General Billing Terms
Account Number: A unique number that identifies your electric and/or gas account. If you need to contact CoServ, have this number ready, as it will be easier to locate your records. You should also provide this number when paying your bill in person. Your account number is defined by your service address. If you have more than one service address, you have more than one account number. If you relocate to a new service address, you will receive a different account number.
Account Balance: Total amount that you pay to CoServ. This is the same amount as the Total Amount Due. It includes the unpaid amount from your previous statement plus the total Current Charges (Customer Charge, Energy Charge, PCRF and/or PGF Franchise Fee and applicable Taxes, and additional Service Fees).
Actual Usage: Usage determined by CoServ upon reading the meter in person or by an automated meter reading device at your service address.
Adjusted Usage: Usage determined by an actual reading performed after an estimated read to make sure the estimated read was accurate.
Amount Past Due: The remaining amount owed from your previous bill. This is the same as the Balance Forward.
Billing Address: The address to which your bill is sent. This address may be different from the address that is receiving service (service address).
City Sales Tax: City tax as set by the city of your service location.
Connection Fee: A fee will be charged for processing a request for each new meter, additional meter or security light.
Current Bill Due Date: The date by which CoServ should receive your payment in order to avoid disconnection.
Current Charges: Amount due for electric and/or gas charges based on usage during the most recent 28 - 33 day period. This is only one component of the bill you pay. Instead, you pay the Total Amount Due. The Electric Current Charges amount includes the Customer Charge, Electric Energy Charge, PCRF, Franchise Fee and applicable Sales Tax, but it excludes Service Fees and any prior unpaid balance. It reflects energy already consumed. Likewise, the Gas Current Charges amount includes the Usage Charge, PGF, Customer Charge, applicable Sales Tax, Franchise Fee and Gross Receipts Tax.
Customer Charge: The minimum bill or base rate, included on each statement. The revenue collected from this charge pays for utility expenses not directly related to the generation or delivery of electricity or gas, such as billing, meter reading, equipment, administration and customer care. If you receive both electric and gas service from CoServ you will be required to pay two customer charges.
Deposit: A deposit may be required when you set up new service or if your service has been interrupted due to CoServ not receiving payment. It is not pre-payment of your bill. You must still pay each month for the energy you use. The billed deposit is held until the account is closed/finaled or until twelve consecutive residential billings or 24 consecutive commercial or industrial billings have been paid without having service disconnected for nonpayment and without having more than two occasions in which a bill was delinquent. The customer must also not be delinquent in the payment of the current bills. When these conditions have been met, CoServ shall promptly and automatically refund the deposit plus accrued interest. If you transfer service, the deposit is transferred and applied to the new service location.
Estimated Usage: Usage determined by an estimate of your past energy consumption at this location.
Final Bill: The last bill for service at your location. It can be mailed to any address you request or if you transfer service, the final bill amount will be transferred to your new account.
kW Demand: The requirement for energy as an input to provide products and/or services.
Member: CoServ Electric is a member-owned electric cooperative. A member is any person(s) or entity who agrees to purchase electric energy from CoServ, has paid the $15 refundable membership fee and agrees to comply with and be bound by the articles and bylaws of the cooperative and any rules and regulations adopted by the CoServ Board of Directors. Becoming a member in the cooperative is required in order to receive electric service.
Meter Number: The number identifying the meter at your service location (which may be your residence). A meter is a device that measures your electricity or gas usage. If you receive both electricity and gas services from CoServ you will have two separate meters.
Payments: The total amount of funds CoServ has received up to the date a bill was generated.
Previous Reading: Meter reading from the prior billing statement. This reading may be actual, estimated or adjusted.
Previous Statement Balance: The remaining amount owed from your previous bill. This is the same as the Amount Past Due.
Rate Code: The tariff scale applied to a member's/customer's energy and meter usage. The rate will vary according to the type of entity - for example residential, commercial, industrial or public building.
Service Address: The address at which electricity and/or gas usage is being measured. This is the address where your meter(s) is located.
Service From: The first day of electricity and/or gas usage included in the current charges.
Service To: The last day of electricity and/or gas usage included in the current charges.
Statement Date: The date your statement was printed. This is not the last day of your billing cycle nor does it cover the usage between the statement date and the date which you receive the bill.
Total Amount Due: Total amount that you pay to CoServ. This is the same amount as the Account Amount. It includes the unpaid amount from your previous statement plus the total Current Charges (Customer Charge, Energy Charge, PCRF and/or PGF, Franchise Fee and applicable Sales Tax and additional charges such as Service Fees and Deferred Payment Plan Balance).
CoServ Electric Billing Terms
Current Reading: Meter reading of kWh consumption on the Service To Date. This reading may be actual, estimated or adjusted.
Electric Energy Charge: An amount equal to the electricity usage (kWh) multiplied by your rate. This is only one component of the bill you pay.
kW Demand Charge: That portion of the consumer's bill for electric service based on the consumer's maximum electric capacity usage and calculated based on the billing demand charges under the applicable rate schedule.
Interest Applied: If CoServ requires you to pay a deposit when establishing electric service, the deposit will accrue interest unless CoServ refunds the deposit within the first 30 days after receipt. The Public Utility Commission of Texas will determine the annual interest rate. Please see CoServ Tariff 302.12 for further information.
Kilowatt or KW: 1,000 watts of electric power.
Kilowatt-hour or KWh: The standard measure by which electric power is metered for home use. One thousand watts of electricity used for one hour.
kWh Used (Kilowatt-hours Used): The amount of electricity (kWh) used in a month. This is calculated by subtracting the prior month's meter reading from the current month's meter reading.
Late Fee: This fee offsets the cost to the cooperative when members don’t pay their electric bills on time. Any account whose monthly electric payment is not paid on time will be charged a late fee on the next bill. This fee will be 5 percent of the most recent electric energy charge, customer charge and PCRF.
Member Number: A unique number that identifies your membership in the CoServ cooperative. You will only have one member number, regardless of the number of accounts you have. If you relocate to a new address within the CoServ service area you will retain your member number.
Multiplier: This refers to a mechanism within the meter. Sometimes when a location has a high amount of usage, the meter's dials/numbers are required to turn numerous times. To prevent this, the mechanism slows down the meter. To calculate actual usage, the kWh registered on this meter are multiplied by a number (also called the multiplier) to determine the true usage.
PCRF (Power Cost Recovery Factor)/WPCA (Wholesale Power Cost Adjustment): A correction or modification of a member's monthly electric bill, caused by an increase or decrease in the cost of the cooperative's fuel supply (wholesale power). This adjustment eliminates the need for a new rate approval each time fuel costs change.
Watts: Measure of the rate of work done by electricity. Watts = volts x amps. One horsepower = approximately 746 watts.
Wholesale power: Electricity sold in bulk quantity to distribution systems by the suppliers who generate it.
CoServ Gas Billing Terms
Ccf:One hundred cubic feet.
Customer Number: A unique number that identifies you as a CoServ gas customer. You will only have one customer number, regardless of the number of accounts you have. If you relocate to a new address within the CoServ service area you will retain your customer number.
Mcf: One thousand cubic feet.
Meter Multiplier: While most houses are gas piped for a 2 pound system, gas meters are only calibrated to 4 ounces. The meter multiplier is used to convert between ounces and the 2 pound system.
Purchased Gas Cost(s): The total cost of Purchased Gas Volumes, as received into CoServ's distribution systems.
Purchase Gas Factor (PGF): The PGF reflects CoServ's estimated Purchase Gas Cost during the most recent service period. The PGF does not include any profit or mark-up, but does include a service charge for delivering gas to the customer. This service charge is generated by the gas supplier and passed on to CoServ Gas. Because complete information regarding CoServ's Purchase Gas Cost is not available at the time bills are sent, the PGF is an estimate. Any over charges are refunded after the end of the year. Likewise, undercharges are surcharged in the new year.
Purchased Gas Volumes: The volumes of gas, expressed in Mcfs, purchased by CoServ and received into CoServ's distribution systems from all sources, including withdrawals from storage, and excluding gas injected into storage.
Usage: The volume of gas used by a customer during the billing cycle, measured in Ccfs.
