Electricity for West Texas and Southern New Mexico | El Paso Electric | Your Electric Bill

We want to provide you with as much information as we can concerning your monthly bill. Here, you’ll see everything from billing guidelines and how to read your bill to disputing costs.

If you have questions concerning any of the information on this page or about your bill, click contact us found throughout this page. 

Payment of Bills

EPE bills you on a monthly basis. If you do not receive your bill at the usual time, please contact us.

Payment is due sixteen (16) calendar days after the date the bill is issued. If the sixteenth day falls on a holiday or weekend, then the due date is the next business day after the sixteenth day. When payment is not received by EPE or an authorized agent before close of business on or before the due date, EPE considers the bill delinquent.

The due date appearing on your bill applies only to the current month’s billing. If your bill displays a previous balance, the current bill due date does not apply to that balance.

Your bill is considered delinquent when you have a previous balance and is subject to disconnection for nonpayment. If a check is returned to EPE by your bank unpaid, there will be a returned check charge. Returned checks must be paid by cash, money order, or a cashier’s check. After a cash payment is received for the balance of the returned check plus the returned check charge, the returned check will be sent to you if you provide a written request accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. If the bank presents a letter to EPE indicating a check has been returned as a result of the bank’s error, there will not be a returned check charge. EPE does not accept post-dated checks.

 

Information on your Bill

Payments made to unauthorized collection agencies are made at the risk of the customer. Copies of our rate schedules are available at all of our business offices. Please be sure to refer to the particular type of service when looking up this information.

To request a Customer Handbook outlining the services you are entitled to as a customer, please contact us.

Texas

Understanding How To Read Your Texas Residential El Paso Electric Bill

Below are a list of terms typically found on your electric bill along with an explanation on what they cover. Below those terms is a link to a sample bill with a line-by-line look at how to read it. The sample bill used here is modeled after a Texas residential customer bill. 

  • Customer Charge: A fixed charge based on customer services including meter maintenance and reading costs, billing, record management and customer service costs.
  • Energy Charge: The energy charge associated with producing and delivering electricity to you based on kWh used during the Billing Period.
    • Standard 1st Tier: The first level rate your energy use is billed at up to 600 kWh. The rate changes based on EPE’s two billing seasons: Summer (May thru October) and Winter (November thru April).
    • All Remaining: During the Summer season only, all energy use in excess of 600 kWh is billed at a higher rate than the first tier.
  • Fuel Charge: The cost of fuel used to generate the electricity El Paso Electric (EPE) provides you. The fuel charge is a direct pass-through to recover these costs.
  • Fuel Refund/Surcharge: An adjustment, for over collecting or under collecting for fuel, is made to ensure customers only pay what EPE was charged. These line items only occur if the price for fuel significantly changes resulting in the Fuel Charge either under collecting or over collecting from the actual price EPE paid for fuel.  
  • Energy Efficiency Recovery Factor: The cost of energy efficiency programs available to customers.
  • Military Base Discount Recovery Factor: Texas electric utilities are required under the Public Utilities Regulatory Act to provide a discount to Texas military bases, such as Fort Bliss.
  • Merger Rate Credit: A credit to customers related to the acquisition of EPE by the Infrastructure Investments Fund (IIF).
  • EADIT Credit: The Stipulation provides for Excess Accumulated Deferred Income Taxes (EADIT) in a total amount of $24,091,867 to be returned to Texas customers over a four-year period.
  • Project No. 50664 Asset Surcharge: The Project 50664 Asset Surcharge allows EPE to recover deferred COVID-19 costs through a separate surcharge as approved by the PUC in Project No. 50664.
  • Retiring Plant Rider: The Retiring Plant Rider allows EPE to recover costs associated with three of EPE’s generating units, Rio Grande Unit 7, and Newman Units 1 and 2 (collectively called the Retiring Plants). 
  • AMS Surcharge: The Advanced Metering System (“AMS”) Surcharge recovers the Company’s costs incurred to deploy an AMS approved by the Public Utility Commission of Texas.

 

  How to Read your Texas Residential Bill 

 

 

Ne

w Mexico

Understanding How To Read Your New Mexico Residential El Paso Electric Bill

Below are a list of terms typically found on your electric bill along with an explanation on what they cover. 

  • Customer Charge: A fixed charge based on customer services including meter maintenance and reading costs, billing, record management and customer service costs.
  • Energy Charge: The energy charge associated with producing and delivering electricity to you based on kWh used during the Billing Period.
    • Standard 1st Tier: The first level rate your energy use is billed at up to 600 kWh. The rate changes based on EPE’s two billing seasons: Summer (June thru September) and Winter (October thru May). 
    • All Remaining: During the Summer season only, all energy use in excess of 600 kWh is billed at a higher rate than the first tier. Tiered rates are intended to encourage energy conservation and keep your bill manageable.
  • Federal Tax Credit: A credit associated with the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
  • Fuel and Purchased Power Cost Adjustment: The cost of fuel used to generate the electricity EPE provides you and electric power purchases from other utilities. The charge changes each month and customers are only required to pay what EPE pays for fuel, it is a direct pass-through cost.
  • Renewable Portfolio Standard Recovery:  The state of New Mexico’s Renewable Energy Act requires that 20% of EPE’s energy to serve its New Mexico customer be from renewable energy sources. This charge covers the costs to comply with the New Mexico Renewable Portfolio Standard.
  • Efficient Use of Energy Recovery Factor: The cost of energy efficiency programs available to residential customers.
  • Merger Rate Credit: A credit to customers related to the acquisition of EPE by the Infrastructure Investments Fund (IIF).
  • Franchise Fee: The fee assessed by a governmental entity for the right of providing utility service within the governmental entity’s boundaries (i.e., City of Las Cruces).
  • Taxes: The tax assessed by a governmental entity for utility service where the service address is located and is a pass-through cost.
  • AMS Rider:  The Advanced Metering System (“AMS”) Rider recovers the Company’s costs incurred to deploy an Advanced Metering System.

 

  How to Read your New Mexico Residential Bill 

 

 

 

Disputed Bills

If you have a dispute or complaint with respect to EPE’s billing procedures, deposit requirements, disconnection of service, meter problems or any matter generally relating to EPE’s relationship with you as our customer, please contact us.

If you dispute a bill, you do not have to pay the disputed amount until resolution of the dispute by EPE.  If the dispute is not resolved, EPE will inform you of the complaint procedures available at the Commission. If you file a complaint with the Commission, EPE will not disconnect your service for a disputed amount during any phase of the dispute resolution process until the Commission informs you of its determination; but EPE does expect you to pay all other non-disputed charges as required.