Billing Questions

Under Chapter 166.231 of the Florida Statutes, the State of Florida allows a municipal or county government to implement a public service tax (sometimes referred to as a "utility" or "municipal" tax) on the purchase of electricity.

Under statutory guidelines, the increase in the cost of fuel to the utility after October 1, 1973 must be excluded from the amount taxed. Therefore, the amount identified on the bill as "non-taxable fuel" represents Clay Electric’s excludable fuel cost when calculating the public service tax.

The Access Charge is the component of a member's bill that recovers some of the fixed costs that come directly from serving an individual member, regardless of how much electricity is used. These costs include the cost of the meter, wire and other equipment used to deliver electricity to the home or business, as well as meter reading technology and billing expenses. All utilities have some type of an access charge.

• A Basic Explanation.

  The Power Cost Adjustment is a separate line item on each Clay Electric bill statement which reflects the increases/decreases in the co-op's cost of power purchased wholesale from Seminole Electric Cooperative. The fluctuation in the Power Cost Adjustment is largely caused by changes in the cost of fuel for generation.