ONLINE PAYMENTS
By paying online, members can easily pay using a credit/debit card or checking/savings account. This option saves you time and allows you the flexibility to pay your monthly bill 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Houston County EC offers a secure site for online bill pay.
APP PAYMENTS
Download the HCEC app in your smartphone's app store and log in by using your Ebiz account. You must create an account on the website before you are able to login to your app. You can pay on the go whenever you would like! You can also report outages and view the outage map directly from the palm of your hand.
AUTOMATIC PAYMENT AUTHORIZATION - (Bank/Credit Card Draft)
By allowing HCEC to draft your bank account for your electric bill each month, you will save time and money. With a bank draft account, your electric bill is drafted approximately one week before the due date printed on your bill.
With a credit card draft, your electric bill is drafted on the due date printed on your bill.
Setting up an automatic draft is beneficial to you for several reasons:
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You’ll continue to get a copy of your bill.
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You’ll avoid paying late fees because the amount of your bill is automatically deducted from your desired account.
BY MAIL:
Houston County Electric Cooperative
ATTN: Member Service
P.O. Box 52
Crockett, Texas 75835
Fax: (936) 545-1321
PHONE PAYMENTS:
Make a phone payment using our automated system any time – day or night – by calling 800-657-2445 or call our Member Services Department any time Monday - Friday from 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM.
Have questions about your bill before you want to process a payment? No problem, Member Services Representatives are available 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Friday at 800-657-2445.
Every day between 3 p.m. - 4 p.m. our payment system is unavailable for the daily close. During this time, no payments can be made on the account.
IN PERSON OR AFTER HOURS DROPBOX
Make a payment in person during our business hours and it will be posted to your account in real-time.
Drop your payment off in the night drop box after business hours and it will get posted to your account the following business day. If you choose to drop your payments off in our secured night dropbox, please include the account number.
Physical Address:
1701 Southeast Loop 304
Crockett, Texas 75835
If you have any questions, please contact the Member Services Department at 1-800-657-2445!
Account Options
Benefits of PrePay include
- When signing up, new PrePay users will have no upfront deposits
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No more monthly bills
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Set your payment schedule
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Conveniently purchase electricity up front
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Monitor energy use
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Established members can use their existing deposit to pay their bill
How PrePay works
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Sign up: At our office at 1701 SE Loop 304, Crockett, TX 75835. Call the New Service Department at 936-544-5641 for more information.
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Load up: To establish a prepaid account, a minimum balance of $50.00 must be paid. (Plus the HCEC Connect Fee. Other fees may be applicable)
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Review alert: We'll notify you via phone, text or email once your account reaches the low balance threshold of $25.00. To avoid automatic disconnect (when your account balance reaches zero), refill your account.
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Reload: When your balance is low, just make a payment by using your smartphone app, calling the office at 936-544-5641 or by logging onto www.ebiz.houstoncountyelec.com
Download the HCEC Prepaid Application HERE.
If you are establishing new service in your name or re-establishing service in your name, you will need to fill out a non-commercial service application as well.
Prepay FAQs
How does the program work?
Rather than being billed monthly for the power you used in the previous month, Pay-As-You-Go gives you the option to prepay for your electricity 24 hours a day, 7 days a week via telephone, or through HCEC’s website or mobile app. As you use power, your prepaid balance will go down. Statistics indicate prepaid electricity programs help lower electric consumption by 10-15 percent by increasing members’ awareness of their usage patterns.
How much electricity do I need to purchase?
When you first sign up for prepay, you will need credit of at least $50. After that, it’s up to you. You can pay as much as you want or as little as $5. Just keep in mind, paying a small amount will only buy you electricity for a short period of time.
How will I know when my balance is getting low?
After signing up for notifications, members will receive an alert by phone, text, or email when they have an estimated 5 days of electric use remaining or a balance of $25.
Will I still get a bill every month?
No. When you sign up for prepay, we won’t mail you a bill each month. Your bill will be calculated daily based on how much power you use, and that amount will be deducted from your prepaid account each day.
How can I check my account balance?
You can go to HCEC's website or mobile app to monitor your account balance and your power consumption.
What if my account runs out?
If funds in your account run out, your electricity will be disconnected. You will be notified by text or email. You can purchase more power through our website or mobile app, in-person during business hours, or by telephone any time of day, seven days a week.
I already paid a security deposit. Will it be refunded if I sign up for prepay?
Your deposit will be credited to your prepaid account balance.
What kind of payments will be accepted with prepay?
You can make a payment to your prepay account using cash, a credit card, or a check. However, service charges for checks returned due to insufficient funds will be deducted from your prepaid account. We do not suggest paying at a payment location because the funds submitted there take several days to post to your account. If your electricity gets disconnected during that time, we are not able to reconnect unless the funds are posted to the account.
Can I continue using automatic draft?
No. When you sign up for prepay, your automatic draft will be discontinued.
Can I stop participating in prepay at any time?
Yes. In order to re-establish standard billing, a security deposit may be required.
Click here for a list of locations:
Note: We do not suggest that Prepaid Consumers pay at the Fidelity Express Locations. The payment does not post to accounts in real time, therefore, your account may not be replenished before it falls below the disconnect ($0.00) amount
Having trouble paying your bill? Check your county's agency listing below:
For more information, including the energy assistance application for Community Action, go online to www.get-cap.org
Assistance may be gained through our office by dialing 936-544-5641 extension 244.
Important Information About Electricity Load Shedding and What It Could Mean to You
Houston County Electric Cooperative (HCEC) operates in two electric grids, Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) and the Southwestern Power Pool (SPP). They are responsible for ensuring that the supply of electricity is sufficient to meet consumer demand across Texas.
When electric supply provided by all available power generation plants, wind farms and other sources becomes insufficient to meet consumer demand, ERCOT and SPP implement emergency operations to prevent catastrophic, uncontrolled blackouts by calling electric utilities across the state to shed load. Load shed is the last resort to protect the entire electric grid. Load shed requires us to turn off power to reduce demand on the electric grid.
Electric utilities, including HCEC, are obligated to immediately implement load shed procedures when instructed.
During consumer load shed events:
- All consumers should be aware their power could go out without advanced warning. Efforts will be made to provide advanced notification of pending outages, but circumstances do not always allow that to happen.
- Consumers designated as Critical Load, in accordance with PUC §25.497, are not guaranteed an uninterrupted supply of electricity. It is the responsibility of the retail customer to make necessary arrangements for alternative sources of electric power should a localized outage or load shed event occur.
- Residential consumers dependent on electric-powered medical equipment, such as those designated as Critical Care, in accordance with PUC §25.497, are encouraged to have a solid back-up plan in the event they lose electricity. It is important to note that these consumers are not excluded from controlled outages and may lose power during a load shed event. Anyone who depends on electricity for life-sustaining equipment should have a back-up plan in place.
- Electric utilities will prioritize continuity of service for certain consumers whose service is critical to the community during an emergency or those whose service provides major support to the integrity of the electric system during an emergency.
- Because a load shed event is an emergency order requiring immediate action, electric utilities, including HCEC, do not have the information to be able to notify individual consumers if they may lose power, when they may lose power or how long the load shed event may last.
- In extreme power emergencies, grid operators may require electric utilities to shed large amounts of load over long periods of time. When this happens, some consumers may be without power for an extended period of time. These outages are critical for ensuring the integrity of the state’s electric grid and preventing a system-wide blackout, which could be long-lasting and have a significant impact on all aspects of life.
- Electric utilities are required to continue to comply with ERCOT and SPP controlled consumer outage instructions until each grid operator determines that outages are no longer required.
- The Public Utility Commission of Texas website (Hot and Cold Weather, and General Energy-Saving Tips) provides examples for consumers to reduce electricity use at times when involuntary load shed events may be implemented.
Regardless of the nature of the load shed event, HCEC is committed to ensuring the safety and reliability of delivering electricity to its consumers 24-hours-per-day, 7-days-per-week. HCEC may not control the issues or conditions that have required the order to shed load, but we will do everything in our power to restore electricity when we are able to safely do so. In addition, we will work to keep our consumers informed about the situation through local media outlets, social media, and direct communications. It is imperative that you update HCEC when your contact information changes to receive important alerts.
To apply as a Critical Consumer in accordance with PUC §25.497, click here.
Download the PDF Version of this information here:
Important Information about Electricity Load Shedding and What it Could Mean to You