I can't updoot this enough. Fuck everyone's fee ridden bullshit apps, websites, outsourced garbage services. I make almost everyone send me a paper bill or i just won't pay.

I do exactly this. My bank will try to use ACH or a one time debit card automatically, but inevitably ends up sending a check each month. What's better is if I use the bill the water company sends and mail it back with a check there is a fee, but they don't charge it when my bank sends a check.

That's the way to go! I pay all my bills through the bank. All they need is your services account number and a mailing address. It's much nicer when you can pay all your bills in one place instead of having to deal a bunch of different payment apps/websites.

Yeah, I've been meaning to look into that. Especially so I can start unlinking my bank details from sites that will eventually expose them in a breach.

That's step one. Step two is to get enough solar and whole-house battery storage so you can cut the grid and give them $0.