Your Guide to Rates & Tariffs
Learn how rates and tariffs are set and choose which one is best for you.
What Are Rates and Tariffs?
Rate
A rate is what you pay for energy. It covers the price of what you use, the costs to build, maintain, and operate the infrastructure to deliver your energy, as well as taxes. It also includes paying the people who work 24/7 in all-weather to make sure you have safe, reliable service.
If you get your energy from Con Edison, your rate also includes the supply price, which varies based on weather, demand, and market prices. We buy the energy you use in competitive markets and pass those costs on to you without making a profit.
Tariff
A tariff is a schedule of the rates, terms, and conditions under which Con Edison provides electric, gas, and steam service. These tariffs are formal documents that must be filed with and approved by the New York State Public Service Commission (PSC).
How They Work
Con Edison’s rates are set by the tariffs filed with the PSC, which regulates the state's electric, gas, and steam utilities and reviews and approves their rates and terms of service.
Each rate varies based on factors like the amount of energy used, the time of day, and the season, and is measured in different units:
- Electric in kilowatt-hours (kWh)
- Gas in therms
- Steam in thousands of pounds (Mlbs)
You can learn more about rates and tariffs through the following pages:
Glossary of Terms
We want you to understand how your energy bill works. That’s why we’ve defined some of the more complicated terms you might see.