NES Rounding Bills up to the Next Dollar

Nashville Electric Service will begin rounding bills up to the next dollar starting in January to raise money for local charities.

The program has been dubbed “change for charity.” 80-percent of the funds collected will go to the Metro Action Commission, Big Brothers of Nashville, Ladies of Charity and for utility bill assistance. The rest will be available for grants to other charitable organizations.

But instead of customers choosing to participate, they will have to choose not to participate. Bills will by default be rounded up. An NES spokeswoman says opting out instead of opting in was an executive decision.

Nearby Middle Tennessee Electric has had success with a similar program called Round Up. It collects 50-thousand dollars a month for charity. If all 355-thousand NES customers participate, more than 2-million dollars would be raised for Nashville non-profits each year.