Utility Billing Information

The City of Unalaska bills residential, commercial and industrial customers on a monthly basis for electricity, water, wastewater and landfill services. For your current rates please refer to the most recent schedule of fees and charges.

BILLING PROCESS

You will be billed on a monthly basis for utility services, which include electricity, water, sewer, and landfill fees. In some cases, for example if you live in an apartment building, you may only receive electric and  landfill charges, as the other services may be included in your rent and paid by the landlord.  Check your lease to see which utility services are your responsibility.

Metered services are based on consumption (such as electric; and water & wastewater for commercial and industrial accounts).  Meters are typically read during the last week of the month and you will be billed for utility consumption back to the date of the prior meter read. This means the utility bill you receive is for your previous consumption.  In other words, you are billed for utilities already used; you are not billed in advance. 

Unmetered services (such as residential water, sewer and landfill) are billed at a fixed monthly rate.

BASE RATE

The base rates for utility services for residential, commercial, and industrial customers, and other fees and charges are established by the City Council pursuant to Ordinance 10.04.0440.

The electric portion of your utility bill consists of the base rate, plus the COPA rate, and the PCE credit, which are explained below.

COPA

COPA stands for Cost of Power Adjustment.  COPA is an adjustment applied to all utility service rates (residential, commercial, and industrial accounts) and represents the cost of generating power, the largest portion of which is fuel to run the electrical generation plants. The COPA rate changes each month. 

PCE

PCE stands for Power Cost Equalization.  PCE is a program established by the Alaska Energy Authority in 1985 to provide economic assistance to communities and residents in rural areas of Alaska where, in many instances, the kilowatt hour charge for electricity can be three to five times higher than the average kWh rate.  Only residential and community facility customers are eligible for PCE credits and only one PCE credit is allowed per customer.  The PCE credit applies only to the first 500 kWh consumed.  Consumption over 500 kWh is charged at the full rate.  The PCE rates are set by the Alaska Energy Authority and change each month.  To find out more, visit the Alaska Energy Authority website at www.akenergyauthority.org.

Tip:  since the PCE credit applies only to the first 500 kWh consumed, to reduce your bill, make every effort to use less than 500 kWh of electricity per month.

UTILITY DEPOSIT CREDITS AND REFUNDS

After two years the utility deposit will be applied to the consumer's account, provided the consumer has maintained their account in good standing, and the City has not been forced to disconnect the consumer's service for reason of delinquency in payment of charges, and provided the consumer has not been delinquent in payment more than once in any consecutive twelve month period.  If the consumer does not meet these conditions at the end of two years, the deposit will be retained until twelve consecutive months of timely payment history has been established.

When the consumer discontinues utility service, any existing billing deposit plus interest will be refunded within thirty days of rendition of the final bill.  Any unpaid balances due for utility services or late fees will be deducted.

The Finance Department makes every effort to ensure consumers receive accurate, timely refunds.  If you feel a refund is due or that an error has been made, please submit a written inquiry to the utilities billing department and your inquiry will be promptly investigated.

LATE FEES & DELINQUENT NOTICES

The due date is always the last business day of the month. Late fees are applied on the first business day of each following month. Delinquent notices are generated and mailed to consumers who did not pay their utility bill by the due date. 

DOOR KNOCKERS

Door Knockers are written notices posted on a customer’s door for delinquency in payment; the notice includes the total amount owed and the date the payment must be made to the City to avoid disconnection of utility services. This is the last written warning/notification to customers who have failed to pay their bill twenty five (25) days after the due date.  Consumers are encouraged to contact the Finance Department to discuss payment arrangements before their account reaches disconnection status.

DISCONNECT & RECONNECT FEES

Under the current fee schedule, the electrical reconnection fee is $80 and the water reconnection fee is $70. There is no disconnection fee included in the current fees schedule.