Burbank Water and Power Rate Selection Guide
Burbank Water and Power (BWP) is a community-owned municipal utility serving the City of Burbank, California with electric and water service. BWP has deployed AMI for both electric and water and exposes usage through its Oracle Opower-based Online Account Manager, but it does not yet offer Green Button, EDI, or a public API. California's AB 802 benchmarking program is the primary formal pathway for verified C&I building energy data.
Burbank Water and Power Rate Schedule Comparison
| Schedule | Type | Rate | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule C (Small GS) | Commercial | $20–$34/mo + TOU $0.1403–$0.4018/kWh | Small businesses without demand metering |
| Schedule D (Medium GS) | Commercial | $52–$69.50/mo + $16.10/kVA + TOU $0.1028–$0.2739/kWh | Mid-size facilities 20–250 kVA |
| Schedule L-TOU (Large GS) | Commercial | $425/mo + ~$12.05/kVA dist + $8.95/kVA reliability + TOU energy | Large facilities 250–1,000 kVA |
| Schedule XL-TOU (Extra Large GS) | Industrial | $750/mo + ~$11.50/kVA dist + $8.50/kVA reliability + TOU energy | Large industrial loads over 1,000 kVA |
Market Overview
Burbank Water and Power is a publicly owned municipal utility. As a California POU it is not subject to CPUC retail competition or community choice aggregation; rates are set by the Burbank City Council via the annual Citywide Fee Schedule. There is no retail electricity supplier choice.
Need to pull your actual usage data to compare rates? See the Burbank Water and Power Data Access Guide →
Current Rate Schedules
Commercial electric rates are set in the City of Burbank Citywide Fee Schedule (Article X). Phase 1 rates took effect January 1, 2026 (a ~9.9% system-average increase), with Phase 2 effective January 1, 2027. Commercial schedules are size-tiered by kVA and are demand-billed on kVA with summer/winter time-of-use energy charges, plus a per-kWh Energy Cost Adjustment Charge (ECAC) of $0.0340.
Effective: January 1, 2026 · Full Tariff Book →
| Schedule | Type | Applicability | Structure | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schedule C — Small General Service (no demand) | commercial | Small commercial customers without demand metering. | Customer charge (2026): $20.00/mo unmetered, $28.00 1-phase, $34.00 3-phase. TOU energy (2026): Summer On-Peak $0.4018, Mid-Peak $0.2623, Off-Peak $0.1403/kWh; Winter Mid-Peak $0.2623, Off-Peak $0.1403. ECAC $0.0340/kWh. | — |
| Schedule D — Medium General Service (20–250 kVA) | commercial | Medium commercial customers, 20 kVA to 250 kVA. | Customer charge (2026): $52.00/mo 1-phase, $69.50 3-phase. Demand $16.10/kVA; minimum charge $134.71. TOU energy (2026): Summer On-Peak $0.2739, Mid-Peak $0.1713, Off-Peak $0.1028/kWh; Winter Mid-Peak $0.1713, Off-Peak $0.1028. ECAC $0.0340/kWh. | — |
| Schedule L-TOU Secondary — Large General Service (250–1,000 kVA) | commercial | Large commercial secondary-voltage customers, over 250 kVA to 1,000 kVA. | Customer charge (2026): $425.00/mo. Distribution demand $12.05/kVA (min $1,823.52); reliability demand $8.95/kVA (min $1,362.18). TOU energy (2026): Summer On-Peak $0.2179, Mid-Peak $0.1360, Off-Peak $0.0920/kWh. ECAC $0.0340/kWh. | — |
| Schedule L-TOU Primary — Large General Service (250–1,000 kVA) | commercial | Large commercial primary-voltage customers, over 250 kVA to 1,000 kVA. | Customer charge (2026): $425.00/mo. Distribution demand $11.20/kVA (min $1,701.80); reliability demand $8.35/kVA (min $1,216.61). TOU energy (2026): Summer On-Peak $0.2144, Mid-Peak $0.1337, Off-Peak $0.0902/kWh. ECAC $0.0340/kWh. | — |
| Schedule XL-TOU Secondary — Extra Large General Service (over 1,000 kVA) | industrial | Extra-large commercial secondary-voltage customers, over 1,000 kVA. | Customer charge (2026): $750.00/mo. Distribution demand $11.50/kVA (min $7,965.61); reliability demand $8.50/kVA (min $5,913.76). TOU energy (2026): Summer On-Peak $0.2131, Mid-Peak $0.1328, Off-Peak $0.0896/kWh. ECAC $0.0340/kWh. | — |
| Schedule XL-TOU Primary — Extra Large General Service (over 1,000 kVA) | industrial | Extra-large commercial primary-voltage customers, over 1,000 kVA. | Customer charge (2026): $750.00/mo. Distribution demand $10.70/kVA (min $7,390.32); reliability demand $7.88/kVA (min $5,502.52). TOU energy (2026): Summer On-Peak $0.2095, Mid-Peak $0.1304, Off-Peak $0.0878/kWh. ECAC $0.0340/kWh. | — |
Rate Recommendations by Use Case
Mid-size commercial facility (20–250 kVA)
Schedule D customers should focus on kVA demand and summer on-peak energy. Power-factor correction and load shifting yield the biggest wins.
Demand at $16.10/kVA plus summer on-peak energy at $0.2739/kWh dominate the bill; the $134.71 minimum applies to low-demand months.
- Correct power factor to reduce billed kVA
- Shift load out of summer on-peak (4–7pm weekdays)
- Track demand to avoid the minimum-charge floor
Large facility (250–1,000 kVA)
Schedule L customers carry separate distribution and reliability demand charges. Pursue primary service and aggressive demand management.
Two demand components (~$12.05 + $8.95/kVA secondary) plus a $425/mo customer charge make demand control critical; primary service lowers both demand rates.
- Evaluate primary-service eligibility for lower $/kVA
- Flatten the load profile to cut peak kVA
- Watch the distribution/reliability minimum charges
Extra-large / industrial load (over 1,000 kVA)
Schedule XL customers should optimize across both demand components and TOU energy, and benchmark via AB 802.
$750/mo customer charge plus large demand minimums ($7,965/$5,913 secondary) reward high, flat load factors and primary service.
- Take primary service to reduce $/kVA
- Maintain high load factor against the demand minimums
- Use AB 802 + Portfolio Manager to target efficiency
C&I data access for benchmarking
Use AB 802 for verified building energy data; supplement with the OAM and the Opower integration for ongoing monitoring.
No Green Button, EDI, or public API exists; AB 802 is the formal verified pathway and Opower covers automated usage pulls.
- File AB 802 requests to conservation@burbankwaterandpower.com (subject: Benchmarking)
- Use the Home Assistant Opower integration for automated usage
- Use Nectar (docs.nectarclimate.com) for aggregator-based retrieval
Historical Rate Trends
BWP rates are revised through the City of Burbank Citywide Fee Schedule. A multi-year increase was adopted with Phase 1 effective January 1, 2026 and Phase 2 effective January 1, 2027, raising both fixed customer charges and energy rates.
January 1, 2026
Phase 1 of the approved multi-year increase: electric system average rate increase of approximately 9.9%, with large commercial customer charges rising from ~$131 to $425/mo.
+9.9%January 1, 2027
Phase 2 of the approved multi-year increase, further raising customer charges and energy rates across commercial schedules.
Phase 2Overall trend: Rising — a multi-year, two-phase increase to address power supply and infrastructure costs.
Next expected change: Phase 2 increase effective January 1, 2027.
Cost Optimization Strategies
Because BWP commercial bills are dominated by kVA demand and time-of-use energy, the main savings levers are demand management, power-factor improvement (kVA vs kW), TOU load shifting, and taking primary service where eligible.
Shift load off summer on-peak
For: All TOU commercial schedules
Move discretionary load out of summer (Jun–Oct) on-peak hours, where energy is $0.21–$0.40/kWh versus far cheaper off-peak.
Improve power factor (kVA billing)
For: Medium / Large / Extra-Large
Demand is billed on kVA, so correcting power factor directly reduces billed demand on Schedules D, L, and XL.
Take primary service where eligible
For: Large / Extra-Large customers owning primary equipment
Primary-voltage variants of Schedules L and XL carry lower distribution and reliability demand rates than secondary.
Use AB 802 data to target efficiency
For: C&I building owners (>50,000 sq ft)
Pull verified whole-building monthly data via AB 802 and benchmark in ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager to prioritize efficiency projects.
To implement these strategies, you need your 15-minute interval data. Learn how to download Burbank Water and Power interval data →
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a C&I customer get verified building energy data from BWP?▾
Yes — through California's AB 802 program. For covered buildings over 50,000 sq ft, BWP provides aggregated whole-building monthly data (no tenant consent needed) or tenant-level data with signed Data Release Forms, returned as CSV/Excel within 10–20 business days to conservation@burbankwaterandpower.com.
Does BWP support Green Button or a public data API?▾
No. BWP runs on Oracle Opower (which supports Green Button Connect), but it has not activated Download or Connect My Data, and there is no public REST/GraphQL API or developer portal.
How can a consultant pull interval usage automatically?▾
BWP has no official interval export. The open-source Opower integration (Home Assistant / Tronikos opower library) can retrieve historical and forecasted usage using the customer's BWP credentials, and Nectar provides API access to this utility's billing and usage data — see docs.nectarclimate.com. For audit-grade data, use AB 802.
What commercial electric rate will my facility be on?▾
BWP classifies commercial accounts by size: Schedule C (Small General Service, no demand), Schedule D (Medium, 20–250 kVA), Schedule L-TOU (Large, 250–1,000 kVA, secondary or primary), and Schedule XL-TOU (Extra Large, over 1,000 kVA). All but Schedule C are demand-billed on kVA with time-of-use energy rates.
Are BWP rates increasing?▾
Yes. The City Council approved a multi-year increase: an electric system average increase of about 9.9% effective January 1, 2026 (Phase 1), with a further Phase 2 increase effective January 1, 2027. Commercial customer charges rose sharply under the new schedule.
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