Breaking down your bill - Solar Net Billing

Payment Summary

A snapshot of your account showing your previous balance, payments received, current billing cycle charges, total amount due, and your payment due date.

If payment is not made by the date listed on your bill, a 1.5% late fee will apply. You can avoid late fees by enrolling in automatic payments here.

Billed Usage History

This graph shows how much electric energy you used each month over the past year. The first letter of each month is displayed at the bottom of the graph.

Energy

The energy from the grid (delivered) and energy sent to your solar system (received) is grouped into three categories based on the time of day (Off-Peak, Mid-Peak, and On-Peak) and the season (Summer or Winter). The delivered energy here corresponds to the lines for "Charge" below, and the received energy here corresponds to lines for "Credit" below.

Summer

June 1 – October 31

Summer time-of-use rates
Off-peak11 PM to 8 AM Mid-peak8 AM to 4 PM On-peak4 PM to 7 PM Mid-peak7 PM to 11 PM
Charges per kWh $0.1215 $0.2277 $0.3562 $0.2277
Credits per kWh $0.0702 $0.0825 $0.1186 $0.0825

Winter

November 1 – May 31

Winter time-of-use rates
Off-peak11 PM to 8 AM Mid-peak8 AM to 11 PM
Charges per kWh $0.1215 $0.2277
Credits per kWh $0.0696 $0.0696

What is "self-utilization" and why does it matter?
"Solar self-utilization" is the share of your solar production that powers your home in real time, rather than flowing back to the grid. The more you can shift your usage — running appliances, pool pump, charging an EV, etc. — to match when your solar system is producing, the higher your self-utilization and value you get out of your solar system.

For each category, you'll see:

  • Electricity Delivered – The amount of electricity BWP supplied to your property.
  • Solar Energy Received – The amount of electricity your solar system sent back to BWP.
  • Net Usage – The difference between the electricity delivered and the solar energy received. This is for informational purposes only as it is not used to determine your bill.

Solar Credits

Net Usage

The first solar-related line item on your bill is Net Usage, which shows the difference between the electricity delivered and the solar energy received.

Carried-Over Solar Credits

If you have unused solar credits from a previous billing cycle, they will appear here. These dollar-value credits are automatically applied to your current bill before any remaining charges are calculated.

Solar Charges for This Billing Cycle

Your bill includes separate line items for each time-of-use category: Off-Peak, Mid-Peak, and On-Peak. Within each category, you'll see a Charge, which represents the electricity BWP delivered to your property, followed by a Credit, which represents the electricity your solar system sent back to the grid. Together, these line items determine your net charges or credits for the billing period.

Solar Credit Balance

If your solar system earned more money than you were charged during the billing cycle, the excess amount will appear as your Solar Credit Balance. These credits will automatically carry over and be applied to your next bill. On your next bill, they will appear as the Carried-Over Solar Credits line item.

Other Charges on Your Bill

ECAC Charge

The Energy Cost Adjustment Charge (ECAC) is a charge which may be adjusted, per the city of Burbank's Rules and Regulations, as BWP's costs to produce and provide power increase or decrease. These causes include fluctuating natural gas prices or high demand during a heat wave or extreme cold spells. ECAC can be adjusted up or down by no more than 10% per month.

Usage and ECAC Subtotal

The Usage and ECAC Subtotal combines your electric usage charges and the ECAC charge. The Usage and ECAC Subtotal + Service Charge equals the amount used to calculate the In-Lieu Transfer, State Energy Surcharge, and Utility Users Tax. This subtotal is shown as a separate line item to help explain how these charges are determined.

Service Charge

A monthly charge to ensure BWP's continuing ability to meet customer demand, may include Service Size charge. The electric service charge is detailed on our fee schedule, specifically on page 167.

In-Lieu Transfer

A 7% charge on retail electric sales. This is noted in the city's charter, under section 610. This transfer includes 5.5% to the city general fund for street maintenance and 1.5% is for maintaining the city's street lights.

State Energy Surcharge

Revenue collected and deposited into the Energy Resources Programs account of the state's General Fund and is used for ongoing energy programs and projects deemed appropriate by the Legislature, including but not limited to, activities of the California Energy Commission (CEC). This amount is calculated by taking your total monthly electric consumption recorded by kWh and multiplying it by .0003. See the state's Energy Resources (Electrical Energy) Surcharge Guide.

Utility Users Tax

A city tax applied to each electric charge or fee, i.e. Energy Charges, Service Charge, Collection Fees, and Tampering Fees. The utility users tax is Burbank voter approved and allows for 7% of electric revenues to be transferred to the city's general fund for services such as Police, Fire, Library and Parks. See more information.

Electric Services Total

The Electric Service Total is the total amount due for your electric service during the current billing cycle.

Solar Performance Meter

The solar performance meter tracks how much energy (kWh) your solar system produced in the current billing cycle.

Water Usage Graph

This graph shows how much water you used each month over the past year. The first letter of each month is displayed at the bottom of the graph. Note: Each HCF is equivalent to 748 gallons.

Water Service Details

This table provides more details on your water charges. For more information on these line items, see our explanation of these terms and current water rates.

Explanation of terms

Electric Demand (kVA) – An amount reflecting peak usage during the month.

Energy Cost Adjustment Charge (ECAC) – a charge which may be adjusted, per the city of Burbank’s Rules and Regulations, as BWP’s costs to produce and provide power increase or decrease. These causes include fluctuating natural gas prices or high demand during a heat wave or extreme cold spells. ECAC can be adjusted up or down by no more than 10% per month.

Hcf (hundred cubic feet) – A billing unit of water equivalent to 748 gallons.

In-Lieu Transfer – A 7% charge on retail electric sales. This is noted in the city’s charter, under section 610. This transfer includes 5.5% to the city general fund for street maintenance and 1.5% is for maintaining the city’s street lights.

kWh (kilowatt-hour) – A billing unit of electric energy equivalent to one 100-watt light bulb burning ten hours.

Service Charge – A monthly charge to ensure BWP’s continuing ability to meet customer demand, may include Service Size charge. The electric service charge is detailed on our fee schedule, specifically on page 167.

State Energy Surcharge – Revenue collected and deposited into the Energy Resources Programs account of the state’s General Fund and is used for ongoing energy programs and projects deemed appropriate by the Legislature, including but not limited to, activities of the California Energy Commission (CEC). This amount is calculated by taking your total monthly electric consumption recorded by kWh and multiplying it by .0003. See the state's Energy Resources (Electrical Energy) Surcharge Guide.

Utility Users Tax – A city tax applied to each electric charge or fee, ie, Energy Charges, Service Charge, Collection Fees, and Tampering Fees. The utility users tax is Burbank voter approved and allows for 7% of electric revenues to be transferred to the city’s general fund for services such as Police, Fire, Library and Parks. See more information.
 

Electric and Water Rates May Change

Click here to view our up to date fee schedule. Scroll to the bottom of the page and find the fee schedule under the "Additional Documents" section.