Glossary of Power Terms

Glossary of Invoice Terms

Average Billing: An agreement worked out between a Retail Electric Provider and a customer that allows you to pay approximately the same amount for your electric service each month. All Retail Electric Providers are required by the PUC to offer average payment plans.
Balance Forward: Any amount still owed previous to the current invoice.
Bill Payment Assistance Program: a program that helps to pay the bill of individuals in need and is supported by voluntary customer contributions.
Contract End Date: The date when a term contract is complete.
Deferred Payment Balance: Unpaid balance that is billed in increments over time. Any deferred payment amount due is included in the Total Amount Due.
Demand: The rate at which electric energy is delivered to or by a system at a given instant, or averaged over a designated period, usually expressed in kilowatts (kW) or megawatts (MW).
Early Termination Fee: A charge assessed by Texas Power upon early termination of a contracted rate plan, by cancellation or switching to a different retail electric provider.
Energy Charge: A charge based on the electric energy (kWh) consumed.
ESI (Electric Service Identifier): The basic identifier assigned to each point of delivery used in the registration system and settlement system managed by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) or another independent organization.
Fixed Rate Product: A retail electric product with a term of at least three months for which the price (including recurring charges) for each billing period of the contract term is the same throughout the contract term, except that the price may vary from the disclosed amount solely to reflect actual changes in the Transmission and Distribution Utility (TDU) charges, changes to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) or Texas Regional Entity administrative fees charged to loads or changes resulting from federal, state or local laws that impose new or modified fees or costs on a REP that are beyond the REP’s control.
kWh: Kilowatt‐hour, the standard unit for measuring electricity energy consumption, equal to 1,000 watt‐hours.
Late Payment Penalty: A charge assessed for late payment in accordance with Public Utility Commission rules.
LIDA: A third‐party administrator contracted by the commission to administer aspects of the rate reduction program established under Public Utility Regulatory Act §39.903.
Miscellaneous Gross Receipts Tax Reimbursement: A fee assessed to recover he miscellaneous gross receipts tax imposed on retail electric providers operating in an incorporated city or town having a population of more than 1,000.
Monthly Meter Fee: A $10 charge assessed by Texas Power when usage for a premise is below 1,000 kWh for a billing cycle, as stated in the Terms of Service Agreement and Electricity Facts Label.
Multiplier: For some meters, the actual amount of energy used is too large to be registered and the meter displays a fraction of the actual energy used. A multiplier is then applied to the difference between the present and previous reads to determine the customer's actual energy usage.
PUC Assessment: A fee assessed to recover the statutory fee for administering the Public Utility Regulatory Act.
Sales tax: Sales tax collected by authorized taxing authorities, such as the state, cities and special purpose districts.
TDU (Transmission and Distribution Utility): Your local wires company, which is responsible for maintaining the poles and wires, and responding to emergencies and power outages as always. The PUC still regulates transmission and distribution to ensure the safety and reliability of your electric service.
TDU Delivery Charges: The total amounts assessed by a TDU for the delivery of electricity to a customer over poles and wires and other TDU facilities not including discretionary charges.
TDU Discretionary Charges: Charges by the TDU for services rendered, such as, but not limited to, initial set‐up of service, disconnection of service, meter re‐reads, meter tests, etc. These charges are charged by the TDU through your Retail Electric Provider’s invoice.
Total Amount Due: Total amount you currently owe to Texas Power. It includes any unpaid amount from previous statements plus the Total Current Charges (Energy Charge, Sales Tax, and additional charges such as Late Payment Penalties, Monthly Meter Fee, TDU Charges and Fees, and Deferred Payment Plan Balances).
Transmission Distribution Surcharges: One or more TDU surcharge(s) on a customer’s bill in any combination. Surcharges include charges billed as tariff riders by the TDU.
Usage: The amount of electricity used during the billing period listed in kilowatt‐hours (kWh).
Variable Rate Product: A retail product for which price may vary according to a method determined by the REP. For residential customers, a variable price product can be only a month‐to‐month contract.