Glossary

If you don’t understand one of the terms on your monthly CoServ bill, search our glossary for a detailed explanation.

General Terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Account Number:
A unique number that identifies your electric and/or gas account. Whenever you contact CoServ, have this number ready so we can quickly locate your records. You’ll also use this number when paying your bill in person.

Your account number correlates to your service address. So, if you have more than one service address, you have more than one account number. If you move to a new address within our service area, you’ll receive a different account number.

Account Balance:
The total amount you owe CoServ. This is the same as Total Amount Due. It includes the unpaid amount from your previous statement plus the Current Charges.

Actual Usage:
The amount of energy you used during the billing period. We calculate this number by reading your meter in person or through an automated meter reading device at your service address.

Adjusted Usage:
The amount of energy you used determined by an actual reading performed after an estimated reading to make sure the estimated reading was accurate.

Amount Past Due:
The remaining amount you owe CoServ from your previous bill(s).

Bill Number:
A unique number assigned to each bill.

Billing Address:
The address where we send your bill. This address may be different from your Service Address.

City Sales Tax:
A tax set by the city of your service location.

Connection Fee:
A charge for processing your request for a new meter, additional meter or security light.

Current Bill Due Date:
To prevent disconnection of your service, make sure CoServ receives your payment by this date.

Current Charges:
The amount due based on energy usage during the most recent 28- to 33-day period (your billing cycle). This is only one component of the Total Amount Due.

For CoServ Electric members, the Current Charges line item includes:

Electric Energy Charge
Applicable taxes (such as sales tax or the Franchise Fee)

For CoServ Gas customers, Current Charges include:

Customer Charge
Usage Charge
PGF
Applicable taxes (such as sales tax, the Franchise Fee and Gross Receipts Tax)

For all members and customers, Current Charges do not include:

Service fees
Prior unpaid balance

Current Reading:
Taken on the “Service To” date, this number is the meter reading of the amount of electricity or gas (measured in kWh and Ccfs, respectively) that you used during the billing cycle. The reading may be actual, estimated or adjusted.

Customer Charge:
This item is included in your Electric Energy Charge and covers utility expenses not directly related to the generation or delivery of electricity or gas, such as billing, meter reading, equipment, administration and customer service. If you receive both electric and gas service from CoServ, you pay two Customer Charges because you have two meters supported by two different types of equipment.

Customer Number:
A unique number that identifies you as a member or customer of CoServ. You will only have one Customer Number, regardless of how many accounts you have. If you move to a new address within our service area, you will keep the same Customer Number.

Estimated Usage:
The amount of energy you used determined by an estimate of your past energy consumption at this location. We may need to estimate your usage if we’re unable to access your meter.

Final Bill:
The last bill for service at your location. We will mail it to any address you request. Or, if you transfer service to another location within our service area, we will transfer the final bill amount to your new account.

Franchise Fee:
A fee that CoServ pays to your city for using/occupying the public right-of-way. Only those customers who live in a city that requires CoServ to pay this charge have a Franchise Fee on their bill.

Interest Applied:
If CoServ requires you to pay a deposit when setting up service, the deposit will accrue interest (unless we refund the deposit within 30 days after receiving it). The state of Texas determines the annual interest rate.

Meter Number:
Unique number used to identify the meter at your service location. (A meter is the device that measures your energy consumption. If you receive both electric and gas services from CoServ, you have two separate meters.)

Operation Roundup®:
Participating customers’ bills are rounded up to the nearest dollar, and the extra change (the Operation Roundup line item) is donated to the CoServ Charitable Foundation, which supports worthy causes right here in your community. You may opt in or out of Operation Roundup by contacting Customer Service.

Previous Reading:
This number is the meter reading of the amount of electricity or gas (measured in kWh and Ccfs, respectively) that you used during the previous billing cycle. The reading may be actual, estimated or adjusted.

Payments Received:
Total amount of funds CoServ has received from the last billing cycle up to the date the bill was generated.

Previous Statement Balance:
Total amount you owed on your previous bill. If it hasn’t been paid, this line item is the same as Amount Past Due.

Rate Code:
Shows your customer classification (residential, commercial, industrial, wind, or public building). This code designates your rate.

Service Address:
Address where your electricity and/or gas usage is being measured. This is the same address of your meter location(s).

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:
Indicates when your statement was printed. This is several days after the last day of your billing cycle.

Total Amount Due:
The total amount you owe CoServ. This is the same as Account Balance. It includes the unpaid amount from your previous statement plus the Current Charges.

Electric Terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Deposit:
This may be required when: 1) you set up new service, or 2) your service is disconnected because we didn’t receive payment. A deposit is not a prepayment of your bill. You must still pay each month for the energy you use. We hold your deposit until:

Your account is closed, or
We receive payment for 12 consecutive bills (for residential customers) or 24 consecutive bills (for commercial/industrial customers) without disconnecting service for nonpayment and without receiving a late payment more than twice. You must also pay the current bill on time.

At that point, we will automatically refund your deposit plus accrued interest. Note: If you transfer service to another location within our service area, we will apply your deposit to the new location. Or, if you close your account, we will apply your deposit and accrued interest to the final amount due and refund the remaining deposit balance.

Electric Energy Charge:
The amount of electricity you used (in kWh) multiplied by your rate. This charge includes wholesale power cost factor (PCRF) adjustments and fixed costs associated with delivery (Customer Charge).

kW Demand:
A measure of the average rate at which you consume electricity, or the maximum amount of power you need at a single point in time. This mainly applies to commercial/industrial members (or residential members who use significant amounts of electricity). These members have a demand meter to measure this portion of their bill. If you don’t have a demand meter, the kW Demand field on your bill is 0.00.

kW Demand Charge:
The portion of your bill based on the maximum amount of power you need at a single point in time. This charge is calculated based on the billing demand charges under the applicable rate schedule. Note: This charge does not apply to most residential members. See “kW Demand” above.

kW (kilowatt):
1,000 watts of electric power

kWh (kilowatt hour):
The standard measure we use to determine how much electricity you consumed. It literally translates to 1,000 watts of electricity used for one hour.

kWh Used (kilowatt hours used):
The amount of electricity (in kWh) you used during the billing cycle. We calculate this 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 isn’t made on time will be charged a late fee on the next bill. The fee is 5 percent of the most recent Electric Energy Charge. For more information about why we have this policy, see the late fee question and answer in our FAQs.

Member:
CoServ Electric’s term for “customer.” As a cooperative, we are owned by the people we serve. Legally, a member is anyone 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. In order to receive electric service, you must first become a member of our cooperative. See the benefits members enjoy. Access the bylaws through your CoServ Online account.

Meter Multiplier:
For locations that use a large amount of electricity, the Meter Multiplier number helps us accurately measure kWh usage. To calculate actual usage, we multiply the kWh registered on the meter by the Meter Multiplier number.

PCRF (Power Cost Recovery Factor):
An adjustment to your bill based on our wholesale cost of power. To determine, we multiply the factor by the amount of electricity you used during the billing cycle (kWh Used). When our wholesale power costs go up, the PCRF increases, and vice versa. If the PCRF becomes negative (because wholesale power costs decrease), we still multiply it by your kWh Used – but, instead of charging you this amount, we subtract it from your bill.

The PCRF allows CoServ to adjust for changes in wholesale fuel costs. Because wholesale costs can fluctuate from month to month, CoServ can use the PCRF to more accurately calculate your bill.

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 (by the suppliers who generate it) to distributors like CoServ.

Gas Terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

AHDDs (Actual Heating Degree Days):
100 cubic feet. The standard measure we use to determine how much gas you consumed during a billing cycle.

Ccf:
100 cubic feet. The standard measure we use to determine how much gas you consumed during a billing cycle.

CDD (Cooling Degree Day):

A form of degree day used to estimate energy requirements for air conditioning or refrigeration. Typically, cooling degree days are calculated as how much warmer the mean temperature at a location is than 65 degrees on a given day. For example, if a location experiences a mean temperature of 75 degrees on a certain day, there were 10 CDD (Cooling Degree Days) that day because 75 - 65 = 10.

DD (Degree Day):

A unit of measure for recording how hot or how cold it has been over a 24 hour period.

Your account is closed, or
We receive payment for 12 consecutive bills without disconnecting service for nonpayment and without receiving a late payment more than twice. You must also pay the current bill on time.

Gross Receipts Tax:
A tax charged by the state of Texas on the gross revenues of a utility doing business in a city with a population greater than 1,000. This is a pass-through charge based on your gas usage.

HDD (Heating Degree Day):

A form of degree day used to estimate energy requirements for heating. Typically, heating degree days are calculated as how much colder the mean temperature at a location is than 65 degrees on a given day. For example, if a location experiences a mean temperature of 55 degrees on a certain day, there were 10 HDD (Heating Degree Days) that day because 65 - 55 = 10.

HL (Heating Load):

The total heat per unit time that must be supplied in order to maintain a specified temperature in any space, building, or group of buildings.

Meter Multiplier:
While most homes are gas-piped for a 2-pound system, gas meters are only calibrated to 4 ounces. The Meter Multiplier number converts between ounces and the 2-pound system to determine how much gas you used.

NHDDs (Normal Heating Degree Days):

The number of HDDs recorded by NOAA based on 10 year average.

NHL (Normalized Heating Load):

The volume of natural gas a Customer would consume during cool weather just for heating their homes or businesses assuming that the weather was normal, as defined by the NOAA.

PGF (Purchased Gas Factor):
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. However, we adjust any over-charges or under-charges each month. Get more details on the PGF.

Rate Case Expense:
A pass-through fee from your city based on your gas usage. It pays for charges your city incurred while participating in “rate case” proceedings.

Usage:
How much gas you used during the billing cycle, measured in Ccfs.

Usage Charge:
The portion of the service charge based on how much gas you used during the billing cycle.

Weather Normalization Adjustment (WNA):
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 colder or warmer than normal. When weather is colder than normal, the WNA will reduce the Ccf usage charge to a normal level. When weather is warmer than normal, it will increase the Ccf usage charge to a normal level.