Pay As You Save (PAYS)

PAYS is an energy efficiency offering from Ameren Missouri. It stands for Pay As You Save. It is an easy way to help reduce energy use in your home through a no obligation, free home energy assessment. There are other options to further your energy savings through energy upgrades with on-bill financing.

PAYS allows you to install energy-efficient upgrades while offsetting the upfront cost! Ameren Missouri knows that many people want to be more energy efficient and comfortable in their homes, but the cost of a large upfront investment keeps them from acting.

Through PAYS, you can make a significant energy-saving upgrade while paying less up front. And even though you will pay down the cost over time on your monthly Ameren Missouri electric bill, the energy-saving upgrade will lower your electric bill significantly, which means your average monthly bill will be lower than what you would otherwise have paid without the program.

After your energy-efficient project is approved by PAYS and completed, your home's energy use and total annual energy costs related to the PAYS upgrades will decrease. In addition to that lowered energy cost, you will also see a PAYS charge on your electric bill. The PAYS charge includes the cost of upgrade installation, as well as 3% interest and a small program close out fee. While changes in weather, or your behavior, or electric rates also affect your total bill, the net result is an Ameren Missouri electric bill that is lower than it would otherwise have been, but you now are enjoying new energy-efficient equipment. Once the cost of the project is paid off, the charge is no longer included in your bill.

Sure! Mary is an Ameren Missouri customer and is interested in lowering her electric bill. She may also find that her house is not comfortable - overly cold in the winter, too hot in the summer and the air seems dense and stale. These are indicators she would benefit greatly from PAYS, so she signs up on Ameren Missouri's PAYS web page. Upon approval, a trained energy expert visits Mary's house to perform a no cost home assessment and determine recommended upgrades that result in the most electric bill savings. A program partner that Mary has selected then installs the upgrades - as an example, installs a new HVAC system, new duct work and new attic insulation.

Ameren Missouri will start to recover these costs through a fixed monthly charge added to your electric bill that is significantly less that the estimated average monthly savings. For example, the results of our home assessment could show that installing the recommended upgrades above will produce an initial estimated average monthly electric bill savings of $50. The PAYS charge on her bill could be no higher than $40. That means her monthly bill total is now at least $10 less than it otherwise would have been, and she has a much more comfortable house to live in. She is paying off the upgrades and saving while she does it, hence the name, Pay As You Save!

Typical upgrades include HVAC, Attic Insulation, Duct Sealing, Air Sealing, and LED Lighting. In order to qualify, the average monthly costs (monthly PAYS Charge) must be no more than 80% of the initial estimation of average monthly savings resulting from installation of upgrades.

If upgrades do not meet this eligibility criteria, customers will have an option of a co-pay to bring the final costs in line with this criteria. Upgrade eligibility can also vary depending on existing fuel types.

All Ameren Missouri residential electric customers are eligible for the free home energy assessment.

When you participate in PAYS, you are not taking out a loan or line of credit. The program does not require a credit check. It is a simple and easy way to make potentially costly energy-efficient upgrades now-while eliminating or greatly reducing the up-front costs.

To begin, complete the assessment form. Then you will be contacted to schedule an appointment with one of our program's energy experts who will come to your home to perform a no cost home assessment. During your assessment, the energy experts will determine if there are energy-efficiency upgrades that will meet the PAYS upgrade eligibility criteria for your home. To qualify, the average monthly costs (monthly PAYS Charge) must be no more than 80% of the initial estimation of average monthly savings resulting from installation of upgrades.

The program initially qualifies upgrades so that the average monthly costs (monthly PAYS Charge) are no more than 80% of the initial estimation of average monthly savings resulting from installation of upgrades. That means net result is an Ameren Missouri electric bill should be lower than it would otherwise have been it's very likely you'll save more than you pay in PAYS tariffs. However, the PAYS program cannot guarantee a certain level of energy savings since changes in weather, your behavior, or changes in electric rates also affect your total bill amount.

If the upgrades stop working without fault to you, the program will arrange for repair or replacement, and suspend the charge if that cannot be accomplished in a timely manner. Repairs needed because of a participant's failure to maintain the upgrades will be paid for by the participant.

Because the program is tied to the meter (and not the customer), the next renter or homeowner will enjoy the net savings from the investment and be obligated to pay the monthly charge until the costs are paid back.

Yes! Learn more about the available Ameren Missouri Efficient Products.

Yes! However, to participate, your property owner must provide written consent. The property owner must agree to disclose to successor renters or prospective buyers that Ameren Missouri has made improvements that result in savings for the account holder at that site.

Yes! However, the mobile home must be on a permanent foundation (including, having the trailer hitch permanently removed) and cannot be more than 35 years old.

Our field representatives practice the following safety protocols recommended by the CDC and the state of Missouri:

• Frequent hand washing and use of hand sanitizer.
• Verbally confirming customers are not feeling ill or experiencing any health concerns.

Before renting or buying this home, ask the landlord or seller to provide you with a copy of the Notice of Tariff charge from their PAYS Participant Agreement. They are required to provide that to you in advance of your signing an agreement with them. It includes information on the benefits you'll enjoy as part of PAYS as well as your responsibilities to maintain the energy efficient upgrades and pay the PAYS charge. If you would like more specific information on the upgrades that took place on the property or your responsibilities in the program, please call 1.800.563.2105 (toll-free).

The PAYS program operates on the 80/20 rule - meaning that in order to qualify, the average monthly costs (monthly PAYS Charge) must be no more than 80% of the initial estimation of average monthly savings resulting from installation of upgrades. The other 20% of the savings (often more) is seen by the customer as bill savings. If the cost is higher than 80% of savings, participants will have the option to copay - meaning pay an upfront amount in order to bring the remaining cost to the point it meets the 80/20 criteria. The copay would still be significantly less than what you would have otherwise paid upfront without the PAYS program.

There are a few things that will affect the size of your copay:

• A home that uses less energy overall will usually have a higher copay, because there is not as much savings to offset the cost of the upgrade. The reverse is also true - a high energy use home will see a lower copay because they will be saving more money with the upgrades.
• Another factor is energy intensity - or how much energy you use based on the size of your home. For instance, a 1200 square foot home that uses $2000/year in energy would have a higher copay than a 1200 square foot home that uses $4000/year in energy. A higher energy intensity is usually a sign of significant energy saving opportunity, which translates into more bill saving to offset the PAYS charge.
• Equipment characteristics. Since PAYS is a program for our electric customers, only electric bill savings are used to calculate the copay. Homes that use electric heating will have higher year-round savings, lowering the copay.

In summary, if you think your home is struggling due to inefficient insulation or HVAC units, you will likely be a good candidate for a low copay offer!