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The 4 conceptual blocks of every RG&E bill

Strip away the visual layout and every RG&E bill is the same four conceptual blocks stacked on top of each other.

1. Account & balance

Who you are, what you owe this month, when it is due, what you owed last month, and whether a balance is being carried forward. Lives at the top of page 1.

2. Delivery (always RG&E)

Basic service charge, per-kWh delivery charge, billing charge, RDM, and state surcharges. Stays the same if you switch to an ESCO.

3. Supply (RG&E or ESCO)

The actual energy cost. Market price charge, merchant function charge, and supply tax. This is the half you can shop with a PSC-licensed ESCO.

4. Messages & usage

Notices from RG&E (rate changes, programs, EAP), a usage-history chart, and the back-of-bill definitions page.

Account summary (page 1)

Page 1 is the only page most customers ever read. It is also the page where bill mistakes are most often visible: a balance forward you do not recognize, a budget billing reconciliation that bumped your monthly amount, or a miscellaneous charge from a reconnection visit.

  • Account number, statement date, due date, amount due

    The four numbers that matter most. The statement date is when RG&E issued the bill; the due date is typically 23 days later.

  • Previous invoice

    What was on your last bill. Used as the basis for the balance-forward calculation.

  • Payments received

    Payments RG&E posted since the previous bill. If you paid in full, this matches the previous invoice.

  • Balance forward

    Any unpaid amount carried into this bill. If you see a balance forward you did not expect, call RG&E to reconcile before the late-payment fee accrues.

  • Miscellaneous charges

    Non-energy items: reconnection fees, returned-check fees, deposit applications. Detailed on a later page.

  • Budget billing amount

    If you are enrolled in budget billing, the flat monthly amount appears here. RG&E reconciles every few months and may adjust.

  • Auto-pay withdrawal date

    If you are enrolled in auto-pay, the date RG&E will draw from your bank account. Always before the due date.

  • Late-payment fee

    1.5% per month on any unpaid balance carried past the due date.

Electricity service block

Header line

Identifies the service type (residential), the rate code (e.g. SC-1), the supplier (RG&E default or your ESCO), the service period (from / to dates), the Point of Delivery ID (your meter address), and the meter information (number, current and previous reads, kWh consumed, billed days).

Electricity delivery charges

  • Basic service charge

    Fixed monthly charge. Covers meter reading, billing, and the cost of keeping you connected, regardless of consumption.

  • Delivery charge

    Per-kWh charge for transporting the electricity to your premises. Does not change if you switch to an ESCO.

  • Transition charge

    A credit or debit that reflects the gain or loss on RG&E's long-term legacy supply contracts. Often a small credit. Identical regardless of your supplier.

  • Revenue decoupling mechanism (RDM)

    Reconciles RG&E's actual delivery revenue against PSC targets. Can be a small charge or a small credit depending on the year.

  • Reliability support services charge

    A pass-through charge for any reliability-must-run units the PSC requires to be kept online in the territory. The amount is set in the rate-case order.

  • NY state assessment

    A state-mandated charge under Section 18-a of the Public Service Law. Funds PSC oversight and energy-conservation programs.

  • SBC / RPS charge

    System Benefits Charge and Renewable Portfolio Standard. Together they fund energy-efficiency programs, low-income assistance, energy R&D, and NY's renewable-energy goals.

Electricity supply charges

  • Supply charge

    The actual wholesale cost of electricity used during the billing period. If you stay on the RG&E default rate, this charge resets monthly through a wholesale auction. If you signed an ESCO contract, your contracted price replaces this line.

  • Merchant function charge (MFC)

    RG&E's cost to procure energy on your behalf. Drops to zero when you switch to an ESCO because the ESCO takes over procurement.

To compare an ESCO offer with RG&E. Add the supply charge + merchant function charge, divide by kWh used, and compare to the ESCO's per-kWh price for the same period. Do not include delivery, the basic service charge, or surcharges; those stay the same regardless of supplier.

Gas service block

The gas block mirrors the electricity block, with three differences. Gas usage is measured in ccf (hundred cubic feet) and converted to therms for pricing. The delivery rate is block-priced: the first few therms each month are included in the basic service charge, the next block carries a higher per-therm rate, and the rest is at a lower volumetric rate. A weather adjustment can be a charge or a credit, balancing for unusually warm or cold months between October and May.

  • Natural gas used (ccf)

    Volume in hundred cubic feet, as measured by the meter. RG&E converts to therms for the per-therm pricing (1 ccf ≈ 1.029 therms in most months).

  • Basic service charge (gas)

    A fixed monthly charge. The first few therms each month are included in this charge.

  • Delivery charge (gas)

    Block-priced: an initial volumetric block at a higher per-therm rate, then a lower per-therm rate for additional therms.

  • Weather adjustment

    Between October 1 and May 31, RG&E reconciles gas bills against normal weather. Colder than normal months produce a credit; warmer than normal months produce a small charge.

  • Research & development charge

    Under PSC Order in Case 99-G-1369, RG&E charges an R&D adjustment to fund gas-side research, capped on an annual basis.

  • Transition surcharge, RDM, NY state assessment, SBC (gas)

    Gas-side equivalents of the electricity surcharges. Same purpose: legacy supply reconciliation, revenue decoupling, state oversight, system benefits.

  • Natural gas supply charges

    Same structure as electricity: supply charge (wholesale cost) + merchant function charge (procurement cost). MFC drops if you switch to an ESCO for gas.

Usage history chart

Toward the back of the bill, RG&E shows a 13-month bar chart of your usage for electricity and gas. The chart is the easiest way to spot:

  • ·a meter that started reading higher than your historical baseline (failed thermostat, electric heater left on, malfunctioning appliance);
  • ·an estimated read (often flagged with an "E"); call RG&E and submit a manual read to correct it;
  • ·the seasonal pattern that drives the case for or against budget billing.

Compare your current month to the same month last year. A 30% jump with no change in the household is a red flag worth investigating before paying the bill.

5 things to watch on every bill

1

Estimated reads

An "E" next to the read means RG&E estimated rather than measured. After a billing-system change, estimated reads were a recurring cause of disputes in 2024. Submit a manual read on the app if you see one.

2

Balance forward you do not recognize

If a balance carried over and you believe you paid in full, call RG&E before the due date. Late-payment fees on a disputed balance still accrue while the dispute is open unless the PSC complaint route is used.

3

Service classification drift

If you see a different SC than what is in your usual classification, call RG&E. SC changes require written notice and you may be entitled to a refund of any over-collected amount.

4

ESCO charges you did not authorize

If a third-party ESCO appears as your supplier and you did not enroll, that is a "slamming" violation. File a PSC complaint with NY DPS at 1-800-342-3355.

5

Missed EAP discount

If you applied for HEAP and qualified, the EAP discount should appear on the delivery line. If it does not show within one or two billing cycles after HEAP approval, call RG&E and ask for the discount to be applied retroactively.

Frequently asked questions about reading your RG&E bill

The basic service charge (BSC) is a fixed monthly amount that does not depend on how much energy you used. It covers meter reading and maintenance, billing infrastructure, and the cost of keeping you connected to the grid. The exact amount is set in the PSC-approved tariff and is the same for every customer in your service classification.

Possible causes: the payment posted after the statement date, a partial payment, or a late-payment fee accrued before the payment cleared. Call RG&E at 1-800-743-2110 to reconcile. If the issue is not resolved, file a complaint with NY DPS at 1-800-342-3355.

Compare supply to supply only. Add the supply charge + merchant function charge from your RG&E bill, divide by kWh used, and compare to the ESCO's per-kWh price for the same period. Delivery, the basic service charge, and surcharges stay with RG&E regardless of supplier and should be excluded from the comparison.

RDM reconciles RG&E's actual delivery revenue against PSC targets. If revenue exceeds target, the surplus is credited to customers; if revenue falls short, the gap is collected. RDM removes RG&E's incentive to push more kWh through the wires so it can support energy-efficiency programs without losing revenue.

Following the 2024 service-quality review, the PSC required Avangrid to improve billing accuracy and transparency on both RG&E and NYSEG bills. The conceptual structure of the bill did not change; the focus has been on reducing estimated reads, clarifying disconnection notices, and making payment-plan options more visible. Always check your current bill against this guide and call RG&E or NY DPS if a line item is unclear or unexpected.

Gas delivery is block-priced. The first few therms each month are included in the basic service charge, the next block of therms is at a higher per-therm rate, and additional therms above that block are at a lower per-therm rate. The bill shows each block separately.

More about RG&E

RGE RG&E utility profile Phones, outage numbers, Avangrid family and service area. RATES Rates & tariffs How the customer charge, per-kWh and surcharges stack up. CLASSES Service classifications Every PSC service classification used by RG&E from SC-1 through SC-14. PAY Pay your RG&E bill Auto-pay, online, by phone, by mail and in-person options. CONTACT Contact RG&E Every customer-service line and mailing address in one place. TARIFFS NY state surcharges SBC, RPS, GRT and every other state rider on the bill.
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