UES' gas rates reflect the cost of providing safe, reliable service to our customers. They also reflect the complexity of that task, with fixed fees, usage-based charges and surcharges that can be difficult to understand. The following summary offers explanations for the terms you'll find on your monthly bill, including links to details posted elsewhere on this website.
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 green 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 green box, you will see your service address, your service number (Service No.), the billing dates and the current charges.
Billed Therm Usage
View up to 24 months of history in a graph that compares your most recent 12 months of usage (in dark green) to the previous 12 months (in light green). All usage is in therms, a measurement of the energy provided by the natural gas that was used. The dates your meter was read appear beneath the graph, with the date used for your current bill displayed in blue.
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.
Your average daily energy cost is highlighted in this blue 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.
Natural Gas Safety
In this green box, learn how to recognize the signs of a gas leak and who to contact in case of an emergency.
Payment 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
The Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) sets rates that divide responsibility for these costs among different types of customers – including residential, commercial and industrial users – based on typical consumption patterns. Our natural gas 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 Services
The charges listed in this section of your bill reflect the cost of delivering natural gas to customers. These charges cover the cost of pipelines, regulator stations, monitoring equipment and other infrastructure; employees and contractors who install, operate and maintain that equipment; and other necessary business expenses.
This fixed monthly fee, previously referred to as the Customer Charge, helps cover the cost of maintaining natural gas delivery to your address. This fee does not vary with usage. The charge covers only a small fraction of the costs UES incurs to serve every customer, regardless of how much natural gas they use.
From October 2018 through January 2019, customers will receive a $1.19 credit toward the monthly Basic Service and Meter Charge. This will be the last in a series of periodic bill credits approved by the ACC in association with the 2014 acquisition of UES and its parent company, UNS Energy, by Fortis, Inc.
UES natural gas customers will receive bill credits and other benefits through 2020 as a result of changes in federal corporate income tax rates. Customers will receive bill credits totaling $6.5 million over three years under a plan approved in May 2018 by the Arizona Corporation Commission.
Gas Supply Charges
Gas supply charges recover the cost of natural gas purchased on behalf of customers. This usage-based charge is updated monthly through Purchased Gas Adjustor (PGA) credits and charges that reflect changes in natural gas prices.
Energy Efficiency Charge
The Lost Fixed Cost Recovery (LFCR) charge partly offsets the revenue UES loses when customers reduce their bills through energy efficiency programs. Without the charge, UES would be unable to recover the full cost of improvements to our natural gas distribution system that serves all customers, regardless of usage.
Taxes and Assessments
The charges on your bill are subject to government taxes and fees. UES forwards all taxes and fees to the appropriate authorities.
This usage-based charge helps fund the Arizona Corporation Commission (ACC) , a state government agency led by a five-member panel of elected commissioners who set UES’ gas rates and oversee many aspects of utility operations.
This usage-based charge is applied to the bills of residential customers to help fund the Residential Utility Consumer Office (RUCO) , a state agency that represents the interests of residential customers in rate requests and other utility issues addressed by the ACC.
UES has reached formal franchise agreements with several cities that authorize its use of public rights-of-way and address other aspects of operations. These agreements, when approved by voters, may mandate that franchise fees be added to the bills of customers in those respective municipalities.
All proceeds of those fees are forwarded to the respective city governments.
Camp Verde and Sedona charge a Public Utility Tax of 1 percent for customers within their respective boundaries. They also allow franchise fees to offset this tax. All proceeds from this tax are forwarded to the appropriate jurisdictions.
UES’ charges for natural gas service are subject to Arizona state sales tax of 5.6 percent as well as any municipal sales tax levied by the city where the customer's address is located. Some cities allow franchise fees to offset this tax or have adopted special sales tax rates for utilities. All sales tax proceeds are forwarded to the respective taxing jurisdiction.
These sales taxes were approved by voters and are added to the bills of natural gas customers in respective counties. All sales tax proceeds are forwarded to the respective taxing jurisdiction.
Regulatory and Meter Information
Regulatory and rate-specific messages will be highlighted in blue above the meter section. Underneath this message, you will find the Meter Information section, which displays:
Measured consumption during the billing period in therms.
Program Promotions
This section promotes the awareness of programs and services that may interest you.
Account Details
In a green 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.
With Auto Pay, have your monthly bill automatically deducted from your U.S. checking or savings account. No check to write and mail. No late fees or notices.
UES e-bill is a convenient, free service that enables you to securely receive, view and pay your UES bill online – saving you time and simplifying your life.
Contact 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.
The Purchased Gas Adjustor, or PGA, is a usage-based credit or charge that reflects changes in the costs of natural gas. UES passes along these costs without any markup and earns no profit through the PGA.
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.
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.