Understanding Your Bill

Pursuant to PUCT Rule § 25.479, the below separately identified charges that you may find on your bill are defined as follows:

  • Advanced metering charge — A charge assessed to recover a TDU’s charges for Advanced Metering Systems, to the extent that they are not recovered in a TDU’s standard metering charge. Acceptable abbreviation: Advanced Meter.
  • Competition Transition Charge — A charge assessed to recover a TDU’s charges for nonsecuritized costs associated with the transition to competition. Acceptable abbreviation: Competition Transition.
  • Energy Efficiency Cost Recovery Factor — A charge assessed to recover a TDU’s costs for energy efficiency programs, to the extent that the TDU charge is a separate charge exclusively for that purpose that is approved by the Public Utility Commission. Acceptable abbreviation: Energy Efficiency.
  • Late Payment Penalty — A charge assessed for late payment in accordance with Public Utility Commission rules.
  • Meter Charge — A charge assessed to recover a TDU’s charges for metering a customer’s consumption, to the extent that the TDU charge is a separate charge exclusively for that purpose that is approved by the Public Utility Commission.
  • Miscellaneous Gross Receipts Tax Reimbursement — A fee assessed to recover he miscellaneous gross receipts tax imposed on retail electric providers operating in an incorporated city or town having a population of more than 1,000. Acceptable abbreviation: Gross Receipts Reimb.
  • Nuclear Decommissioning Fee — A charge assessed to recover a TDU’s charges for decommissioning of nuclear generating sites. Acceptable abbreviation: Nuclear Decommission.
  • PUC Assessment — A fee assessed to recover the statutory fee for administering the Public Utility Regulatory Act.
  • Sales tax — Sales tax collected by authorized taxing authorities, such as the state, cities and special purpose districts.
  • TDU Delivery Charges — The total amounts assessed by a TDU for the delivery of electricity to a customer over poles and wires and other TDU facilities not including discretionary charges.
  • Transmission Distribution Surcharges — One or more TDU surcharge(s) on a customer’s bill in any combination. Surcharges include charges billed as tariff riders by the TDU. Acceptable abbreviation: TDU Surcharges.
  • Transition Charge — A charge assessed to recover a TDU’s charges for securitized costs associated with the transition to competition.
  • Base Charge — A charge assessed during each billing cycle without regard to the customer’s demand or energy consumption.
  • Demand Charge — A charge based on the rate at which electric energy is delivered to or by a system at a given instant, or averaged over a designated period, during the billing cycle.
  • Energy Charge — A charge based on the electric energy (kWh) consumed.