Understanding your bill | Colorado Gas

Your due date and the amount due are located at the top of the front page, along with your account number and service address.

Easily compare this month’s usage to the same time last year and view reasons why your bill may have changed since last month.

The billing summary breaks down your charges into four categories that are displayed in a simple, easy-to-read chart.

• Delivery: Costs to bring energy to your address. This includes the customer fee, which helps to cover the costs of pipelines, technology and equipment required to deliver that service.
• Energy supply: Pass-through market cost of natural gas.
• Taxes: Local and state taxes and fees.
• Other: Credits, adjustments and other charges included in your bill.

In this section you’ll find useful safety information and specific tips to help you save energy and money. 

If paying your bill by mail, detach the bottom of the front page and include this with your check in an envelope.

The last 12 months of usage history is available to help you see how this varies throughout the year.

Specifics about your monthly charges are shown by category and color-coded to match the monthly bill summary chart on the front page.

Important information about your account is included in the messages section.

Managing your account online provides easy access to resources and tools, including:

• Viewing your usage and bill history.
• Starting, stopping or transferring service.
• Paying your bill or changing your payment method.
• Managing email and text alerts.
• Enrolling in programs such as Auto Pay and paperless billing.

We offer several ways to pay your bill so that you can pick the one that’s right for you.

Per Month

Customer charge: A fixed monthly charge, separate from energy usage, that recovers a portion of fixed operating cost, such as customer accounting and services, as well as costs associated with our investments in customer-related equipment such as meters and service lines.

General Rate Schedule Adjustment (GRSA) Customer Charge: The GRSA is calculated as a percentage of the monthly customer charge to reflect an increase or decrease to base rates. The GRSA does not apply to the charges determined by the Demand Side Management Cost Adjustment (DSMCA), Black Hills Energy Affordability Program (BHEAP), or Energy Assistance System Benefit Charge (EASBC).

Demand Side Management Cost Adjustment (DSMCA): The DSMCA recovers costs associated with the utility’s energy efficiency programs, as authorized by the Public Utilities Commission (PUC). These charges cover rebates, labor, materials, and administrative costs of the program.

Low Income Program Funding Fee: The Black Hills Energy Affordability Program (BHEAP) charge is a monthly charge required by the PUC to fund BHEAP, which provides energy assistance to eligible residential low-income customers in Colorado.

Energy Assistance System Benefit Charge (EASBC): This is a charge collected from utilities’ gas and electric customers unless customers opt-out or are otherwise exempted. The charge was enacted into Colorado law in 2021 (House Bill 21-1105), providing bill payment assistance for income-qualified customers. The assistance is administered by Energy Outreach Colorado (EOC). Customers may call EOC at 1-866-HEAT-HELP. Black Hills Energy customers may opt out of the monthly charge by emailing eaoptout@blackhillsenergy.com.

Per Therm

Volumetric Charge: This variable charge is based on the customer’s usage. The volumetric charge is designed to collect all other (non-customer service related) costs incurred by the company.

GRSA Volumetric Charge: The GRSA is calculated as a percentage of the volumetric charge to reflect an increase or decrease to base rates. The GRSA does not apply to the charges determined by the Gas Cost Adjustment (GCA), Demand Side Management Cost Adjustment (DSMCA), System Safety and Integrity Rider (SSIR) or Extraordinary Gas Cost Recovery Rider (EGCRR).

System Safety and Integrity Rider (SSIR): The SSIR recovers costs associated with investments in pipeline repairs and replacements to bolster the safety and integrity of natural gas infrastructure.

Demand Side Management Cost Adjustment (DSMCA): The DSMCA recovers costs associated with the utility’s energy efficiency programs, as authorized by the PUC. These charges cover rebates, labor, materials, and administrative costs of the program.

Gas Cost Adjustment (GCA) Commodity Cost: The Gas Cost Adjustment Commodity Cost recovers costs associated with the cost of natural gas purchased to serve customers. These costs are passed-through to customers dollar-for-dollar.

Gas Cost Adjustment (GCA) Upstream Cost: The Gas Cost Adjustment Upstream Cost recovers costs associated with reserving space in third-party owned pipelines to move natural gas from the point of purchase to the customer. These costs are passed- through to customers dollar-for-dollar.

Gas Cost Adjustment (GCA) Storage Cost: The Gas Cost Adjustment Storage cost is a cost associated with storing natural gas for specific natural gas customers on the Western Slope in Colorado. These costs are passed-through to customers dollar-for-dollar.

Extraordinary Gas Cost Recovery Rider (EGCRR): The EGCRR recovers additional gas costs incurred during an extreme weather event in February 2021.