A step-by-step guide
There’s a lot of useful information packed into the bill we send you every month.
At first glance, you may think your monthly bill is a little complicated. Upon closer inspection, it’s actually pretty easy to understand.
First thing to understand is that BPU sends you a single monthly bill that covers electric, water, sewer, and garbage pickup. Many other cities and towns would send you up to four separate bills you’d have to keep track of.
Okay. Ready to learn more about your bill? Watch this short video. Or just mouse over any colored area on the below graphic for everything you need to know!
QUICK ACCOUNT INFO:
Your account number, name on the account, service address and billing date for easy reference and filing.
UG CHARGES:
Imposed by the Unified Government, these service fees are collected thru the BPU billing process and then remitted back to the UG.
Stormwater Management:
This UG fee appeared on your bill starting in March 2009 as a result of federal mandates for localities to have a stormwater management plan. For more information on this UG charge, please call 913-573-5400.
Trash Removal Service:
BPU collects this fee and remits it to the UG for trash pick-up and recycling. For more information on this UG charge, please call 913-573-5311.
PILOT:
City ordinance requires BPU to pay a portion of its revenues to the UG to fund city operations. Called the payment-in-lieu-of-taxes (PILOT), the UG sets this rate between 5 and 15 percent. For more information on this UG charge, please call 913-573-5400.
Water Pollution Abatement:
This is a sewage fee collected bu the UG. For more information on this UG charge, please call 913-573-1300.
TAXES:
All applicable city, state and county taxes.
IMPORTANT MESSAGES:
From energy saving tips to helpful contact information, this section provides quick reference for you each month.
DETAILED BPU CHARGES:
This section provides additional detail on BPU-specific charges on your bill. These are NOT additional charges.
What is the Enviromental Surcharge?
The ESC offsets new capital improvement requirements resulting from federal, state, and local environmental regulations. Determined on an annual basis, the ESC will only be used to recover BPU expenditures for environmental projects.
What is the ERC Charge?
The Energy Rate Component, or ERC, represents the utility’ cost of fuel used to generate electricity and the cost of power that must be purchased on the open market. The ERC changes every three months and is based on the actual fuel and purchased power costs that BPU pays. These costs are then incorporated into BPU customers’ electric bills. The charge is listed as a rider of the billing statement, separate from electric base rates.
BILL SUMMARY:
The total charges from the BPU, UG and Taxes sections.