Moving off campus and trying to keep everything in order can be incredibly stressful. Electric bills, gas bills, water bills — it can all be a bit overwhelming.
Don’t fret! Here’s everything you need to know about your utilities and how to stay on top of them.
Set Up Electric
Your priciest bill will likely be your electric. All electric services in Bloomington go through Duke Energy.
Service can be set up online at duke-energy.com or over the phone at 800-521-2232. Your new address, some personal information and a start date are all required to get started.
You can choose to have your bill sent through the mail or you can set up electronic billing. You can pay your bill over the phone, through the mail, or in person at one of Duke Energy's Bloomington locations.
To avoid late fees, you may also have your bill automatically deducted from your bank account every month. This will help you avoid the hassle of making sure your payment is taken care of.
Water and trash
Your water and trash services will go through the City of Bloomington Utilities. To set up these services you will need to fill out a form on the City of Bloomington’s website, bloomington.in.gov. To complete the form you will need to provide some personal information, as well as a form of identification.
Payment options are similar to your electric bill. Mail, in-person and online payment options are all available. You can also have them deducted from your bank account monthly.
Depending on where you are living, these services may already be included with your rent payments. Be sure to clarify with your renters which services are included and which you will need to take care of yourself.
If you experience any problems or questions, you can call customer service at 812-349-3930.
Gas
Your gas service is provided by Vectren in Bloomington. Some housing options don’t require this service, but if yours does you can set up payments at vectren.com/service.
Again, some personal information and your address are required when setting up your service. Your zip code and a start date are also needed.
Payments can be made online with a credit or debit card. An automatic monthly payment is also available. If you have any questions or concerns you can call Vectren at 800-227-1376.
Tips
If you’re not careful you’llend up spending much more than you intend on utilities. Obviously, the best way to do avoid high bills is to limit how much you use. But that can be easier said than done.
The best way to keep your electric bill down is unplug everything you’re not using. Even if it’s not in use, anything that is plugged in is using energy.
Much like electric, your water is as simple as not letting anything run that isn’t in use. One thing to be careful of is a busted or leaking pipe. Get these taken care of immediately or you’ll end up with a huge water bill at the end of the month.
Contact Information
Duke Energy: duke-energy.com, 800-521-2232
Bloomington Utilities: Bloomington.in.gov, 812-349-3930
Vectren: vectren.com/service, 800-227-1376
