By Karen Cohilas - bio | email
ALBANY, GA (WALB) - Albany Water, Gas, and Light is considering a way to make paying for utilities a little easier. They are looking into a pay as you go meter system.
It would allow you to load money onto a card that you would insert into a meter at you home. Once the money runs out, power is cut off. If the customer reloads, power comes back on.
It could help low-income families who have trouble paying large bills. Many times once power is cut off for failure to pay, customers remain in the dark for days or weeks until they can gather enough money to pay the bill in full.
"You're talking about affordability," said Mayor Willie Adams, Water, Gas and Light Chairman. "There are a lot of people who can't pay $200, $300 in one big plop, so if they got the ability to pay $25, or $50 as they go along and they know where they stand as far as utilities are concerned, it would certainly help that segment of people."
Similar meters are used in Arizona. Water, Gas and Light is now investigating to see how much similar meters would cost and if they are feasible for Albany.
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