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Oncor Customers Should Expect Higher Electric Bills

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - You'll probably notice an increase on your next electric bill. According to Oncor Electric, the charge is known as the Transmission Cost Recovery Factor.

The Public Utility Commission of Texas allows Oncor to recover all the money it spends on transmission lines and other equipment.

"So it [recovery cost] goes up and down, just on what we're spending to build transmission facilitates that actually help customers by making sure that when they flip the switch at the light, the lights go on," explained Oncor spokesperson Megan Wright.

While every customer will be impacted by the charge, the amount depends on how much electricity you use. "For the average residential customer, who is using about 1,000 kilowatt hours a month, it would average out to about $5," Wright said.

Officials with Oncor say the transmission cost charge has been a part of customer's bills for years, with the rate adjusting every six months. Wright clarified, "Customers are seeing that charge and thinking that it's something new, well it's something that they've been paying, at different costs, for the last 10 years."

It was only recently that electric providers began detailing the charge on monthly bills.

The cost recovery factor rate is in effect through March.

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