personnel will be capable of performing their duties safely and without jeopardizing their health or the health of members. For your safety and the safety of employees, we ask that you exercise social distancing with any CVEC employees who are performing work on your property.

CVEC values you as our member and our owner and will keep you apprised of any updates from the cooperative. We appreciate your patience as we navigate the impacts of the pandemic and closures and decrees. Rest assured, we will do everything possible­ to keep your lights on!

If you have any questions about our plans or activities, please call 800-367-2832 or email ms@mycvec.com.

Stay safe and healthy,
CVEC Management Team

---