Basic Chgs 545 Sheet r4
1/30/06
2:47 PM
Page 1
Residential Basic Charge
SCE’S BASIC CHARGE FOR
RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMERS
THE BASIC CHARGE AND THE
MINIMUM CHARGE
Southern California Edison’s (SCE) basic charge for
residential customers is the California Public Utilities
Commission’s (CPUC) approved method for SCE to
recover some of the costs associated with providing
essential services, such as billing, equipment installation
and maintenance, and meter reading. This daily basic
charge ensures that all SCE residential customers,
regardless of their monthly use, contribute toward the
recovery of these costs. It’s a fair and inexpensive way
to keep your SCE power delivery system working
for you.
The minimum charge is energy-related, and is assessed
on bills only when the customer uses less than about
15 kilowatt-hours (kWh) in a billing period. For these
customers, the basic charge is applied towards the
minimum charge.
BASIC CHARGE AMOUNT
The average monthly basic charge is 99 cents (3.3 cents
per day) for single-family residential dwellings, and
75 cents (2.5 cents per day) for multi-family dwellings
(such as apartments, condominiums, etc.).
WHY IS THERE A BASIC CHARGE?
The expenses incurred by SCE for equipment
installation and maintenance, meter reading, and
billing services are relatively fixed; they do not vary
according to your electricity use levels. By recovering a
portion of these necessary expenditures through the
daily basic charge, instead of through energy charges
(which do vary by levels of use), the costs are
distributed fairly among ratepayers.
HOW THE BASIC CHARGE IS BILLED
The basic charge applies to all residential customers
except those on Rate Schedule TOU-D-2, who already
pay a similar charge.
DO OTHER UTILITIES HAVE CHARGES
SIMILAR TO THE BASIC CHARGE?
Yes, they do. Most other California utilities—phone,
water, gas—have similar charges to recover costs for
keeping accounts open. Many electric utilities outside
California also have similar charges.
CALIFORNIA ALTERNATE RATES
FOR ENERGY (D-CARE) DISCOUNT AND
THE BASIC CHARGE
The basic charge for D-CARE customers is reduced by
20%. Thus, the average monthly basic charge for
D-CARE customers residing in single-family dwellings is
80 cents instead of 99 cents, and 60 cents instead of
75 cents for multi-family dwellings (such as apartments
and condominiums).
FOR MORE INFORMATION
SCE offers programs to help you better manage your
electricity costs, such as rebates, incentives, energy
surveys, and payment options. If you have questions
about the basic charge, or about our energy-saving
programs, please call (800) 684-8123, or visit us
at www.sce.com.
This information sheet is meant to be an aid to understanding SCE’s pricing schedules. It does not replace the
CPUC-approved tariffs. Please refer to the individual rate schedule of interest for a complete list of terms and
conditions of service, which can be viewed online at www.sce.com.
WWW.SCE.COM
545-R-0106