Bills are mailed by the last business day of each month with a due date of the 15^th of the following month.  Your bill includes meter and consumption information used to calculate utility charges.  In addition, your utility bill includes a 13-month graph to illustrate your usage patterns for electric and water services.  Enclosed with each bill are a remittance stub and a return payment envelope.  If you prefer to receive an email bill, go to www.westerville.org/billpay to register for access to the online customer portal.  At that site, you can opt to receive Email bills and Email notices.

Mailed payments - Checks or money orders may be sent to:
City of Westerville
Utility Billing Dept.
PO BOX 6107, Westerville, 43086-6107

Note: When you provide a check as payment, you authorize the City to use information from your check to make a one-time electronic funds transfer from your account or to process the payment as a check transaction. When check information is used to make an electronic funds transfer, funds may be withdrawn from your account as soon as the same day. In the event that we are unable to process your payment as an electronic funds transfer, it will be processed as a check transaction. Your bank statement is valid proof of payment. If you do not want your check converted to an electronic funds transfer, please call (614) 901-6430.

Online payments can be made at www.westerville.org/billpay. You will need to have your six-digit Customer # and six-digit Account # to make a credit card payment. A fee of $2.95 will apply for each payment up to $400.

Telephone payments can be made at (844) 368-1114. You will need to have your six-digit Customer # and six-digit Account # to initiate a telephone credit card payment. A fee of $3.70 will apply for each payment up to $400.

AutoPay payments is an option to have your payment electronically drafted from your bank account on the due date each month. Authorization forms are available at the Utility Billing Department located at 64 East Walnut St., or you can download an authorization form at www.westerville.org.

Other EFT payments The City also accepts electronic funds transfers (EFT payments) from several online payment systems, such as Checkfree or those offered by most banks. If using online banking services to pay for your utility charges, please allow five to seven days for processing, as some banks bundle payments for Westerville customers and mail a bulk check weekly.

Other questions?
Please call Customer Service at (614) 901-6430 or contact us at askutilitybilling@westerville.org.

The Ohio Department of Development (ODOD) is the administrator for the HEAP Program (Home Energy Assistance Program) in Ohio.  To speak with a HEAP representative, call toll-free at 1-800-282-0880 between the hours of 7:30 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.  Additional information about HEAP, along with eligibility requirements, can be found at www.development.ohio.gov.  For hearing-impaired customers with a telecommunications device for the deaf (TTD), call 7-1-1.

Most electric and water meters are read electronically by means of an automated meter interface (AMI) at various intervals each day.  When meter readings are needed for billing, an electronic request is made to the AMI system, and a file of readings for specific routes is interfaced into the billing system.

For those customers who have opted out of the AMI program, readings are obtained manually.  If the meter reader is unable to read your meters due to an access problem, a card will be left for you to report your readings to the Utility Billing Department at (614) 901-6430.  Readings can also be entered by registered customers in the online customer portal at www.westerville.org/billpay. 

All water meters in Westerville have a remote device that transmits a reading via a wire connection from the water meter inside your location.  This device sends readings to the AMI system at various intervals throughout each day.  For opt-out customers, a meter reader inserts a handheld device into the remote reading device, and the reading from the inside meter is recorded electronically for uploading to your account.

Many variables can affect your charges for utility services.  Remember, charges are calculated based on usage that is metered each month.  Electric usage generally fluctuates with changes in outdoor temperatures, especially when your house or building has electric heating and air-conditioning.

Water usage also tends to increase during spring and summer seasons with the use of water for gardening, increased number of showers and baths, car washing and recreation.  Since metered water consumption is used to determine sewer usage, sewer charges increase along with water charges.  Although charges may fluctuate slightly depending on the number of days between readings, many variances in usage patterns can be attributed to malfunctioning appliances that continuously draw power or water. 

When questioning your utility charges, consider conditions at your premises that may have caused unusual usage, such as:

1. A change in family size, patterns of usage or activities at your location that cause a greater demand for energy or water.  These include renovations, sod and garden watering, pool filling, yard lights, air-conditioning in spring or summer or heating requirements in the fall or winter.

2.  Malfunctioning appliances that draw supply like furnaces, lights, fans or running toilets.

3.  Water waste resulting from dripping faucets and shower heads, leaky outside spigots and hoses, a malfunctioning irrigation system, or problems with other water-using appliances such as a humidifier or water heater.

Electric, water and sewer charges are based on consumption, and the number of days in the billing periods will cause your bill to vary slightly from month to month.  Refuse service is billed each month at a flat rate that is determined based on whether you are a residential or commercial customer. For customers 60 years of age or older, there is a discount on the monthly refuse charge.  An application for this discount is available at the Utility Billing Department located at 64 East Walnut Street.  Proof of age will be requested (driver’s license or other government-issued document) to complete the application process. 

Each service (water or sewer) is a different utility with specific and independent costs of operation.  Federal and state environmental regulations mandate specific treatment processes, the cost of which is recovered through utility rates.  Sewer treatment services in Westerville are provided by the City of Columbus.  Accordingly, rates established for customers in Westerville are set to cover charges paid to the City of Columbus.

The City of Westerville offers a budget billing option to residential homeowners with one year of history with the City.  With budget billing, you are required to make a payment each month that is equal to the approximate average of monthly utility charges during the past 12-month period.  A requirement of this program is that your budget amount must be paid by the due date each month.  Failure to pay the budget amount each month may result in termination of participation in budget billing.

Although the amount to be paid each month remains the same, actual charges are calculated monthly, and any difference between the amount paid and the amount charged becomes a deferred balance.  The deferred balances on budget accounts are reviewed routinely to ensure that the budget amount is close to the current monthly average.  When necessary, the budget amount may be adjusted to keep the deferred balance low.  A settle-up process occurs once each year, and any deferred balance is used in the calculation of the budget amount for the next year.

This option can be helpful to customers who wish to level out their utility payments and reduce payment difficulties during months when charges may be unusually high.  For more information about the budget billing option or to enroll by telephone, please contact one of our customer service representatives at (614) 901-6430.

All utility bills are printed and mailed by the last business day of each month.  If your bill cannot be delivered because of an addressing problem, it is returned to the City for correction and mailing.  If you experience this problem repeatedly, please contact Customer Service at (614) 901-6430, so that we can investigate the problem.  You may request a copy of your bill by calling Customer Service.

Credit and debit card payments are now accepted over the telephone and online.

Telephone payments can be made at (844) 368-1114. You will need to have your six-digit Customer # and six-digit Account # to initiate a telephone credit card payment. A fee of $3.70 will apply for each payment up to $400.

Online payments can be made at www.westerville.org/billpay. You will need to have your six-digit Customer # and six-digit Account # to make a credit card payment. A fee of $2.95 will apply for each payment up to $400.

Please contact Customer Service at (614) 901-6430 to discuss a payment plan to resolve your account balance.