Understanding Your Bill

As a member of an electric cooperative, you invest in CoServ Electric through your annual kilowatt-hour purchases. Learn more.

A tax set by the city of your service location. For details, see Section 203.6 of the tariff.

The Electric Energy Charge represents the cost of providing power to your home/business. This charge includes wholesale Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF) adjustments and fixed costs associated with delivery (Customer Charge).

Short for kilowatt-hour, this is a measure of electrical energy equivalent to the power consumption of 1,000 watts for one hour. CoServ's usage charge is measured in kWh. We calculate this by subtracting the prior month’s meter reading from the current month’s meter reading.

All active Members pay a one-time $15 fee to join the cooperative. This fee gives Members ownership in the co-op and all the benefits that come with it. It is refunded when a Member closes all their accounts and/or moves out of the service territory. Members with multiple CoServ accounts only pay one Membership fee. For details, see Section 204.2 of the tariff.

Del: When your house is using more energy than your solar system is producing, energy from the grid combines with solar to supply your house, and the meter flows forward. This is the energy delivered to your home.

Rec: When your solar panels are producing more than your house’s consumption, the excess solar energy not needed by your house flows onto the grid, and the meter flows backward. This is the energy received by CoServ. This amount will not match the output registered on your solar inverter; it represents only the excess solar production that is not needed by your house.

Net: This is the net total of energy that moved forward (DEL) and the energy that moved backward (Rec) on the meter. You are billed on this amount. CoServ’s current net-metering policy gives you full retail credit on all energy produced providing that your solar panels did not produce more energy than your house consumed at the end of the billing cycle.

For details, see Section 202.15 of the tariff.

Participating Customers’ bills are rounded up to the nearest dollar, and the extra change is donated to the CoServ Charitable Foundation, which supports worthy causes right here in your community. The average Customer contributes $6 per year.

For residential Members on the Summer Savings rate plan, there are different charges based on the time of day from May through October.

The On-Peak hours upon which the On-Peak Energy Charge is based shall be the hours from 3:00 p.m., CT, through 8:00 p.m., CT, during the months of May through October. All other hours during the months of May through October shall be classified as Off-Peak hours.

For details, see Section 202.21 of the tariff.

A Power Cost Recovery Factor (PCRF) allows CoServ to adjust for changes in wholesale energy costs. Because wholesale costs can fluctuate from month to month, CoServ uses the PCRF to calculate your bill. When our wholesale power costs go up, the PCRF increases, and vice versa. The PCRF is either subtracted or added to the base rate to calculate your bill. We do not markup our wholesale energy costs for profit. For additional details, see Section 203.1 of the tariff.

The Securitized Charges Recovery Factor (SCRF) is used to calculate amounts that CoServ must recover from Customers to repay and administer the securitized bonds issued by CoServ under Texas Senate Bill 1580. The proceeds of these bonds were used to pay qualified costs and expenses relating to Winter Storm Uri in February 2021. At least every six months, the amount that is charged on a per kWh basis will be reviewed, and adjusted as needed, to ensure CoServ is collecting the appropriate amounts. For additional details, see Section 203.2 of the tariff. Visit CoServ.com/Securitization/ for more information.

The Railroad Commission of Texas has been authorized to assess an annual program fee on natural gas distribution operators subject to the Commission’s pipeline safety jurisdiction under Texas Utilities Code, Chapter 121, to fund the Commission’s pipeline safety and regulatory programs.

The amount of gas (in Ccf) you used during the billing cycle. We calculate this by subtracting the prior month’s meter reading from the current month’s meter reading.

Some residential gas accounts have a multiplier added to them. CoServ Gas calculates the pressure when the meter is first set at a home. If the pressure is greater than 4 ounces, the multiplier (1.12) then applies for billing purposes.

During the recent rate case, CoServ Gas incurred legal and consulting fees to prepare and pursue the rate case.  Pursuant to the Railroad Commission of Texas (RRC) order, CoServ Gas reimbursed the legal and consulting costs of the municipalities that intervened in the rate case.  The RRC allows CoServ Gas to recover these costs over an approximately 24-month period at of rate of $0.00333 per Ccf consumed. The recovery of these fees is annually reviewed by the Commission and in the event of an over-recovery, the over-recovery amount is ultimately returned to the customers.

This number represents our wholesale costs for the gas you used during the billing cycle. The PGF does not include any profit or markup. It reflects only the wholesale cost of the gas itself, plus the cost we pay to transport it from our supplier to CoServ. Because complete information regarding our gas costs isn’t available at the time we send your bill, the PGF is an estimate. If wholesale costs are higher or lower, CoServ Gas accounts for that by raising or lowering the PGF. Learn more about the PGF.

The usage/volumetric rate is the charge for delivering natural gas through the CoServ Distribution system.

During the December through May billing periods, you'll notice a line item called the Weather Normalization Adjustment (WNA) – which affects the monthly Ccf usage charge. WNA is standard within the natural gas utility industry and protects both the customer and the gas provider. The calculation is based on normal temperatures, and it provides an adjustment if temperatures are higher or lower than normal. When the weather is colder than normal, the WNA will reduce the Ccf usage charge to a normal level. When the weather is warmer than normal, the WNA will increase the Ccf usage charge to a normal level. Learn more about the WNA.