How to read my electric bill

UES' electric rates reflect the cost of providing safe, reliable service to our customers. They also reflect the complexity of that task, with fixed charges, usage-based charges and surcharges that can be difficult to understand. The following summary offers explanations for the terms and graphs you'll find on your monthly bill, including links to details posted elsewhere on this website.

Your UES Electric Bill

This section provides your account number, an overview of your previous and current charges, including recent payments received and any bill adjustments such as corrections, refunds and fees.

If you participate in our Warm Spirit program to help limited-income customers pay their energy bills, your contribution will display here.

The total amount due is in white against a blue bar so that it stands out prominently.

Service Information

Bill messages will appear in this section in italics. Immediately underneath this message in a light blue box, you will see your service address, the name of your pricing plan, your service number (Service No.), the billing dates and the current charges.

Billed kWh Usage

Billed kWh Usage

View up to 24 months of history in a graph that compares your most recent 12 months of usage (in dark blue) to the previous 12 months (in light blue). All usage is in kilowatt-hours (kWh). A kilowatt-hour is the use of one kilowatt of electric power for one hour. The dates your meter was read appear beneath the graph, with the date used for your current bill displayed in green.

Billing Period Comparison

Billing Period Comparison

This chart compares information from this billing period to the previous billing period as well as to the corresponding billing period from the previous year.

Average Daily Cost

Average Daily Cost

Your average daily energy cost is highlighted in this green circle. This figure is based on the current charges divided by the number of days in the billing cycle. Use this feature to compare your energy costs to other daily expenses.

2 Way to Save

2 Ways to Save

A colorful graphic provides information about time-of-use and demand-based pricing plans, including the current time-of-use hours, for customers not currently on those plans. Customers on those plans will see a summary of their usage information here.

Payment StubPayment Stub

Your payment stub contains your account number, the payment due date and the total amount due. Space is available to write in your payment amount and an optional contribution for Warm Spirit, a program that provides energy bill payment assistance to limited-income customers.

The stub also contains the address where you should send your payment.

Charges

Charges

The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) sets rates that divide responsibility for these costs among different types of customers — residential, small business, large business and industrial — based on their typical energy usage patterns. UES' rates are designed to recover the appropriate portion of these costs from each customer group through a combination of fixed fees and usage-based charges.

Delivery ServicesDelivery Services

The charges listed in this section of your bill reflect the cost of delivering power to customers. These charges cover the cost of poles, wires, transformers and other infrastructure; employees and contractors who install, operate and maintain that equipment; and other necessary business expenses.

Power Supply ChargesPower Supply Charges

This section of your bill includes usage-based charges to cover the cost of generating or buying energy for customers.

SurchargesSurcharges

UES is using more renewable power, helping customers save energy and improving the environmental profile of its generating resources. Some of the costs associated with these efforts are recovered through usage-based surcharges approved by the ACC and listed in this section of your bill.

Taxes and AssessmentsTaxes and Assessments

The charges on your bill are subject to government taxes and fees. UES forwards all of the money collected from these charges to the appropriate authorities.

Usage InformationUsage Information

Beginning in summer 2018, all customers will begin seeing their on- and off-peak usage in kilowatt-hours (KWH) and their on- and off-peak demand in kilowatts (KW). For customers who aren’t using a time-of-use or demand-based pricing plan, this data is for informational purposes only.

Time-of-use plans offer lower energy charges during most of the day and higher charges during on-peak hours. Demand plans combine lower usage-based rates with a “demand” charge based on your highest hour of usage during on-peak time periods.

Programs PromotionsProgram Promotions

This section promotes the awareness of programs and services that may interest you.

Account DetailsAccount Details

In a blue box in the upper right corner, Account Details provides information about program enrollment. The word “Available” will appear if you are not participating in a program but could enroll.

Contact Us and Ways to PayContact Us and Ways to Pay

This section of your bill includes contact information for UES and the ACC, ways you can report a power outage and the multiple ways that you can pay your bill.

UniSource Energy Services:
Learn About Your New Electric Bill

Use this interactive PDF to learn about your residential electric bill.
 
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Tax Adjustment Credit

UES electric customers will receive bill credits and other benefits through 2020 as a result of changes in federal corporate income tax rates.

Learn more

PPFAC

The Purchased Power and Fuel Adjustment Charge, or PPFAC, is a usage-based charge that reflects changes in the costs UES incurs to fuel its power plants and purchase energy for electric customers.

Learn more

REST

The Renewable Energy Standard Tariff, or REST, funds UES' investments in renewable energy.

Learn more

DSM Surcharge

The Demand Side Management, or DSM, charge is a monthly, usage-based charge established by the Arizona Corporation Commission to pay for cost-effective energy efficiency programs.

Learn more

TCA

The Transmission Cost Adjustor, or TCA, is a monthly charge or credit that allows UES to recover a portion of transmission costs associated with serving retail electric customers. The TCA was first applied to bills in June 2014 and is reset annually to reflect updated cost calculations.

Learn more

LFCR Charge

The Lost Fixed Cost Recovery, or LFCR, surcharge helps ensure that energy efficiency and renewable power projects don't compromise UES' ability to maintain safe, reliable service. Natural gas and electric customers pay separate LFCR charges.

Learn more

Old Bill

Have a question about the previous version of our bill? Click through to see a summary of sections and terms found on the old bill.

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