Kelly B. from Riverside CA. Newer member here and feeling like I'm missing hidden charges in utility tariffs. Just completed my first commercial audit for a SoCal Edison Schedule TOU-GS-3-A customer and found the obvious stuff - demand charges, energy blocks, power factor penalties. But the total bill still doesn't reconcile perfectly. Are there other riders or fees that don't show up in the main rate schedule?
Hidden fees in tariffs - what am I missing?
Kira J. in Portland. California has tons of hidden riders that are easy to miss. Look for the Public Purpose Programs charge, the Nuclear Decommissioning charge, and the Wildfire Fund charge - these show up as separate line items but are based on kWh usage. SoCal Edison also has a bunch of CPUC-mandated surcharges that aren't always in the main tariff sheets.
Angela R. in San Antonio. Don't forget about franchise fees and gross receipts taxes - these are usually a percentage of the total bill and can add 3-6% to the final amount. In Texas, we also have transmission and distribution service provider charges that vary by utility territory. Each state has its own quirks with these pass-through charges.
Randy D. here with some additional California-specific items to check: 1) CAM (Cost Allocation Mechanism) charges for transmission projects, 2) PCIA (Power Charge Indifference Adjustment) if the customer was previously on CCA service, 3) Energy Resource Recovery Account charges, 4) California Climate Credit seasonal adjustments. These can add up to $0.02-0.04/kWh in total surcharges. Also verify you're using the correct voltage level - primary vs secondary service has different rate structures even within the same schedule.
Steve Y. in Raleigh. Similar issues here with Duke Energy's rider schedules. We have fuel cost recovery, transmission cost recovery, renewable energy portfolio standard cost recovery, plus state and local taxes. I created a checklist of every possible rider and fee for each utility I work with. Takes forever to set up initially but saves hours during audits.
This is incredibly helpful everyone! Kira J., I found the Public Purpose Programs charge buried on page 47 of the tariff book - $0.0021/kWh I was missing. Randy D., the PCIA charge was the big one - this customer switched from clean energy provider back to SoCal Edison last year and has been paying $0.0087/kWh adjustment. Steve Y., would love to see your checklist format if you're willing to share.
Lloyd S. from Independence MO. Evergy has what they call "miscellaneous charges" that include everything from vegetation management to storm recovery costs. These change quarterly and you have to dig into the tariff supplements to find current rates. Missouri PSC makes utilities file these separately but they don't always get updated in the main tariff documents right away.
Beth H. in Jacksonville FL. JEA has a storm recovery rider that's been in effect for three years but isn't prominently listed in their online rate schedules. Only found it when I called to verify some charges. Sometimes you have to dig into the actual ordinances or PUC orders to find these temporary riders that become permanent.
Final update: Between everyone's suggestions I found an additional $2,847 in annual charges I was missing. The client was thrilled since it explained the discrepancies in their budget projections. This forum is amazing for learning all the utility-specific quirks. Kelly B. signing off with much gratitude!