FAQ’s for Billing During Storm-Related Outages

Please browse the following frequently asked questions.

Why doesn’t my bill reflect my power outage?
There are several possible explanations of why your bill may not appear to account for time your power was off:

  • Estimated Meter Reading: Following Hurricane Sandy, all employees, including meter readers, were reassigned to restoration duty. If your meter was scheduled to be read in early to mid-November, your meter was not read and the bill was estimated based on your typical usage and the weather at this time of year and will not reflect a power outage. Rest assured that your next actual meter reading will account for any time that your power was out and you will be charged only for the amount of electricity you have used since your previous actual meter reading. If the actual meter reading is lower than the estimated reading, your charges will be adjusted automatically.
  • Balanced Billing Customers: Your monthly installments are based on your average usage over the previous year. You may not see any difference in your monthly installment until your account is reviewed at the next actual meter reading. Even a multi-day power outage might have a minimal impact on your installment. If you would like to provide an actual meter reading for a possible adjustment now, please call in your reading to us at 1-800-490-0025.
  • Actual Meter Reading: If your bill is based on an actual meter reading, then your bill does reflect the actual amount of electricity you used since your last meter reading, and already accounts for any time that your power was out. Your electric meter will not record any electricity usage during a power outage.
  • Meter reading tips and an instructional video are available here.

Why was my bill estimated after the storm?
Meter reading was suspended for several weeks because all of our employees, including meter readers, were reassigned to storm restoration duty. As a result, if your meter was scheduled to be read in early to mid-November, your meter was not read and your bill was based on an estimated meter reading. Be assured that your electric meter will indicate no usage during a power outage and your next actual meter reading will reflect only the total amount of electricity you have used. You have the option to provide an actual reading to us by calling 1-800-490-0025 for a possible adjustment to your bill now. Please note, you should only call if your actual reading is lower than the estimated reading on your bill. Meter reading tips and an instructional video are available here.

What should I do if my bill has a message requesting that I provide access to my meter?
You may disregard any message or fee on your bill related to meter access.  We have suspended charging all fees related to meter non-access through at least January 31, 2013 and have already reversed any fees applied since October 29th.  You may either wait for your next scheduled actual meter reading date, which you can find above the “Billing Summary” on your bill, or submit a meter reading to us by calling 1-800-490-0025.  Click here for meter reading tips, including an instructional video.

What should I do if my home/business will be unoccupied for an extended period of time?
Some customers along the south shore of Long Island and the Rockaway Peninsula are currently unable to have power restored because of extensive flood damage. If you will not be occupying your home or business for an extended period of time, please call us at 1-800-490-0025 and we will close your account until you are ready to have service restored.

How are bills being handled in severely flooded areas?
Due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Sandy, LIPA stopped sending bills for electric service by mail to the severely flooded areas on the south shore of Long Island and the Rockaway Peninsula*.  While we have resumed regular billing for most of our customers, we will continue to hold bills for those customers who remain without electric service due to flood damage.

If you received a bill with a date for the time period beginning the last week of October through late November, you may disregard the due date and any bill message related to meter access.  Late payment charges and meter non-access fees will not be applied through at least January 31, 2013.

For customers who remain without service:  Online versions of bills that were not mailed are available for viewing in “My Account.”  Please disregard the due date on any bill issued after Hurricane Sandy, since we have stopped assessing late payment charges as noted above.  If you have not already done so, please contact us about having service restored.

* Communities where mailed bills were stopped after Sandy: Amityville, Arverne, Atlantic Beach, Baldwin, Bay Shore, Bayport, Belle Harbor, Bellmore, Brightwaters, Cedarhurst, East Islip, East Rockaway, Far Rockaway, Ft. Tilden, Inwood, Island Park, Islip, Lawrence, Long Beach, Lynbrook, Massapequa, Massapequa Park, Mastic Beach, Merrick, Oakdale, Oceanside, Point Lookout, Rockaway Beach, Rockaway Point, Sayville, Seaford, Shirley, Wantagh, West Islip, and West Sayville.

Can customers who are recovering from flooding get a discount on their electricity?
In limited circumstances, assistance may be available. Customers who participate in FEMA’s Sheltering and Temporary Essential Power (STEP) Program in Nassau or Suffolk County and who have temporary electric baseboard heating installed can qualify for LIPA’s electric heating rate. Portable space heaters do not qualify for this rate. To participate in STEP, first register with FEMA by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or online at www.disasterassistance.gov.

Any customer who is experiencing financial difficulties can contact our Customer Assistance Center at 1-800-490-0025. We will work with you on a payment agreement that fits your budget and we can refer you to financial assistance resources. LIPA does offer a discounted Household Assistance Rate for customers who receive assistance from the following programs: Public Assistance, Medicaid, Food Stamps, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Home Energy Assistance Program (HEAP), Veteran’s Disability Pension, Veteran’s Surviving Spouse Pension, and Child Health Plus. Call us or visit www.lipower.org/HAR for more information.

Will LIPA reimburse me for spoiled food or damages to my property resulting from outages?
LIPA is not liable for food spoilage or damage to customer property resulting from outages caused by issues beyond its immediate control. That includes acts of nature such as Hurricane Sandy.

Assistance may be available to you:

  • Insurance
    Check the coverage of your homeowner’s insurance policy.
  • Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) / Federal Aid
    Residents and businesses in disaster-impacted areas of New York, who have disaster-related losses not covered by insurance, can apply now for federal disaster assistance through FEMA. There are three ways to apply:

For additional information you can also visit FEMA’s Hurricane Sandy website for New York here.

For Commercial/Municipal

How is the Demand Charge assessed during the storm period?
Like the basic service charge, demand charges are calculated to reflect the total number of days in the billing period. No reductions will be factored in for days when service was not available because of storm-related service outages.

Additional Information