Understand Your Bill

What is the Facilities Charge?

This is a recurring monthly charge that recovers the fixed cost of providing electricity to your home or business. It includes the operational expenses of the cooperative that are shared equally by each class of service, which does not vary with the amount of electricity you use. It recovers some of the costs related to rights-of-way maintenance, metering, billing, accounting, and other expenses for the cooperative. On some utility bills, you may see these charges identified as a Customer Charge, Basic Services Charge, or similar name.

What is the Energy Charge?

This is the measurement of the amount of electricity supplied during the billing cycle and it is expressed as kilowatt-hours or kWh. Ten 100-watt light bulbs burning for one hour will consume 1,000 watt hours or 1 kilowatt-hour.

The electric meter at your home measures the amount of energy used in kWh between monthly meter readings. This reading is very much like the odometer on a car which measures miles traveled.

What is a Power Cost Adjustment?

This can either be a charge or a credit. It is the difference between the actual cost of producing a kilowatt-hour and Coastal Electric Cooperative’s published base rate. The actual cost varies (usually fractions of a cent) due to fluctuations in the wholesale cost of power caused by changes in fuel costs, the generation mix, and wholesale market prices for electricity. It is an approved method for tracking the actual cost of producing electricity without over- or under-collecting revenue from the members.

Why is a deposit required to connect my service?

If you have not yet established credit with Coastal Electric Cooperative, you may be asked to pay a security deposit. Your credit history, obtained confidentially through a credit-reporting agency, is used to determine how much of a deposit, if any, is necessary. The maximum initial deposit is $340.00.

Are there other times when a deposit may be required?

A deposit may also be required at the time of a delinquent disconnect. When a service is disconnected for non-payment, a deposit equal to 2 1/2 times the member’s average monthly bill may be required.

Is there a way to avoid paying a deposit?

Yes! Ask about our Advance Pay accounts – no bills, no deposit, no late fees. You pay as you go by phone, our web portal, or in person. You receive text alerts notifying you of your balance so you know when to add money to your account.