Compare the six Central Hudson payment channels
Pick a channel below to see the fee, the typical clearance time and whether the channel accepts cash, card or checking account. Fastest channel is the SmartBill online portal; cheapest channel for routine monthly billing is Direct Pay auto-debit because there is no processor fee and no missed-payment risk.
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Watch out
Pay by phone: 1-845-452-2700
Call the automated bill-pay IVR at 1-845-452-2700. If you are calling from outside the 845 area code, the alternate routing number is 1-800-527-2714. The IVR accepts checking account debits (free) and Visa, Mastercard or Discover card payments (a per-transaction convenience fee applies to card payments). Press 0 at any prompt to speak with a live agent.
Phone-IVR payments post the same business day if you call before 5 p.m. ET. After 5 p.m. they post the next business day, so do not wait until the due date to call.
TDD/TTY
Speech or hearing-impaired customers can reach Central Hudson at 1-800-635-6315, or dial 711 for the New York State Relay Service. Same operating hours as the standard customer service line.
Pay online through SmartBill
Central Hudson's online portal is called SmartBill. Sign in or register at cenhud.com using your 11-digit account number. SmartBill accepts both bank-account (ACH) debits and credit or debit card payments. ACH debits are free; card payments add a third-party processor fee disclosed at checkout.
SmartBill also lets you opt into paperless billing, view 24 months of bill history, set bill reminders by email or text, and enrol in budget billing or Direct Pay without calling. Online payments submitted before 5 p.m. ET on a business day post the same day.
Why Direct Pay (auto-debit) is the single biggest delinquency-reduction action
Direct Pay is Central Hudson's auto-debit programme. It pulls the full bill from your checking account on the bill's due date every month. It is free. There are no surcharges, no processor fees and no missed-payment penalty windows. From a household budget perspective it is the cheapest way to handle the bill.
The under-recognised benefit is risk reduction. Most residential bill disputes that escalate to a NY PSC complaint or a disconnection notice start with a single missed or partial payment that snowballs through late fees and 60-day past-due flags. Enrolling in Direct Pay removes the human-memory failure mode entirely. For customers who travel, work irregular hours, or share a household across multiple bill-payers, it is the single largest behavioural fix available.
Two practical caveats. First, Direct Pay drafts the full bill amount; if you want predictable monthly amounts during the heating season, pair Direct Pay with budget billing, which averages your 12-month usage and bills a constant amount for 11 months with a reconciliation in the 12th. Second, if you ever need to cancel Direct Pay (for example because you are moving out), allow 5 to 7 business days lead time so the next draft does not happen on autopilot.
Walk-in office payments at the four Central Hudson offices below are also free and accept cash, which is useful for unbanked households or for customers who want a stamped paper receipt. But for the typical Mid-Hudson Valley household with a checking account, Direct Pay beats every other channel on cost and reliability.
Pay by mail
Detach the payment stub from your monthly bill, write a check or money order to Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation, write your account number on the memo line and send it to:
Central Hudson Gas & Electric Corporation
284 South Avenue
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Mail clears in 5 to 10 business days. Post your payment at least one week before the bill due date or you risk a late fee. Do not send cash by mail.
Walk-in at a Central Hudson office
Central Hudson operates four customer-service offices in the Hudson Valley. In-office payments accept cash, check or money order, post the same business day and carry no surcharge. This is the right channel if you need a paper receipt or want to discuss a hardship plan face-to-face.
| City | Address |
|---|---|
| Catskill | 7964 Route 9W, Catskill, NY 12414 |
| Fishkill | 25 Central Hudson Way, Fishkill, NY 12524 |
| Lake Katrine | 2001 Rt. 9W, Lake Katrine, NY 12449 |
| New Windsor | 610 Little Britain Road, New Windsor, NY 12553 |
Hours typically run Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET. Check cenhud.com before driving, as office hours can change around holidays.
Pay at an authorised in-store agent
Central Hudson contracts with dozens of grocery and convenience stores across the Mid-Hudson Valley to accept bill payments on its behalf. Most agents charge a small per-transaction fee:
- ✓Price Chopper: every Price Chopper location in New York accepts Central Hudson bill payment. Fee $0.75 per transaction.
- ✓Kmart and Walmart: accept Central Hudson payment in cash or by debit only. Fee $1.50 per transaction.
- ✓Hannaford, Smokes 4 Less, Foodtown, Thrifty Check Cashing and a long list of smaller agents accept bill payment for similar fees. Bring the payment stub from your latest bill.
Agent payments typically post to your Central Hudson account in 1 to 2 business days. If you are paying close to the due date, the in-person window at a Central Hudson office (or the SmartBill portal) is safer.
A non-exhaustive sample of pay-agent locations in the Mid-Hudson Valley:
| City | Store | Address |
|---|---|---|
| Beacon | Key Food | 268 Main Street, Beacon, NY |
| Catskill | Price Chopper | 320 West Bridge Street, Catskill, NY |
| Hudson | Price Chopper | 351 Fairview Avenue, Hudson, NY |
| Kingston | Hannaford | 1261 Ulster Avenue, Kingston, NY |
| Newburgh | Price Chopper | 39 North Plank Road, Newburgh, NY |
| Poughkeepsie | Price Chopper | 2585 South Road, Poughkeepsie, NY |
| Saugerties | Price Chopper | 138 Ulster Avenue, Saugerties, NY |
| Wappingers Falls | Hannaford | 1490 Route 9, Wappingers Falls, NY |
For the full list of agents and current hours, search the Pay Agent locator on cenhud.com using your ZIP code.
Budget billing, deferred payment and bill assistance
If the monthly bill swings too hard between winter heating and summer cooling, three programmes can flatten the curve:
Budget billing
Central Hudson averages your historical 12-month usage and bills a constant amount for 11 months, with a reconciliation in the 12th. Enrol through SmartBill or by phone. Pairs well with Direct Pay.
Deferred payment agreement
For past-due balances, NY PSC rules require Central Hudson to offer a spread-out payment plan before residential disconnection. Terms scale with your household income and the balance.
HEAP, EAP and emergency aid
Federal HEAP covers part of winter heating costs; the NY PSC EAP adds a fixed monthly credit for income-eligible households. Apply at otda.ny.gov/programs/heap.
Call Central Hudson at 1-845-452-2700 before a bill is overdue. By PSC rule the utility must work with you on a deferred payment agreement before it can shut off residential service.
Common questions about paying your Central Hudson bill.
The automated bill-pay line is 1-845-452-2700 for customers inside the 845 area code, or 1-800-527-2714 from anywhere else. The IVR accepts ACH and Visa, Mastercard or Discover. Press 0 at any prompt to reach a live agent.
Direct ACH (bank-account) debits through SmartBill are free. Card payments through SmartBill or the phone IVR carry a third-party processor convenience fee disclosed at checkout. Direct Pay auto-debit is free.
SmartBill online and phone IVR payments submitted before 5 p.m. ET on a business day post the same day. Mail clears in 5 to 10 business days. Authorised pay agents post in 1 to 2 business days. Walk-in office payments post the same day. Direct Pay drafts on the bill due date.
Two cash channels: any of the four Central Hudson walk-in offices (Catskill, Fishkill, Lake Katrine, New Windsor) at no extra charge, or an authorised pay agent (Price Chopper, Kmart, Walmart, Hannaford and many others) for a small per-transaction fee.
Direct Pay is Central Hudson's free auto-debit programme that pulls the full bill amount from your checking account on the due date each month. For most households with a checking account, it is the lowest-cost and lowest-risk channel: no processor fees, no late fees, no missed payments. It is the single biggest delinquency-reduction action you can take.
Yes. Budget billing averages your historical 12-month usage and bills a constant amount for 11 months, with a true-up in month 12. Enrol through SmartBill or call 1-845-452-2700. Pairs well with Direct Pay for a fully automated, fully predictable monthly bill.
Call 1-845-452-2700 before the bill is overdue. By NY PSC rule, Central Hudson must offer a deferred payment agreement before disconnection. Stack it with federal HEAP and the NY PSC Energy Affordability Program credit. Start at otda.ny.gov/programs/heap or call your county Department of Social Services.
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