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Revenue Recognition
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenue Recognition Revenue Recognition
The following table presents, for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, revenue from contracts with customers as defined in Accounting Standards Codification (ASC) Topic 606, "Revenue from Contracts with Customers," as well as additional revenue from sources other than contracts with customers, disaggregated by major source.
202020192018
(Millions of Dollars)Revenues from contracts with customersOther revenues (a)Total operating revenuesRevenues from contracts with customersOther revenues (a)Total operating revenuesRevenues from contracts with customersOther revenues (a)Total operating revenues
CECONY
Electric$8,026$77$8,103$7,913$149$8,062$7,920$51$7,971
Gas 1,998382,0362,097352,1322,052262,078
Steam49414508610176276256631
Total CECONY$10,518$129$10,647$10,620$201$10,821$10,597$83$10,680
O&R
Electric619106296277634647(5)642
Gas 224923324712259256(7)249
Total O&R$843$19$862$874$19$893$903$(12)$891
Clean Energy Businesses
Renewables609(b)— 609575(b)— 575329(b)— 329
Energy services 52— 5271— 7195— 95
Other— 7575— 211211— 339339
Total Clean Energy Businesses$661$75$736$646$211$857$424$339$763
Con Edison Transmission4— 44— 44— 4
Other (c)— (3)(3)— (1)(1)— (1)(1)
Total Con Edison$12,026$220$12,246$12,144$430$12,574$11,928$409$12,337
(a) For the Utilities, this includes revenue from alternative revenue programs, such as the revenue decoupling mechanisms under their New York electric and gas rate plans. For the Clean Energy Businesses, this includes revenue from wholesale services.
(b) Included within the totals for Renewables revenue at the Clean Energy Businesses is $8 million, $14 million and $103 million for the years ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, respectively, of revenue related to engineering, procurement and construction services.
(c) Parent company and consolidation adjustments.

Revenues are recorded as energy is delivered, generated or services are provided and billed to customers, except for services under percentage-of-completion contracts. Amounts billed are recorded in accounts receivable - customers, with payment generally due the following month. Con Edison’s and the Utilities’ accounts receivable - customers balance also reflects the Utilities’ purchase of receivables from energy service companies to support retail choice programs. Accrued revenues not yet billed to customers are recorded as accrued unbilled revenues.

The Utilities have the obligation to deliver electricity, gas and steam energy to their customers. As the energy is immediately available for use upon delivery to the customer, the energy and its delivery are identifiable as a single performance obligation. The Utilities recognize revenues as this performance obligation is satisfied over time as the Utilities deliver, and the customers simultaneously receive and consume, the energy. The amount of revenues recognized reflects the consideration the Utilities expect to receive in exchange for delivering the energy. Under their tariffs, the transaction price for full-service customers includes the Utilities’ energy cost and for all customers includes delivery charges determined based on customer class and in accordance with established tariffs and guidelines of the NYSPSC or the NJBPU, as applicable. Accordingly, there is no unsatisfied performance obligation associated with these customers. The transaction price is applied to the Utilities’ revenue generating activities through the customer billing process. Because energy is delivered over time, the Utilities use output methods that recognize revenue based on direct measurement of the value transferred, such as units delivered, which provides an accurate measure of value for the energy delivered. The Utilities accrue revenues at the end of each month for estimated energy delivered but not yet billed to customers. The Utilities defer over a 12-month period net interruptible gas revenues, other than those authorized by the NYSPSC to be retained by the Utilities, for refund to firm gas sales and transportation customers.
The Clean Energy Businesses recognize revenue for the sale of energy from renewable electric production projects as energy is generated and billed to counterparties; accrue revenues at the end of each month for energy generated but not yet billed to counterparties; and recognize revenue as energy is delivered and services are provided for managing energy supply assets leased from others and managing the dispatch, fuel requirements and risk management activities for generating plants and merchant transmission in the northeastern United States. The Clean Energy Businesses also recognize revenue for providing energy-efficiency services to government and commercial customers, and recognize revenue for engineering, procurement and construction services, under the percentage-of-completion method of revenue recognition.

Sales and profits on each percentage-of-completion contract are recorded each month based on the ratio of actual cumulative costs incurred to the total estimated costs at completion of the contract, multiplied by the total estimated contract revenue, less cumulative revenues recognized in prior periods (the ‘‘cost-to-cost’’ method). The impact of revisions of contract estimates, which may result from contract modifications, performance or other reasons, are recognized on a cumulative catch-up basis in the period in which the revisions are made.
202020192018
(Millions of Dollars)Unbilled contract revenue (a)Unearned revenue (b)Unbilled contract revenue (a)Unearned revenue (b)Unbilled contract revenue (a)Unearned revenue (b)
Beginning balance as of January 1,$29$17$29$20$58$87
Additions (c)883186114438
Subtractions (c)1067(d)864(d)173105(d)
Ending balance as of December 31,$11$41$29$17$29$20
(a)Unbilled contract revenue represents accumulated incurred costs and earned profits on contracts (revenue arrangements), which have been recorded as revenue, but have not yet been billed to customers, and which represent contract assets as defined in Topic 606. Substantially all accrued unbilled contract revenue is expected to be collected within one year. Unbilled contract revenue arises from the cost-to-cost method of revenue recognition. Unbilled contract revenue from fixed-price type contracts is converted to billed receivables when amounts are invoiced to customers according to contractual billing terms, which generally occur when deliveries or other performance milestones are completed.
(b)Unearned revenue represents a liability for billings to customers in excess of earned revenue, which are contract liabilities as defined in Topic 606.
(c)Additions for unbilled contract revenue and subtractions for unearned revenue represent additional revenue earned. Additions for unearned revenue and subtractions for unbilled contract revenue represent billings. Activity also includes appropriate balance sheet classification for the period.
(d)Of the subtractions from unearned revenue, $7 million, $4 million and $50 million were included in the balances as of January 1, 2020, 2019, and 2018, respectively.

As of December 31, 2020, the aggregate amount of the remaining fixed performance obligations of the Clean Energy Businesses under contracts with customers for energy services is $216 million, of which $181 million will be recognized within the next two years, and the remaining $35 million will be recognized pursuant to long-term service and maintenance agreements.

In March 2020, the Utilities began suspending new late payment charges and certain other fees for all customers.
The estimated amount of these foregone revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $64 million and $61 million for Con Edison and CECONY, respectively. The Utilities also began providing payment extensions for all customers that were scheduled to be disconnected prior to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. See "COVID-19 Regulatory Matters" in Note B.