Understanding Your Redesigned Residential Bill
A: Account Information
Here, you’ll find the new 10-digit PWP Account #, which has been changed as a result of PWP’s new system upgrade. This section also includes the Bill Date, which is the date the bill was issued and mailed, the Customer Name, and Service Address.
B: Balances
The Previous Balance shows what was charged in the previous bill. The Payment(s) Received shows applicable payments made since the last bill, and Unpaid Balance shows what, if any, is owed after receiving payment. New Charges are what the current bill reflects, and the New Charges Due date shows when those new charges are due. If a customer has an Unpaid Balance, that must be paid as soon as possible. The Total Amount Due is the total that is owed to PWP, which includes the sum of the Unpaid Balance and New Charges.
C: Bill Summary
These items detail additional charges and credits for each utility type such as: starting a new account, restoring service after shutoff, returned check handling, net metering credits for solar customers, etc. Eligible customers who are enrolled in PWP’s bill payment assistance programs will also see credits or refunds here.
They also include the following taxes:
The Public Benefit Charge (PBC), which is a state-mandated fee to fund assistance programs, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects. More information is available here.
The State Environmental Surcharge, is collected by the State of California and provides revenue for site remediation, technology programs, administration, and implementation of cleanup programs.
The Underground Surtax is collected by the City of Pasadena to place overhead power lines underground.
The Utility Users Tax is collected by the City of Pasadena to fund emergency services, public safety, recreation, libraries and other programs.
D: Electric Charges
This is your electric service bill in detail, including your current rate, meter number, previous and current meter readings and how much electricity you used this period, in kilowatt hours (KWH). A KWH is one 100-Watt light bulb burning for 10 hours.
Your electricity rate is made up of four line items:
- The Customer Charge is a flat fee on every bill that covers billing metering, customer service and PWP’s call center. It doesn’t change no matter how much energy you use.
- The Grid Access Fee is a monthly, fixed fee that helps recover the cost to provide/operate the distribution and generation infrastructure, and related core services that are essential to provide electric reliability. The Residential Grid Access Charge is a flat fee of $4.50 per month; for customers who are billed bi-monthly, the charge will appear as $9.00 on each bill.
- The Distribution Charge recovers the cost of delivering electricity from our receiving station at the edge of the City to you. It includes operation and maintenance, capital investment and debt service. Residential distribution rates are tiered depending on how much energy you use. The more energy you use per month, the higher the rate for subsequent tiers.
- The Energy Charge recovers the cost to generate and procure electricity.
- The Transmission Charge recovers the cost of delivering electricity from our external energy supply sources to our receiving station.
E: Water Charges
This is your water service bill in detail, including your current rate, meter number, previous and current meter readings and how much water you used in hundred cubic feet (HCF). Each HCF equals 748 gallons. Your water rate is made up of three line items:
- The Distribution and Customer Charge is a flat fee on every bill that covers water distribution, billing metering, customer service and PWP’s call center. It is based on the size of your water meter and doesn’t change no matter how much water you use.
- The Commodity Charge is a 4-tiered rate for water that increases according to water meter size and usage.
- The Capital Improvement Charge (CIC) is one rate for all tiers and covers ongoing improvements to the Pasadena water system. It’s calculated based on consumption; the less you use, the lower your charge. It is slightly higher for those outside of the Pasadena City limits.
F: Sewer Charges
This is your Sewer Charge for this billing period. The sewer charge is based on your water usage.
G: Refuse Charges
This is your Refuse Charge for this billing period. Refuse covers trash, recycling and yard waste collection and disposal through the City of Pasadena’s Public Works Department.
H: Important Messages
The Important Messages box will be used as a communication method to the customer. Examples include the holiday refuse pickup schedule or adjustments made on the customer’s account.
