Which term describes a utility payment plan that averages a customer's annual energy costs into a fixed monthly payment to make bills more predictable?

• A. budget billing
• B. true-up adjustment
• C. meter reading
• D. annual review

Answer: (A)

This describes a method utilities use to keep bills predictable: budget billing. It averages your yearly energy costs into a fixed monthly amount, so you don’t face large spikes in winter or summer. By basing the monthly charge on an estimated annual cost (often using the prior year’s usage or a rolling average), you get a steady, easier-to-budget payment each month. At the end of the cycle, a true-up adjustment may be applied to reconcile any difference between what was estimated and what was actually used. The other terms don’t describe this approach: a true-up adjustment is just the reconciliation step, meter reading is the actual measurement of usage, and an annual review is a general check, not a specific fixed-payment plan.