Flashback Friday: Handwritten bills

Had you been a customer of one of our predecessor companies, The Milwaukee Electric Railway & Light Co., back around 1900, you would have received a bill in the mail that featured handwritten data and separate pricing for incandescent lamps, motors and arc lamps (used mostly for street lights).

Incandescent lighting at that time was priced at 12 cents per kilowatt-hour -- only about 2 cents less than it is today, more than a century later. Back then, customers also could receive discounts for higher usage and prompt payment.

Today, many of our customers receive no bill in the mail at all. Instead, they receive and pay their bills online. Not yet paying your bill online? Find information about online bill payment on our website.