Understanding your rates and charges
Many of the charges you see on your monthly gas bill are actually operational costs to ensure natural gas is delivered to your home safely and reliably. Here's a closer look at those charges:
Customer Charge
This fixed monthly amount covers the cost of providing service to your location. These charges are billed monthly regardless if any service is used. Peoples Gas cannot modify the cost of this charge without approval from the Florida Public Service Commission.
Distribution Charge
This is a grouping of several costs including your base rate, a charge for energy conservation programs, legacy pipeline replacement and other costs. A portion of the distribution charge - your base rate - is a fixed rate approved by the Florida Public Service Commission. The non-base rate portions make up less than half of the grouping and are adjusted annually. This grouping is calculated based on your usage.
Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA)
The Purchased Gas Adjustment (PGA) is the cost of gas purchased for you by Peoples Gas. This charge is passed through from suppliers to consumers and can fluctuate monthly within an approved range based on the price of natural gas. Peoples Gas does not mark up or profit from this charge. The range is approved by the Florida Public Service Commission each fall for the following year. The PGA fluctuates monthly because of the way it is calculated based on the current monthly price of gas, multiplied by the total therms used that month.
Florida Gross Receipts Tax
Utilities collect this tax from customers and remit it to the state without markup.
Local taxes and fees
Included on each bill are applicable local and state taxes.
Other Charges
Depending on your current balances and the programs you participate in, your bill may also include past-due or transferred amounts, service initiation fees or deposit charges.
Why we might estimate your charges
In some cases, we rely on an estimate based on past customer usage. Meter estimation is used by utilities across the country. Each month, when we can’t read a meter for some reason, we have to estimate.
When estimating meters, we use a multi-step calculation that takes into account your prior usage as well as recent weather impacts. This helps us to make an accurate estimate when a physical reading is not possible.
Any needed corrections will be reflected in your bill once an actual meter reading occurs, which is typically the month after a meter estimation.
Customers who want more control over seasonal variability in their natural gas bill may want to consider using energy-saving practices in their home. There are many things you can do at home to help reduce energy costs.
BTU – British thermal unit – a unit of heat measurement.
Budget Billing – Optional plan averages your home’s last 12 monthly billing periods so you pay the same amount for your service each month.
Buried Piping Notification – Federal regulations require that Peoples Gas notify our customers who own buried piping of the following: 1) When excavating near buried gas piping, the piping should be located in advance; 2) The gas supplier does not own or maintain the customer’s buried piping; 3) Buried piping that is not maintained may be subject to corrosion and/or leakage. Buried piping should be inspected periodically and any unsafe conditions repaired. Licensed plumbers, heating and air conditioning contractors, or Peoples Gas can conduct inspections.
Conversion Factor – This factor is used to adjust for variations from standard delivery pressure and standard delivery temperature where applicable.
Customer Charge – A fixed monthly amount to cover the cost of providing gas service. This charge is billed monthly regardless if any gas is used.
Distribution Charge – Covers the costs of moving gas from its source to your premise, other than the cost of gas itself.
Estimated – If Peoples Gas was unable to read your meter, “ESTIMATED” will appear. Your meter will be read next month, and any difference will be adjusted accordingly.
Florida Gross Receipts Tax – A tax is imposed on gross receipts.
from utility services that are delivered to retail customers in Florida, in accordance with Chapter 203 of the Florida Statutes. Utility companies collect the tax from all customers, unless exempt, and remit to the state.
Florida State Tax – A tax imposed on every person who engages in the business of selling or renting tangible personal property at retail in the state, in accordance with Chapter 212 of the Florida Statutes.
Franchise Fee – A fee levied by a municipality for the right to utilize public property for the purpose of providing gas service. Like taxes, the fee is collected by Peoples Gas and is paid to the municipality.
Late Payment Charge – The late payment charge is 1.5% of the past due amount.
Main Extension Charge – A flat monthly fee to recover the cost of extending mains to a particular area when the cost exceeds the maximum allowable construction cost.
Measured Volume – Your natural gas usage in CCF (one hundred cubic feet) or MCF (one thousand cubic feet). These are the standard units of gas measurement.
Municipal Public Service Tax – In addition to the Franchise Fee, many municipalities levy a tax on the gas you use. It is collected by Peoples Gas and paid to the municipality.
PGA Charge – Purchased Gas Adjustment – the cost of gas purchased for you by Peoples Gas and delivered to your premises.
Rate Schedule – The amount (rate) you pay depends on your customer category. The cost of providing service varies with the customer group.
Share – A Peoples Gas program that helps pay energy bills for customers in need. Want to help? Your tax-deductible contribution is matched by Peoples Gas and is administered by a third-party.
Swing Charge – Covers the costs that are incurred by Peoples Gas to balance the difference between a customer’s actual daily usage and the gas delivered by your gas supplier (pool manager).
Therm – A unit of heat equal to one hundred thousand (100,000) BTUs.
Total Amount Due – This month’s charges will be past due after the date shown. THIS DATE DOES NOT EXTEND THE DATE ON ANY PREVIOUS BALANCE. It is important that you pay your bill before this date in order to avoid interruption of service.
View sample bills
Looking for an overview of your bill? Learn about the different sections of your bill by selecting your bill from the list.
Note: The various bill types are for informational purposes only. Your actual rates and charges may vary.
Standard Residential Customer
Budget Billing Customer
Natural Gas & Electric Combination Customer
Bonus feature - Your Interactive Bill
To complement your monthly paper or paperless bill, access your Interactive Bill for energy-saving tips and additional insights into your energy use and charges. You can viewand compare daily, monthly and yearly usage reports to help you better manage your energy usage and save money. Review our list of key features and tutorial video to learn how it works!
Account Summary & Messaging
The account summary component highlights information of high importance to you, offers easy payment options and detailed messaging regarding your bill.
Billing Insights and Recommendations
Make informed decisions with billing insights. Access month-over-month, year-over-year and daily usage comparisons with actionable recommendations on how to save money and energy, just for you!
Robust Usage Chart
The Interactive Bill features both a daily and monthly usage graph, with the ability to see how temperature data affects your bill. You can choose to view temperature data, usage data, or cost data by using the controls on the graph.
Monthly Usage Chart
The Billing Summary shows a clear layout of all your charges with a distinction between utility charges and taxes. Want to know what a charge means? You’ll have the ability to click on the question mark next to your charge for a definition.
Bill tutorial video
Learn how locate specific information on your bill and how to access your Interactive Bill and the benefits it offers.
Billing FAQ
Paper Bill
A. Scroll to the bottom of this webpage to access the terms and definitions that apply to your bill. You also can understand your charges by clicking on the tooltip on the Interactive Bill.
A. Scanning the QR code will take you to your online account to access your Interactive Bill.
Follow the steps below:
- Open the camera application on your mobile device
- Hover the camera over the QR Code until it is visible on the screen
- A border appears around the QR Code, and a link appears on the screen
- Once the link is visible through your camera, click on it
- This directs you to your Peoples Gas account
- Login to account using your username and password
Interactive Bill
A. The Interactive Bill is a resource for you to access personalized insights, view important messages regarding your billing, understand bill fluctuations, and more.
The Paper Bill and the Interactive Bill are built to work together seamlessly. While the Paper Bill simplifies your billing information, the Interactive Bill provides a thorough overview of your usage details and account history, allowing you to dive deeper into areas of interest.
A. No, the Interactive Bill is a tool available for you to use in addition to your Paper Bill. The Interactive Bill displays all of the same information on your Paper Bill but provides more details if you wish to dig deeper.
A. The Interactive Bill will reflect near real-time information reflecting any payments made, current balance, and any other adjustments to the bill.
A. Yes, you can access month-over-month, year-over-year and daily usage comparisons with actionable recommendations on how to save money and energy.
A. Yes, only those with the account username and password can log in and view your billing information. Learn more about our privacy policy.
A. If you receive a Paper Bill in the mail or a paperless bill, it will have a QR code that when scanned will direct you to your online Interactive Bill. After logging in, you’ll be taken directly to your Interactive Bill. You can also sign in at tecoaccount.com then select a billing period to access your interactive bill for that timeframe.
Please note: To access the interactive version of your bill, you must create an online account or sign into your existing account.
Accessibility
A. Yes, the bill has gone through extensive ADA testing to make sure all components that are included can be acknowledged by all.
Paperless Billing
A. To switch your billing preference to Paperless, you’ll need to login to your account and click Paperless Billing from the main landing page. Under settings, there is a toggle to turn paperless billing on or off.
A. Yes! As a Paperless customer, you will receive an email each month, also known as a Paperless Notification, letting you know that your bill is ready to be viewed and paid. You can compare your actual bill to the annotated version of your type of bill in “How to Read your Bill” section above.