Rates & Tariffs for RG&E in New York State
The RG&E pricing, rates & tariffs will add up to how much you pay on your bill. These charges evolve on a regular basis, and their value can be verified on the RG&E official website, or on the website of the New York State Public Service Commission. Here we show these rates & tariffs, and make bill estimations for typical users.
RG&E Rate Choices
On the RG&E | Pricing and Rates page, RG&E proposes the Time-Of-Use rate from which you can choose, if your home has a Time-of-Use meter.
Time-of-Use Service Rate
Firstly, you are only eligible for this rate if your home is equiped with a Time-of-Use meter (a meter with a clock to separate the kWh counted during the day and during the night). This is not the case for most houses. You may ask for it to be installed, but this must be discussed with RG&E.
This rate is only advantageous if you use your electricity at night, between 9 pm and 7 am during the week, and all day during the week-end (this represents 58% of the week). Nevertheless, most of your electricity is used during the day and during dinner time, and not at night, therefore this in terms of kWh usage,this number may be significantly lower than 58%. There is no data available for the typical hourly usage of electricity for households in the the state of New York (or even in the whole U.S.), therefore it is difficult to give you an estimate. You must calculate what is your hourly consumption during a whole day of typical electricity consumption, and you will find out if this rate is advantageous for you.
In addition to this, you will also have to pay an extra meter charge of $3. Also, the delivery charge per kWh is slightly higher (0.039$/kWh instead of 0.036$/kWh); for an average consumption of 548kWh (NY average in 2010), this amounts to a 1.6$/month increase on your bill.
Typical Rates & Tariffs
Service Classification SC1
Each different type of customer (residential, commercial or industrial) will be assigned to a different type of service classification. Different types of usages will also help define the Service Classification (time of use plans for example). Most residential customers are put in the SC1 service classification. We have therefore used the SC1 rates & tariffs in this example to make typical bill estimations.
Bill Estimation per House Size
Your electricity consumption will depend on the size of your home, and the number of people living there. Here we have made estimations on your monthly usage for different home sizes, and estimated your monthly electricity bill.
| Number people in the house | Monthly electricity consumption of the house (kWh) (EIA - 2009 data) | Monthly bill ($) (January 2015 data) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 419 | 72 |
| 2 | 672 | 101 |
| 3 | 764 | 112 |
| 4 | 861 | 123 |
| 5 | 954 | 134 |
| 6 or more | 1044 | 144 |
| New York State average | 548 | 87 |
Bill for a typical 548 kWh usage
Your bill will be approximately 87$/month with RG&E, based on the New York State average electricity usage per month of 548 kWh.
Compared to other utilities in New York State, RG&E is the rather cheap:
| Utility Company | Bill estimation for 548 kWh/month average NY usage (January 2015 data) |
|---|---|
| Central Hudson | 118 |
| ConEdison | 164 |
| National Grid | 92 |
| NYSEG | 83 |
| Orange & Rockland | 147 |
| PSEG Long Island | 134 |
| RG&E | 87 |
Detailed explanation of each charge
In the state of NY, the electricity usage in a typical household is approximately 548 kWh. Here is an detailed list of the rates & tariffs you will find in your RG&E bill:
| Rate | Pro rata price ($/kWh) (January 2015 data) | Total price for 548 kWh typical usage ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Delivery rates | ||
| Basic service charge | - | 21.38 |
| Delivery service charge | 0.036 | 19.57 |
| Billing charge | - | 0.95 |
| Revenue decoupling mechanism | -0.00094 | -0.52 |
| Delivery tariffs (state surcharges) | ||
| Temporary state assessment surcharge | 0.002 | 1.11 |
| System benefits charge | 0.0035 | 1.89 |
| Renewable portfolio standard | 0.0032 | 1.77 |
| Transition Charge | -0.0083 | -4.54 |
| Taxes (delivery) | 7% | 2.91 |
| Total electric delivery charge | 44.53 | |
| Supply rates | ||
| Market price charge (Dec 15, 2014 value) | 0.067 | 36.72 |
| Merchant function charge | 0.0054 | 2.98 |
| Supply tariffs (state surcharges) | ||
| Taxes (supply) | 7% | 2.78 |
| Total electric supply charge | 42.48 | |
| Total electric charge | 87.02 |
Distribution of rates & tariffs for delivery and supply
For the typical charges just described in the table above, here is a donut chart of the distribution of the utility rates and tariffs (for the delivery and supply portions of the bill).
Description of Rates
Rates / RG&E charges: rates are fixed by the utility company, in this case RG&E. You are billed by the utility company firstly for the delivery, secondly for the supply of electricity (if you haven't chosen an alternate retail energy supplier), and thirdly for related adjustment charges. These delivery and supply charges are divided between electric rates and gas rates.
Delivery Rates:
Delivery rates are the charges per kWh which pay for the routing of the electricity or gas from the source of the power generation to your premise.
Delivery rates
- Basic Service Charge: this charge is fixed each month, and is the same no matter how much electricity you consume each month. This pays for fixed maintenance costs, such as maintaining the grid, or sending a technician to read or repair your meter on a regular basis, for example.
- Delivery Service Charge: an amount which is charged to you in $/kWh, it is proportional to how much electricity you have used, like most other charges and state surcharges. This charge pays for delivering the electricity from the power plant to your premise.
- Billing charge: this charge pays for creating your bill, sending it to you, and processing your monthly payment.
- Revenue Decoupling Mechanism (RDM): RG&E and most other New York State electricity & gas utilities make yearly previsions on the revenues from the delivery service. If the targets for these delivery revenues are reached, the extra is repaid to the customer, and if the targets are not reached, the default is paid by the customers.
Supply Rates:
Supply rates are the charges per kWh which pay for the price of the actual electricity or gas you use in your home. These will change if you switch to an alternate supplier.
- Market Price Supply Charge: This is the only charge that pays for the purchase of the electricity itself, from the electricity production companies. It is the price at which the electricity is offered on the market.
- Merchant Function Charges (MFC): this is a charge for RG&E's cost to procure the electricity (paying for the employees who buy the electricity at the best price for example). RG&E will not bill you this charge either if you choose an alternate supplier.
For more information on the rates & tariffs that appear on your bill, and how to understand them, read our page Understanding your bill with RG&E.
Description of Tariffs
Tariffs / State surcharges: state surcharges are state mandated. They are what the state charges you. The Public Service Commission (PSC) has utility tariffs for Electric, Gas, Water, and Telecommunication companies which have a professional activity in New York State. They include the sales tax and the gross revenue tax in applicable, as well as charges which pay programs such as energy efficiency, renewable energy incentives, and other funds.
- New York State Assessment (NYSA): also called the Temporary State Assessment Surcharge (TSAS), this is a state-mandated charge which pays for the requirements in Section 18-a of the Public Service Law: energy conservation and utility service conservation.
- System Benefits Charge (SBC): incentivizes energy efficiency.
- Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS): this tariff incentivizes renewable energy goals set by the state of New York.
- Transition surcharge (TS): this state surcharge exists to help the transition from a state regulated market to a liberalized market. It pays for making the electricity industry more competitive. It also includes other associated charges or credits.
More information on Tariffs / State Surcharges on the following page: New York State Surcharges.