Availability Charge: Costs that exist whether electric is used or not, i.e. equipment, labor, maintenance, technology, emergency restoration funds, etc.
Local Distribution Charge: Costs members can control, i.e. amount of electricity (kWh) used.
Kilowatt Hour (kWh): The kilowatt-hour is the basic measurement used to calculate your bill. Any electronic device has a certain amount of electricity it needs to function, also known as its wattage, which is a unit of power.
Example: If you run a 1,500-watt space heater for 8 hours a day, every day of the month, that will use up about 360 kWh for the month. You used it for a total of 240 hours that month, because 8 hours a day x 30 days = 240. So, multiply the wattage (1,500) by the number of hours used (240), and then divide that by 1,000.
Generation & Transmission: Costs of generating and transporting the electricity you use from the generating plant to local distribution substations.