Questions About Your Bill

BPUB provides customers with an interactive tool to help them read their bills. To learn how to read your bill, visit the How to Read Your Bill section on our website.

The charges included on your bill depend on what service a customer has with BPUB. A typical residential bill includes electric service charges, including a customer service charge, your consumption charges and the Fuel & Purchase Energy charge. Additionally, the bill includes water and wastewater customer service charges and charges based on consumption for each utility service. There is also a section for charges associated with trash pickup, which BPUB charges on behalf of the city, along with other city fees and taxes.

The Fuel & Purchase Energy Charge (FPEC) covers the cost of fuel used for electric generation, purchased power, and associated costs. For August 2022, the FPEC increased by almost 161% compared to the same time last year. The FPEC was unchanged from October 2016 to November 2021, but due to the increased prices brought on by supply chain issues, inflation and world events, customers are now seeing a higher FPEC charge on their bills. Customers can find the current FPEC along and historical data

Several factors in the economy and world events can be attributed to the rising energy costs. BPUB, along with other utilities across the state, has seen increases.

These factors include:

• Inflation and supply chain issues have increased prices and affected the availability and costs of materials and equipment.
• Volatility in the global energy market and the rising cost of fuel.

Many factors affect your bill, but the weather plays a significant role. For example, during times of extreme cold, heating units work harder to keep your home at a comfortable temperature. On the other end, during periods of extreme heat, such as the record-setting heat waves we are experiencing this summer, your AC works harder to keep your home cool. All of this increases your overall consumption, and bills go up when combined with the high fuel cost. On the water utility side, water use might increase during dry periods as customers increase water usage to maintain greener lawns.

It is challenging to anticipate volatility in the ever-changing energy market, especially with the record-setting heat experienced this summer that's contributed to extremely high energy use. Consumption is the amount of electricity a household uses in a given month. On average, BPUB customers consume nearly double the amount of energy during the hottest months of the year compared to cooler months. This high consumption compounded by the rising cost of fuel heavily impacts bills.

BPUB continually works to find ways to reduce the impact on customers. Recently, BPUB lowered the electric base rate by roughly 22% over two years. In fact, BPUB's electric base rate is among the lowest compared to other utilities. Unfortunately, with the FPEC charge rising almost three-fold, customers may not see these benefits until the FPEC charge decreases.

Although BPUB's water and wastewater rates increased, the time of year and consumption play a significant role in your bill's bottom line. Just like electricity consumption increases during the summer, some customers may increase water consumption as lawns are watered more regularly and pools are filled more often.

BPUB provides several utility assistance programs to aid customers in need. Customers can also find ways to conserve energy and water to help reduce their home's consumption.

Most power plants across Texas run on natural gas. To put things into perspective, before winter storm Uri in February of 2021, the cost of gas was around $2 per MMBtu (Metric Million British Thermal Unit). Today it’s more than $9 per MMBtu, the highest since 2008.

This directly correlates to higher Fuel & Purchase Energy charge on your bill.

The Brownsville City Commission approved a series of rate adjustments for electric, water and wastewater services on May 3, 2022. While the base rate for electric utility services was reduced by approximately 22% over two years, the rate for water and wastewater utility services will increase over the next four years. These rate adjustments for water and wastewater come after six years without any increases and are necessary to cover operating costs for these utilities. Additionally, water customers have a new resaca fee on their bills to help provide matching funds for the Resaca Restoration Project. This project will help increase Brownsville's capacity for raw water storage, improve drainage and enhance habitats for birds and wildlife. A complete breakdown of the recent rate adjustments can be found here.

The Code of Ordinances set by the Brownsville City Commission governs BPUB's rates.

BPUB is aware that customers have concerns about the rising bill costs. BPUB is a community-owned not-for-profit utility, and many of our employees live in Brownsville and are subject to the same increases in their bills. Although we can't control factors contributing to higher bills – extreme weather events and rising fuel costs – BPUB is committed to helping customers reduce their bills through conservation efforts and programs, providing rebates for customers who choose to upgrade their home's efficiency and through several available assistance programs.

Having a good conservation strategy will help reduce your home's consumption and the total cost of your bill. During extreme weather, raising or lowering the temperature by a few degrees and using ceiling fans can help lower your monthly usage. Here's something to remember: The greater the difference between the temperature outside and what you set your thermostat to, the more time your AC works to get there. So, if it's 100 outside with a thermostat set at 78, your AC will have to work longer to get to that temperature than if it were 90 degrees outside. Adjusting your thermostat to coincide with weather changes makes a big difference.

Additionally, customers can also upgrade their appliances to more energy-efficient ones. Visit BPUB's conservation page for more tips. BPUB's HomeEnergy Suite can also provide insights into which areas of your home consume the most energy.

BPUB offers several assistance programs for electric and water customers. Some of these programs include:

• Project SHARE
• Elderly Low-Income Assistance Program (ELIAP)
• Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP
• Low-Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP)

The applications, complete program requirements and restrictions are available on BPUB's website. Customers with questions regarding program guidelines may contact CACOST at 956-435-0379 or CCRGV at 956-541-0220.