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Revenue Recognition
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenue from Contract with Customer Revenue Recognition
Customer Revenues. Substantially all of our revenues are tariff-based. Under ASC 606, the recipients of our utility service meet the definition of a customer, while the operating company tariffs represent an agreement that meets the definition of a contract, which creates enforceable rights and obligations. Customers in certain of our jurisdictions participate in programs that allow for a fixed payment each month regardless of usage. Payments received that exceed the value of gas or electricity actually delivered are recorded as a liability and presented in "Customer Deposits and Credits" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets. Amounts in this account are reduced and revenue is recorded when customer usage exceeds payments received.
We have identified our performance obligations created under tariff-based sales as 1) the commodity (natural gas or electricity, which includes generation and capacity) and 2) delivery. These commodities are sold and / or delivered to and generally consumed by customers simultaneously, leading to satisfaction of our performance obligations over time as gas or electricity is delivered to customers. Due to the at-will nature of utility customers, performance obligations are limited to the services requested and received to date. Once complete, we generally maintain no additional performance obligations.
Transaction prices for each performance obligation are generally prescribed by each operating company’s respective tariff. Rates include provisions to adjust billings for fluctuations in fuel and purchased power costs and cost of natural gas. Revenues are adjusted for differences between actual costs, subject to reconciliation, and the amounts billed in current rates. Under or over recovered revenues related to these cost recovery mechanisms are included in "Regulatory Assets" or "Regulatory Liabilities" on the Consolidated Balance Sheets and are recovered from or returned to customers through adjustments to tariff rates. As we provide and deliver service to customers, revenue is recognized based on the transaction price allocated to each performance obligation. Distribution revenues are generally considered daily or "at-will" contracts as customers may cancel their service at any time (subject to notification requirements), and revenue generally represents the amount we are entitled to bill customers.
In addition to tariff-based sales, our Gas Distribution Operations segment enters into balancing and exchange arrangements of natural gas as part of our operations and off-system sales programs. We have concluded that these sales are within the scope of ASC 606. Performance obligations for these types of sales include transportation and storage of natural gas and can be satisfied at a point in time or over a period of time, depending on the specific transaction. For those transactions that span a period of time, we record a receivable or payable for any cumulative gas imbalances, as well as for any gas inventory borrowed or lent under a Gas Distributions Operations exchange agreement.
Revenue Disaggregation and Reconciliation. We disaggregate revenue from contracts with customers based upon reportable segment as well as by customer class. As our revenues are primarily earned over a period of time, and we do not earn a material amount of revenues at a point in time, revenues are not disaggregated as such below. The Gas Distribution Operations segment provides natural gas service and transportation for residential, commercial and industrial customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Kentucky, Maryland, Indiana and Massachusetts. We completed the sale of the Massachusetts Business on October 9, 2020. The Electric Operations segment provides electric service in 20 counties in the northern part of Indiana.
The table below reconciles revenue disaggregation by customer class to segment revenue as well as to revenues reflected on the Statements of Consolidated Income (Loss):
Year Ended December 31, 2020 (in millions)
Gas Distribution OperationsElectric Operations
Corporate and Other(2)
Total
Customer Revenues(1)
Residential$2,075.0 $527.8 $— $2,602.8 
Commercial670.5 480.3 — 1,150.8 
Industrial212.8 412.1 — 624.9 
Off-system41.0 — — 41.0 
Miscellaneous32.7 20.2 0.8 53.7 
Total Customer Revenues$3,032.0 $1,440.4 $0.8 $4,473.2 
Other Revenues96.1 95.5 16.9 208.5 
Total Operating Revenues$3,128.1 $1,535.9 $17.7 $4,681.7 
(1)Customer revenue amounts exclude intersegment revenues. See Note 24, "Segments of Business," for discussion of intersegment revenues.
(2)Other revenues related to the Transition Services Agreement entered into in connection with the sale of the Massachusetts Business.
Year Ended December 31, 2019 (in millions)
Gas Distribution OperationsElectric OperationsCorporate and OtherTotal
Customer Revenues(1)
Residential$2,309.0 $481.6 $— $2,790.6 
Commercial771.3 486.6 — 1,257.9 
Industrial245.2 607.7 — 852.9 
Off-system77.7 — — 77.7 
Miscellaneous52.0 21.5 0.8 74.3 
Total Customer Revenues$3,455.2 $1,597.4 $0.8 $5,053.4 
Other Revenues54.5 101.0 — 155.5 
Total Operating Revenues$3,509.7 $1,698.4 $0.8 $5,208.9 
(1)Customer revenue amounts exclude intersegment revenues. See Note 24, "Segments of Business," for discussion of intersegment revenues.
Year Ended December 31, 2018 (in millions)
Gas Distribution OperationsElectric OperationsCorporate and OtherTotal
Customer Revenues(1)
Residential$2,250.0 $494.7 $— $2,744.7 
Commercial751.9 492.7 — 1,244.6 
Industrial228.0 613.6 — 841.6 
Off-system92.4 — — 92.4 
Miscellaneous49.7 17.4 0.7 67.8 
Total Customer Revenues$3,372.0 $1,618.4 $0.7 $4,991.1 
Other Revenues34.4 89.0 — 123.4 
Total Operating Revenues$3,406.4 $1,707.4 $0.7 $5,114.5 
(1)Customer revenue amounts exclude intersegment revenues. See Note 24, "Segments of Business," for discussion of intersegment revenues.
Other Revenues. As permitted by accounting principles generally accepted in the United States, regulated utilities have the ability to earn certain types of revenue that are outside the scope of ASC 606. These revenues primarily represent revenue earned under alternative revenue programs. Alternative revenue programs represent regulator-approved mechanisms that allow for the adjustment of billings and revenue for certain approved programs. We maintain a variety of these programs, including demand side management initiatives that recover costs associated with the implementation of energy efficiency programs, as well as normalization programs that adjust revenues for the effects of weather or other external factors. Additionally, we maintain certain programs with future test periods that operate similarly to FERC formula rate programs and allow for recovery of costs incurred to replace aging infrastructure. When the criteria to recognize alternative revenue have been met, we establish a regulatory asset and present revenue from alternative revenue programs on the Statements of Consolidated Income (Loss) as “Other revenues.” When amounts previously recognized under alternative revenue accounting guidance are billed, we reduce the regulatory asset and record a customer account receivable.
Customer Accounts Receivable. Accounts receivable on our Consolidated Balance Sheets includes both billed and unbilled amounts, as well as certain amounts that are not related to customer revenues. Unbilled amounts of accounts receivable relate to a portion of a customer’s consumption of gas or electricity from the date of the last cycle billing through the last day of the month (balance sheet date). Factors taken into consideration when estimating unbilled revenue include historical usage, customer rates and weather. The opening and closing balances of customer receivables for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 are presented in the table below. We had no significant contract assets or liabilities during the period. Additionally, we have not incurred any significant costs to obtain or fulfill contracts.
(in millions)
Customer Accounts Receivable, Billed (less reserve)(1)
Customer Accounts Receivable, Unbilled (less reserve)
Balance as of December 31, 2019$466.6 $346.6 
Balance as of December 31, 2020400.0 327.2 
Decrease$(66.6)$(19.4)
(1)Customer billed receivables decreased due to decreased natural gas costs and warmer weather in 2020 compared to 2019.
Utility revenues are billed to customers monthly on a cycle basis. We generally expect that substantially all customer accounts receivable will be collected within the month following customer billing, as this revenue consists primarily of monthly, tariff-based billings for service and usage. We maintain common utility credit risk mitigation practices, including requiring deposits and actively pursuing collection of past due amounts. Our regulated operations also utilize certain regulatory mechanisms that facilitate recovery of bad debt costs within tariff-based rates, which provides further evidence of collectibility. In connection with the COVID-19 pandemic, certain state regulatory commissions instituted regulatory moratoriums that impacted our ability to pursue our standard credit risk mitigation practices. Following the issuance of these moratoriums, certain of our regulated operations have been authorized to recognize a regulatory asset for bad debt costs above levels currently in rates. We have reinstated our common credit mitigation practices where moratoriums have expired (see Note 9, "Regulatory Matters," for additional information on regulatory moratoriums and regulatory assets). It is probable that substantially all of the consideration to which we are entitled from customers will be collected upon satisfaction of performance obligations.
Allowance for Credit Losses. We adopted ASC 326 effective January 1, 2020. See "Recently Adopted Accounting Pronouncements" in Note 2, "Recent Accounting Pronouncements," for more information about ASC 326.
Each of our business segments pool their customer accounts receivables based on similar risk characteristics, such as customer type, geography, payment terms, and related macro-economic risks. Expected credit loss exposure is evaluated separately for each of our accounts receivable pools. Expected credit losses are established using a model that considers historical collections experience, current information, and reasonable and supportable forecasts. Relevant and reliable internal and external inputs used in the model include, but are not limited to, energy consumption trends, revenue projections, actual charge-offs data, recoveries data, shut-off orders executed data, and final bill data. We continuously evaluate available reasonable and supportable information relevant to assessing collectibility of current and future receivables. We evaluate creditworthiness of specific customers periodically or when required by changes in facts and circumstances. When we become aware of a specific commercial or industrial customer's inability to pay, an allowance for expected credit losses is recorded for the relevant amount. We also monitor other circumstances that could affect our overall expected credit losses; these include, but are not limited to, creditworthiness of overall population in service territories, adverse conditions impacting an industry sector, and current economic conditions.
At each reporting period, we record expected credit losses using an allowance for credit losses account. When deemed to be uncollectible, customer accounts are written-off. A rollforward of our allowance for credit losses for the year ended December 31, 2020 are presented in the table below:
Year Ended December 31, 2020 (in millions)
Gas Distribution OperationsElectric OperationsCorporate and OtherTotal
Beginning balance(1)
9.1 3.1 0.8 13.0 
Current period provisions45.3 9.3 — 54.6 
Write-offs charged against allowance(26.7)(3.0)— (29.7)
Recoveries of amounts previously written off14.1 0.3 — 14.4 
Ending balance of the allowance for credit losses41.8 9.7 0.8 52.3 
(1)Total beginning balance differs from that presented in the Consolidated Balance Sheets as it excludes Columbia of Massachusetts. Columbia of Massachusetts' customer receivables and related allowance for credit losses were included in the sale of the Massachusetts Business that occurred on October 9, 2020.
As of December 31, 2020, we have also evaluated the adequacy of our allowance for credit losses in light of the suspension of shut-offs for nonpayment due to the COVID-19 pandemic that remain in effect for certain jurisdictions, as well as the economic downturn. Our evaluation included an analysis of customer payment trends in 2020, economic conditions, receivables aging, considerations of past economic downturns and the associated allowance for credit losses and customer account write-offs. In addition, we considered benefits available under governmental COVID-19 relief programs, the impact of unemployment benefits initiatives, and flexible payment plans being offered to customers affected by or experiencing hardship as a result of the pandemic, which could help to mitigate the potential for increasing customer account delinquencies. Based upon this evaluation, we have concluded that the allowance for credit losses as of December 31, 2020 adequately reflected the collection risk and net realizable value for our receivables. We will continue to monitor changing circumstances and will adjust our allowance for credit losses as additional information becomes available.