Revenue

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Earning activities – representing revenue authorized by the CPUC and FERC, which is intended to provide SCE a reasonable opportunity to recover its costs and earn a return on its net investment in generation, transmission, and distribution assets. The annual revenue requirements are comprised of authorized operation and maintenance costs, depreciation, taxes, and a return consistent with the capital structure. Also, included in earnings activities are revenues or penalties related to incentive mechanisms, other operating revenue, and regulatory charges or disallowances.

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Cost-recovery activities – representing CPUC- and FERC- authorized balancing accounts, which allow for recovery of specific project or program costs, subject to reasonableness review or compliance with upfront standards. Cost-recovery activities include rates which provide recovery, subject to reasonableness review of, among other things, fuel costs, purchased power costs, public purpose related-program costs (including energy efficiency and demand-side management programs), and certain operation and maintenance expenses. SCE earns no return on these activities.

The following table is a summary of SCE's revenue:



	Years ended December 31,
	2018						2017						2016
(in millions)	Earning Activities		Cost- Recovery Activities		Total Consolidated		Earning Activities		Cost-Recovery Activities		Total Consolidated		Earning Activities		Cost-Recovery Activities		Total Consolidated
Revenues from contracts with customers^1,2	$	6,519	$	5,611	$	12,130	*		*		*		*		*		*
Alternative revenue programs and other operating revenue	41		440		481		*		*		*		*		*		*
Total operating revenue	$	6,560	$	6,051	$	12,611	$	6,611	$	5,643	$	12,254	$	6,504	$	5,326	$	11,830

^* As discussed in Note 1, prior period amounts have not been adjusted under the modified retrospective method.


¹	During the year ended December 31, 2018, SCE recorded CPUC revenue based on the 2017 authorized revenue requirements adjusted for the July 2017 cost of capital decision and Tax Reform pending the outcome of the 2018 GRC. These revenue adjustments are included in "Revenues from contracts with customers." For further information, see Note 1.


²	At December 31, 2018 and 2017, SCE's receivables related to contracts from customers were $1.1 billion and $825 million, respectively, which include accrued unbilled revenue of $482 million and $212 million, respectively.

SCE's Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Provision of Electricity

SCE principally generates revenue through supplying and delivering electricity to its customers. Rates charged to customers are based on tariff rates, approved by the CPUC and FERC. Revenue is authorized by the CPUC through triennial GRC proceedings which are intended to provide SCE a reasonable opportunity to recover its costs and earn a return on its CPUC-jurisdictional rate base. The CPUC sets an annual revenue requirement for the base year and the remaining two years are set by a methodology established in the GRC proceeding. As described above, SCE also earns revenue, with no return, to recover costs for power procurement and other activities.

Revenue is authorized by the FERC through a formula rate which is intended to provide SCE a reasonable opportunity to recover transmission capital and operating costs that are prudently incurred, including a return on its FERC-jurisdictional rate base. Under the operation of the formula rate, transmission revenue is updated to actual cost of service annually.

For SCE's electricity sales for non-residential customers, SCE satisfies the performance obligation of delivering electricity over time as the customers simultaneously receive and consume the delivered electricity.

Energy sales are typically on a month-to-month implied contract for transmission, distribution and generation services. Revenue is recognized over time as the energy is supplied and delivered to customers and the respective revenue is billed and paid on a monthly basis.

Sales and Use Taxes

SCE bills certain sales and use taxes levied by state or local governments to its customers. Included in these sales and use taxes are franchise fees, which SCE pays to various municipalities (based on contracts with these municipalities) in order to operate within the limits of the municipality. SCE bills these franchise fees to its customers based on a CPUC-authorized rate. These franchise fees, which are required to be paid regardless of SCE's ability to collect from the customer, are accounted for on a gross basis. SCE's franchise fees billed to customers were $133 million, $133 million and $111 million for the years ended December 31, 2018, 2017 and 2016, respectively. When SCE acts as an agent for sales and use tax, the taxes are accounted for on a net basis. Amounts billed to and collected from customers for these taxes are remitted to the taxing authorities and are not recognized as electric utility revenue.

SCE's Alternative Revenue Programs

The CPUC and FERC have authorized additional, alternative revenue programs which adjusts billings for the effects of broad external factors or compensates SCE for demand-side management initiatives and provides for incentive awards if SCE achieves certain objectives. These alternative revenue programs allow SCE to recover costs that SCE has been authorized to pass on to customers, including costs to purchase electricity and natural gas, and to fund public purpose, demand response, and customer energy efficiency programs. In general, revenue is recognized for these alternative revenue programs at the time the costs are incurred and, for incentive-based programs, at the time the awards are approved by the CPUC. SCE begins recognizing revenues for these programs when a program has been established by an order from either the CPUC or FERC that allows for automatic adjustment of future rates, the amount of revenue for the period is objectively determinable and probable of recovery and the revenue will be collected within 24 months following the end of the annual period.