The two versions of a National Grid NY bill
Upstate (Niagara Mohawk legacy)
Combined electric + gas on a single bill. Both fuels show separate delivery and supply lines. Typical residential summary 4 pages.
NYC + Long Island (KeySpan / Brooklyn Union Gas legacy)
Natural gas only. Same template, but with no electric meter, no electric delivery and no electric supply lines. Electricity comes on a separate Con Edison or PSEG Long Island bill.
Page 1: account summary
Page 1 is the executive summary. Verify these five blocks on every bill:
- ·Account information: account number, service address, billing period.
- ·Previous balance + payment received: charges and payments since last bill.
- ·Current charges: the bill for the period.
- ·Amount due: equal to current charges if the previous bill was paid in full. If not, a 1.5% adjustment is added on the unpaid portion (this is the source of those mysterious small "adjustment" lines).
- ·Message center: a paragraph of free-text alerts (late notice, rate-change advisory, EAP reminder).
Page 2: delivery services (where most of the bill is)
The delivery section is where National Grid is paid for the wires and pipes. It is what the NY PSC regulates and approves rate-case by rate-case. The line items below appear on every NY bill, with electric and gas in separate blocks if you are upstate.
Electric delivery (upstate only)
- ·Meter information: current and previous reading, days in period, total kWh used;
- ·Rate code: typically SC-1 non-heat for most homes;
- ·Basic service charge: flat monthly amount regardless of usage;
- ·Delivery service charge: per-kWh cost of transporting electricity to the home;
- ·SBC + RPS: System Benefits Charge (energy efficiency) and Renewable Portfolio Standard;
- ·Legacy transition charge: refund or charge for pre-2001 supply contracts and the NYPA hydropower discount;
- ·RDM (Revenue Decoupling Mechanism) and Transmission Revenue Adjustment: small refunds or recoveries against forecast revenue;
- ·Tariff surcharge: state and municipal taxes on National Grid revenue;
- ·Sales tax: state and local sales tax on electricity.
Gas delivery (all NY footprints)
- ·Meter information: cubic feet (CCF) read, conversion factor to therm;
- ·Rate code: usually SC-1 residential heat;
- ·Basic service charge: flat monthly after first 3 therms;
- ·Over/Last X therms: per-therm delivery charge for usage above the first 3 therms;
- ·Weather normalisation adjustment: small charge/credit for cold-month deviations from the 30-year average;
- ·Delivery service adjustment: bundle of small items including pipeline refunds, R&D surcharge, RDM, deferral credits;
- ·SBC + state assessment + tariff surcharge + sales tax: same family as electric.
Page 3: supply services (where you can actually save)
The supply section is the cost of the actual energy. Unlike delivery, you can shop it. If you stay on National Grid's default supply, the lines below come straight from the monthly wholesale auction.
Electricity supply (upstate)
- ·Electricity supply: market-clearing price for the month, in cents per kWh;
- ·Merchant Function Charge: National Grid's procurement fee; disappears if you switch to an ESCO;
- ·ESRM: smoothing line for cold-month wholesale spikes; can be positive or negative;
- ·Tariff surcharge + sales tax: same as delivery.
Gas supply (all NY footprints)
- ·Gas supply: National Grid's wholesale gas cost plus pipeline transport;
- ·Merchant Function: avoidable if you pick an ESCO for the supply line;
- ·Tariff surcharge + sales tax: same family.
Page 4: definitions and remit slip
Page 4 is the lexicon page: each line item from the previous pages is defined in plain language. Use it once when you first read a National Grid bill, then ignore unless something unexpected appears.
The bottom of every bill carries the payment stub for mail or in-person payments. Tear it off and enclose with your check (made payable to "Electricity and Gas payments") to P.O. Box 11742, Newark, NJ 07101-4742.
Frequently asked questions
If you did not pay the previous bill in full, National Grid adds a 1.5% adjustment on the unpaid amount. It is a late-payment fee labelled as an adjustment.
CCF is the volume the meter reads (hundred cubic feet). Therm is the heat-content unit National Grid bills you on. A conversion factor (typically near 1.02) shows up on the bill itself.
Yes. Switch the supply portion to an ESCO. National Grid stops procuring energy for you, so the Merchant Function Charge drops off both the electric and gas supply lines.
Yes. National Grid is gas only in NYC and on Long Island. Electricity arrives on a Con Edison bill (NYC) or PSEG Long Island bill.
Two big levers: reduce kWh and therms (efficiency), and shop the supply line against PSC-certified ESCOs. The delivery line is regulated and not negotiable.
More U.S. states with energy choice
Same playbook, different utility. Pick another deregulated state to compare utilities, suppliers and switching rules.
