How to Read My Bill
Understanding your natural gas bill is important. We're here to help.
Find answers to questions about your bill and the charges on it. You can always review your most recent or past bills in My Account.
General Information
- Your account number and service address
- The Account Summary section shows your previous balance and payment, plus any current charges.
- Your bill due date and the total amount due.
How Your Current Charges
are Calculated
Rates are regulated and approved by the California
Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The Current Charges
section on your bill is based on three components multiplied by
the number of units of natural gas you used, plus taxes and fees:
- Total Therms – calculates the total units of natural gas you used during the defined billing period. This number is used to calculate the total cost of your natural gas service.
- Customer Charge – based on days of service.
- Gas Transportation Charge – the cost to deliver your natural gas.
- Gas Commodity Charge – the cost of natural gas purchased by SoCalGas on behalf of its customers.
- Taxes and Fees – this includes the CPUC-mandated Public Purpose Surcharge, as well as any state or local fees and taxes. Customers enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program will see the discount reflected as a separate line item, and CARE customers have a reduced Public Purpose Surcharge.
Your Personalized Natural
Gas Usage
- Usage History – the bar graph shows your natural gas usage over the past 13 months (if available). Log in to or sign up for My Account for more detailed usage information.
- Your Usage – the gauge visually depicts your natural gas usage and the total cost per therm for this billing cycle. Your Baseline Therms are displayed in blue (Baseline Transportation Rate per therm, plus Gas Commodity Cost) and your Over Baseline Therms are displayed in orange (Over Baseline Transportation Charges, plus Gas Commodity Cost).
- You may receive important messages, including information about Assistance Programs and tools that could help you manage your energy usage.
- Go paperless through My Account to view and pay your bills online, enroll in weekly Bill Tracker Alerts, and more.
How is My Natural Gas Bill Calculated?
Learn how your bill is calculated. Our rates are regulated and approved by the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC). The current charges on your bill are based on four components:
Customer Charge
Based on days of service.
Gas Transporation Cost
The cost to deliver your natural gas.
Gas Commodity Cost
The cost of natural gas purchased by SoCalGas on behalf of its customers.
Taxes and Fees
This includes the CPUC-mandated Public Purpose Surcharge, as well as any state or local fees and taxes. Customers enrolled in the California Alternate Rates for Energy (CARE) program will see the discount reflected as a separate line item, and CARE customers have a reduced Public Purpose Surcharge.
What Other Charges Might I See
Charges From Other Companies
As a convenience, we provide billing services to other companies selling energy-related or home safety-related products and services to our customers. Here is the contact information if you have any questions about these charges.
Just Energy Solutions Inc.: 1-877-226-3649
HomeServe/HEIS: 1-888-302-0137
Fees and Taxes
Depending on where you live, we may also collect required state and city fees and taxes.
Other Bill Questions
Some people think that SoCalGas produces natural gas, but we actually don't. We buy natural gas for our residential and smaller business customers from producers and marketers at the best possible prices on the open market. The natural gas costs are not marked up and are shown on your bill as the Gas Commodity Cost per Therm, located in the lower-right corner of your bill. These rates are based on a 30-day forecast of natural gas market prices. This gives you a clear picture of the current price of natural gas. You can see monthly Commodity Costs here.
All transportation costs are regulated by the CPUC and allow us to recover the costs of natural gas delivery. These costs include pipeline, meter, regulator and service line maintenance. Transportation rate changes are approved by the CPUC through a three-year General Rate Case (GRC) application process and other proceedings.
You can see more information on how Transportation Costs are determined here.
You can see the current Transportation Rates here.
The Baseline Allowance is determined by the CPUC, under the direction of the State Legislature, to be the amounts of natural gas needed to meet the minimum basic needs of the average home. The goal of the Baseline Allowance is to encourage efficient use of natural gas. You will be billed at the lowest rate for natural gas usage below the Baseline Allowance. Usage above the Baseline Allowance is billed at a higher rate.
The baseline allowance is different for each climate zone in our service area. Your zone and baseline allowance are noted in the Current Charges area of your bill.
The billing factor adjusts the amount of gas measured for differences in delivery pressure, altitude and meter calibration. Because we cover such a wide geography, we make adjustments for differences in elevation and delivery pressure to reflect the heat value of the natural gas. This ensures that customers in all areas are charged equally for the value of the gas they use. Monthly billing factor information can be found here.