Payment Questions
- Pay Online with MyClayElectric.
Clay Electric’s payment options enable you to make an immediate electronic payment, or automatic monthly payments by bank draft from your savings or checking account.
You can make an immediate electronic payment by bank draft or credit card on the co-op’s website at MyClayElectric.com or through the mobile app.
To perform a transaction you will need your Clay Electric account number, a valid email address, your checking or savings account number and the routing number of your bank.
Clay Electric also accepts credit/debit card payment by Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover. To make a credit or debit card payment, visit MyClayElectric.com.
If you’d like your payment to be automatically deducted monthly on your bill statement’s due date by bank draft from your checking or savings account or credit card, the Auto Pay Program should be your choice. You will still receive a monthly bill statement but there will be a notation on the bill statement that there is a bank/credit card draft scheduled on the due date.
Please note that the Auto Pay Program is not for making an immediate payment or for paying a bill already due.
You can sign up online at MyClayElectric.com or through the app, or call/drop by your local district office. You will need your Clay Electric account number, your checking or savings account number and the routing number of your bank, or your credit card number.
- Sign up for the Auto Pay Program.
For the greatest convenience, participate in the Auto Pay Program, which allows your payment to be withdrawn from your specified bank account on the due date of the electric bill. Your bill is always paid and always on time, so it is one less thing for you to worry about.
Please note that the Auto Pay Program is not for making an immediate payment or for paying a bill already due.
- Pay at a local district office...
Pay at the front counter or drive-through window at your local district office during regular working hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday). Cash, check, debit/credit cards and money orders are accepted. Payments made after 3 p.m. will be applied to your account the next business day.
Pay at the drop box of your local district office at any time. However, a payment may not be credited to your account until the next working day. Please do not deposit cash in the drop box. Deposit a check or money order and include your bill statement stub along with your payment.
- Pay at a Local Retail Store.
You can also pay your bill by cash and/or debit/credit card at payment stations through Fidelity Express, Vanilla Direct or MoneyGram at various businesses (such as convenience stores) in the co-op’s service area by using the barcode provided online or on the app. All three services incur a convenience fee of $1.50 for each transaction. A list of payment locations is available at your local district office and online at ClayElectric.com.
List of Fidelity Express Payment Stations
- Pay by Mail.
Pay by mail by using the payment envelope included with your bill statement each month. Don't forget the bill statement stub to ensure payment is credited to the correct account. Mail to Clay Electric Co-op, P.O. Box 308, Keystone Heights, FL 32656.
- Pay by Phone.
If you prefer to handle the transaction over the phone, call 1-855-939-3840 and use the interactive voice answering system. You do not have to talk with a customer service representative to make an electronic payment on the phone. You will need your Clay Electric account number, your checking or savings account number and the routing number of your bank, or your credit card number.
Since you're already on Clay Electric's website, it's very easy to verify that your payment has been credited to your account. By entering your account number and some basic information, you may set up an account that lets you monitor your account online. Not only can you verify that payments have been credited to your account, but also you can examine your account history and past energy use and make electronic payments as needed.
There are several reasons why a bill might seem high.
First, review your energy usage on MyClayElectric. Your advanced meter is a two-way digital device that transmits usage data to Clay Electric hourly over a secured network. You can monitor and evaluate your energy use and look for irregularities.
Second, consider weather conditions that might have caused an increase. You might like to read our summer and winter tips that will guide you through ways to keep seasonal energy usage down.
Summer Energy Tips Brochure (PDF)
Winter Energy Tips Brochure (PDF)
Third, examine possible equipment problems. Culprits that can cause an extreme jump in energy usage are a well pump that has malfunctioned and runs continuously; hot water leaking from faucets, pipes or the water heater; and heating and cooling system problems such as leaking ductwork, compressor malfunctions, a system low in coolant, or a system that is heating and cooling simultaneously.
Billing Questions
- A Basic Explanation.
The Power Cost Adjustment is a separate line item on each Clay Electric bill statement which reflects the increases/decreases in the co-op's cost of power purchased wholesale from Seminole Electric Cooperative. The fluctuation in the Power Cost Adjustment is largely caused by changes in the cost of fuel for generation.
The co-op's cost of wholesale power is now more than 70 percent of Clay's total expenses, so it's critical that the co-op makes sure that it recovers all of its wholesale power costs in its retail sales. The cost is collected from the co-op's members through the energy charge and the Power Cost Adjustment.
- A portion of the co-op's cost of power is already included in the energy rate (commonly referred to as the base rate).
Presently 6.0 cents per kWh is included in the base rate for the cost of wholesale power. When the cost of power is greater than the amount included in the base rate, the Power Cost Adjustment is a charge. When the cost is less, the Power Cost Adjustment is a credit. Clay Electric had a Power Cost Adjustment credit from 1996 until 2000. In more recent years, the cost of fuel used to generate the power we buy has exceeded the amount in the base rate. Therefore, the Power Cost Adjustment has been a charge.
- Computing the Power Cost Adjustment.
Each month's Power Cost Adjustment is established on the first billing day after management's review of Seminole's latest billing and projected power costs for the month.
The Power Cost Adjustment on an electric bill statement is computed by multiplying the amount charged or credited by the number of kilowatt hours used. For example, if the amount charged is .03540, and 1000 kWh was used during the billing period, the Power Cost Adjustment would be a charge of $35.40.
- Authorized by the Florida Public Service Commission.
Power Cost Adjustments have been authorized by the Florida Public Service Commission since the 1973 Arab Oil Embargo to reflect changing fuel and wholesale power prices. Without Power Cost Adjustments, a utility's base rates would be constantly changing to reflect increases and decreases in the cost of power.
The Access Charge is the component of a member's bill that recovers some of the fixed costs that come directly from serving an individual member, regardless of how much electricity is used. These costs include the cost of the meter, wire and other equipment used to deliver electricity to the home or business, as well as meter reading technology and billing expenses. All utilities have some type of an access charge.
Under Chapter 166.231 of the Florida Statutes, the State of Florida allows a municipal or county government to implement a public service tax (sometimes referred to as a "utility" or "municipal" tax) on the purchase of electricity.
Under statutory guidelines, the increase in the cost of fuel to the utility after October 1, 1973 must be excluded from the amount taxed. Therefore, the amount identified on the bill as "non-taxable fuel" represents Clay Electric’s excludable fuel cost when calculating the public service tax.
Note: On your bill statement, the tax exemption amount has automatically been computed with the exclusion, based on the requirements of your particular public service tax, if applicable. If you have any questions about the non-taxable fuel amount, please call your local district office.
The number of days in each billing cycle varies due to the number of business days each month. Our billing cycles follow a calendar schedule that only permits billing on business days. We do not bill on weekends or holidays. This means the number of days in each billing cycle will vary from month to month.
Service Questions
When you establish an account through the MyClayElectric website or mobile app, you gain easy access to change email addresses, and you can establish your billing preferences. You can also view your billing history and other account information.
For name changes on your account, you will need to call or drop by your local district office. A signed form (not presently available on this website) is required.
To change an address on your account, you may call or drop by your local district office, or you may make the address change online at MyClayElectric.com.
If you would like to establish a new service for a location (no previous electric service), please call or drop by your local district office and meet with the New Services representative to set up the new service.
If you are moving to a location with already-established electric service, you may request service online, over the phone or by visiting your local district office.
Miscellaneous Questions
There are two groups of employees who perform work for Clay Electric: (1) employees of Clay Electric, and (2) employees of contractors hired by Clay Electric.
- To identify a Clay Electric employee:
Always ask the person for his/her Clay Electric identification card. Clay Electric employees carry a photo identification card which includes their name and department. Clay Electric's mailing address is printed on the back.
Some employees wear uniforms which have a Clay Electric logo and the employee's first name. Also, Clay Electric's vehicles are typically white or yellow with the Clay Electric logo. However, the best thing to do is to ask for the Clay Electric photo identification card. If there is still a question in your mind, call your local district office and ask for confirmation that the person is an employee and that he/she has co-op work to be performed in your area.
Please bear in mind that Clay Electric has the right and the necessity to come on the property of a member to inspect, maintain or repair lines, and read a meter. Normally, there will be no need to come into your house or other buildings unless you have scheduled an appointment with Clay Electric for an energy audit or other service.
- To identify a Clay Electric contractor employee:
Clay Electric uses contract crews to maintain right-of-way, inspect and treat power poles, construct and maintain power lines, and similar activities. A supervisor or employee with each crew will have a photo identification card identifying his or her company and that he or she is contractor for Clay Electric. It will also show a number to call for verification.
- If you suspect a scam attempt:
Call your local law enforcement office.
If it's a scam attempt, a person will typically want money. Clay Electric does not sell products or services door-to-door and does not charge for tree work or other maintenance on the power lines.
Restoring Power After a Major Storm or Hurricane
The crew might need to make a repair farther down the line to restore power to your home, or it might need to get some additional or specialty supplies to fix it.
If you or someone you know requires electricity to power medical equipment, please call county emergency services or evacuate to a shelter before the storm. We cannot guarantee uninterrupted service or preferential consideration during power restoration.
There are several reasons this might happen. A single street can be served by two different main power lines and/or substations, which explains why your neighbors may have power restored before you do. You and your neighbor might not share the same power line or circuit. The power line feeding electricity to your home may be damaged, or your individual connection might require repair. Your home also might need internal electrical repairs.
Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. The refrigerator will keep food safely cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened. A full freezer will hold the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half full) if the door remains closed. Obtain dry or block ice to keep your refrigerator as cold as possible if the power is going to be out for a prolonged period of time. Fifty pounds of dry ice should hold an 18-cubic foot full freezer for 2 days. Plan ahead and know where dry ice and block ice can be purchased. For more information, visit the USDA’s page on food safety in emergencies.
Please call 911 to report these incidents.
You only pay for electricity you use. If your power is out, you won’t be charged.
Restoring power after widespread outages is a big job that involves more than simply throwing a switch or removing a tree from a line. It involves a huge coordination effort with hundreds of linemen working in very dangerous situations. There is nothing routine when restoring power after a storm.
Although Clay Electric is committed to restoring the electric power to all co-op accounts as safely and quickly as possible, our initial goal is to safely restore power to the greatest number of members in the shortest time possible. In order to accomplish that, the process begins with a damage assessment of the co-op's lines and facilities by employees who have been specifically trained to accomplish those tasks. The assessment allows the co-op to direct its resources (both labor and materials) to the areas where they are needed the most.
Repairs are first made to the co-op's large transmission lines, which carry high-voltage electricity to our distribution system from generation stations like Seminole Electric Cooperative's coal-fired plant near Palatka. Lines such as these must be repaired first, along with any damage to transmission substations. Transmission lines serve many thousands of accounts.
Next in the process of restoration of power are the distribution substations and their respective main feeder lines. The co-op has more than 50 substations on its system, and there are about 14,000 miles of distribution lines which are routed from the substations. Main feeder lines are those you normally see alongside a highway.
The number of members served by Clay Electric's distribution substations range from a few hundred to nearly 9,000 members, so you can see the importance of getting the substations back in service. A main feeder line on Clay Electric's system serves as many as 2,300 members.
Individual tap lines are repaired next in the restoration process. Tap lines typically serve the fewest number of members.
Clay Electric employees begin restoration work just as soon as it is safe to do so. If there are sustained winds of 35 mph or above, it's too dangerous for restoration efforts. As soon as the storm has passed and winds have died down, damage assessments will be made followed by crews working to restore power. Field workers are on the job as much as possible during the daylight hours because daylight hours are the most productive and safest for our field crews. Field workers are normally on the job 16 hours, then rest for eight hours. The bulk of our restoration workforce will work during the daylight hours to be the most productive, but there will be personnel working around the clock to restore power and respond to emergencies.
The only accounts receiving preferential treatment are those which are described as "Essential Service" accounts. They are related to community safety, health and welfare. They include hospitals, police, fire, communications and water, sanitary and transportation providers. These accounts are often referred to as priority accounts.
Restoration time frames depend upon damage to Clay Electric's facilities and the numbers of members served by those facilities. There is a systematic approach to restoring power. Some members may have power restored within two or three days. Other members may take longer because of their remote locations and the amount of work required to repair the lines.
Vegetation Management
The two most important reasons for tree pruning and keeping clear rights-of-way are member safety and service reliability. Trees must be pruned to prevent contact between power lines and tree limbs to reduce the constant threat of causing tree related power outages. “Climbable” trees near power lines are a safety hazard and must also be removed or pruned on a regular basis to prevent children from climbing the trees and coming in contact with the conductors. Limbs over hanging power lines must be pruned because of the threat of falling on the power lines during inclement weather and cause extensive outages and damage. Trees that grow too close to power lines can sway during inclement weather, such as thunder storms or high winds and touch the power lines. This gives electricity a path to the ground (which it is always seeking) causing a potentially serious fire and safety hazard along with power outages.
Clay Electric's Vegetation Management supports the philosophy of “The Right Tree in the Right Place” as a means of having a more attractive community to live in and a more dependable electrical system to serve its members. When you start landscaping around your home and in your yard, please look up before planting trees. Do not plant trees if power lines are overhead. If the power lines are overhead, please evaluate the species of trees you wish to plant outside of the power line right-of-way. For help in selecting tree species and to determine the distance for you to plant trees from the power line right-of-way, please click on the Landscape Planning Guide or pick one up from your local district office. We also have a pocket size version with planting guide tips for tree planting around power lines in our Keeping the Lines Clear brochure.
For more information and assistance in helping with your landscape planning near our power lines, please call Clay Electric’s Vegetation Management Division at 1-800-511-5998 or e-mail vegmgt@clayelectric.com. I.S.A. Certified Arborists are on staff to assist you.
Vegetation Management’s Rights-of-Way Re-clearing Program: Branches and brush debris from the scheduled rights-of-way re-clearing maintenance activities in improved areas, such as, yards and lawns, will be chipped, cleaned up, and hauled away. The yards and lawn areas should be left as clean as they were before the work was performed. Large limbs and wood will be cut in firewood lengths and left on-site.
If you would like to have some of the chips from the branch chipping operation for mulch or compost, it is best to ask the vegetation maintenance tree crews when they are working in your area. You may also obtain some of these chips by calling the Vegetation Management Division at our office number (352) 473-1411 or (800) 511-5998, or e-mail vegmgt@clayelectric.com. The chips are free and delivered by the truck load in an “as is” condition to the closest areas where the crews are working. Small amounts are not delivered.
Branches and brush debris that are pruned and left in unimproved areas, such as, woods and areas not maintained by the property owner, will be mowed and mulched up by a large mulching mower and left.
Branches, wood, and brush debris generated as a result of storms and storm restoration is not cleaned up by Clay Electric.
Dead and Danger Tree Program: Dead and danger trees cut along the edge of, and adjacent to, rights-of-way in improved areas, such as yards and lawns, will be cut down and left. Clay Electric will give notification, if possible, to the property owners before cutting and leaving dead and danger trees in improved areas. We will attempt to make personal contact, contact by phone, and will leave a door hanger. We will cut trees up into manageable lengths at the property owner’s request. Dead and danger trees cut in unimproved areas, such as, woods and areas not maintained will be cut down and left on-site. Clay Electric will not clean up, remove, or haul away dead tree debris.
Clay Electric’s vegetation maintenance crews will prune the limbs five feet around your service wire to your residence on our systematic reclearing schedule. We will prune limbs around your outdoor light service upon request while we are on our routine systematic re-clearing schedule in your area. Pruning limbs for outdoor light pattern is the responsibility of the member. The service wires will only be cleared of small branches not large limbs or trees over the service wires.
If you, or a private tree company hired by you, feel that it is unsafe to work close to the service wire or to cut or remove trees next to it, please call your local district office for an appointment during regular business hours to schedule a Serviceman to disconnect your electric service and re-install it after the tree work is complete. There is no charge for this service.
Pre-cycle Maintenance Program Clay Electric inspects each circuit on a yearly cycle for hazardous trees and conditions. Trees that are severely leaning, dead, decayed, or otherwise hazardous to the power lines are classified as "danger trees." Dead and danger trees are topped below the lines or cut down systematically on a scheduled cycle. Trees that threaten to endanger the power lines are cut, or cut down to a height that will not threaten our power lines and left on the job site.
Request for Tree Removal: Clay Electric will cut down green trees that are directly below the power lines in our rights-of-way or so close to the power lines that they require drastic pruning. The limbs will be chipped and hauled away. The tree trunk and larger limbs will be cut into whatever lengths the tree’s owner desires or firewood size and left on-site.
Clay Electric will cut danger trees that are adjacent to our power lines along the edge of the right-of-way. In improved areas such as yards, the dead and danger trees will be cut down and cut up into manageable lengths and left on-site. In unimproved areas such as woods, the dead and danger trees will be cut or cut down to a height whereas to not have any threat to our power lines and left as is on-site.
Clay Electric reserves the right to refuse to cut or remove any tree which, in its judgment, can be safely cut or removed by a private tree company with no damage to our lines.
Clay Electric’s vegetation management pruning methods, both initial and re-pruning, is performed in accordance with the latest recognized and approved principles of modern arboriculture and tree surgery where possible. Lateral or natural tree pruning methods are used according to ANSI A-300 standards. This is the voluntary standard for all tree work in the United States. The National Arbor Day Foundation and the International Society of Arboriculture endorse lateral tree pruning as one of the best methods of line clearance tree pruning for the health of the trees. Although a tree's appearance may be considered unusual after the initial pruning, it quickly improves with time and growing seasons. Branches or limbs should be cut flush with supporting trunk or limb so that the fewest stubs are left whenever possible. The flush cut method is used as defined by Dr. Alex Shigo, U.S. Forest Research Scientist. Branches or limbs are flush to the branch bark line and not necessarily flush with the trunk of the tree. Clay Electric’s Vegetation Management does not recognize topping trees as an acceptable method of tree pruning.
Lateral and side tree pruning are the most acceptable methods for utilities in line clearance vegetation maintenance. Lateral pruning is a technique whereby branches are removed at a parent branch or at a lateral branch large enough to assume the terminal role. Branches growing into the utility line space are removed and those branches growing away from or parallel to the conductors remain. Wherever possible, the trees are allowed to achieve their normal mature height with crown development away from the conductors.
Notification of right-of-way vegetation maintenance will be given on all circuits scheduled for re-clearing. Clay Electric will include a right-of-way tree vegetation maintenance notification with your monthly electric bill statement prior to beginning the maintenance work. Clay Electric’s Vegetation Management may also use some other methods of notification, such as leaving a door hanger on your door or gate, by telephone, or personal contact whenever we find members at home. However, notification and personal contact is not always possible as some vegetation maintenance crews, such as mowing crews, spraying crews, pre-cycle maintenance crews, and some pruning crews move quickly through an area. Often, if no one is home when personal contact is attempted, and the pruning is routine (same kind of tree maintenance procedure performed during the previous reclearing cycle), the crew may re-clear vegetation while they are on-site without actually speaking with the member or property owner. Vegetation Management has a right-of-way notes program for those members who require they be notified before right-of-way vegetation maintenance is performed. They can have their accounts and property flagged by contacting Clay Electric’s Vegetation Management at (800) 511-5998 with their customer number and account information.