(a) Frequency of bills. An electric utility shall issue bills monthly, unless otherwise authorized by the Public Utility Commission, or unless service is provided for a period less than one month. Bills shall be issued as promptly as possible after reading meters.
(b) Billing information. The electric utility shall provide free to the customer a breakdown of charges at the time the service is initially installed or modified and upon request by the customer as well as the applicable rate schedule.
(c) Bill content. Each customer's bill shall include all the following information:
  (1) if the meter is read by the electric utility, the date and reading of the meter at the beginning and at the end of the billing period;
  (2) the due date of the bill, as specified in §25.28 of this title (relating to Bill Payment and Adjustments);
  (3) the number and kind of units metered;
  (4) the applicable rate schedule and title or code should be provided upon request by the customer;
  (5) the total amount due after addition of any penalty for nonpayment within a designated period. The terms "gross bill" and "net bill" or other similar terms implying the granting of a discount for prompt payment shall be used only when an actual discount for prompt payment is granted. The terms shall not be used when a penalty is added for nonpayment within a designated period;
  (6) the word "Estimated" prominently displayed to identify an estimated bill;
  (7) any conversions from meter reading units to billing units, or any other calculations to determine billing units from recording or other devices, or any other factors used in determining the bill; and
  (8) any amount owed under a written guarantee contract provided the guarantor was previously notified in writing by the electric utility as required by §25.24 of this title (relating to Credit Requirements and Deposits).
  (9) To the extent that a utility applies a charge to the customer's bill that is consistent with one of the terms set out in this paragraph, the term shall be used in identifying charges on customer's bills, and the definitions in this paragraph shall be easily located on the utility's website. A utility may not use a different term for a charge that is defined in this paragraph.
    (A) Advanced metering charge--A charge to recover the costs of an advanced metering system;
    (B) Energy Charge--Any charge, other than a tax or other fee, that is assessed on the basis of the customer's energy consumption.
    (C) Energy Efficiency Cost Recovery Factor--A charge approved by the Public Utility Commission to recover the electric utility's cost of providing energy efficiency programs.
    (D) Fuel Charge--A charge approved by the Public Utility Commission for the recovery of the utility's costs for the fuel used to generate electricity.
    (E) Meter Number--The number assigned by the utility to the customer's meter.
    (F) Meter Charge--A charge approved by the Public Utility Commission for metering a customer's consumption.
    (G) Miscellaneous Gross Receipts Fee--A fee assessed to recover the miscellaneous gross receipts tax imposed on utilities operating in an incorporated city or town having a population of more than 1,000.
    (H) Municipal Franchise Fee--A fee assessed to compensate municipalities for the utility's use of public rights-of-way.
    (I) Nuclear Decommissioning Fee--A charge approved by the Public Utility Commission to provide funds for decommissioning of nuclear generating sites.
    (J) PUC Assessment--A fee assessed to recover the statutory fee for administering the Public Utility Regulatory Act.
    (K) Sales tax--Sales tax collected by authorized taxing authorities, such as the state, cities, and special purpose districts.
  (10) To the extent that a utility uses the concepts identified in this paragraph in a customer's bill, it shall use the term set out in this paragraph, and the definitions in this paragraph shall be easily located on the utility's website. A utility may not use a different term for a charge that is defined in this paragraph.
    (A) Current Meter Read--The meter reading at the end of the period for which the customer is being billed;
    (B) kW--Kilowatt, the standard unit for measuring electricity demand, equal to 1,000 watts;
    (C) kWh--Kilowatt-hour, the standard unit for measuring electricity energy consumption, equal to 1,000 watt-hours; and
    (D) Previous Meter Read--The reading on the beginning the period for which the customer is being billed.
(d) Estimated bills.
  (1) An electric utility may submit estimated bills for good cause provided that an actual meter reading is taken no less than every third month. In months where the meter reader is unable to gain access to the premises to read the meter on regular meter reading trips, or in months when meters are not read, the electric utility must provide the customer with a postcard and request the customer to read the meter and return the card to the electric utility. If the postcard is not received by the electric utility in time for billing, the electric utility may estimate the meter reading and issue a bill.
  (2) If an electric utility has a program in which customers read their own meters and report their usage monthly and no meter reading is submitted by a customer the electric utility may estimate the customer's usage and issue a bill. However, the electric utility must read the meter if the customer does not submit readings for three consecutive months so that a corrected bill may be issued.
(e) Record retention. Each electric utility shall maintain monthly billing records for each account for at least two years after the date the bill is mailed. The billing records shall contain sufficient data to reconstruct a customer's billing for a given month. Copies of a customer's billing records may be obtained by that customer on request.
(f) Transfer of delinquent balances. If the customer has an outstanding balance due from another account in the same customer class, then the utility may transfer that balance to the customer's current account. The delinquent balance and specific account shall be identified as such on the bill.

Source Note: The provisions of this §25.25 adopted to be effective May 6, 1999, 24 TexReg 3315; amended to be effective January 6, 2010, 35 TexReg 78