ESSENTIAL UTILITIES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements (continued) (In thousands of dollars, except per share amounts)
Other Utility Revenues – Other utility revenues represent revenues earned primarily from: antenna revenues, which represents fees received from telecommunication operators that have put cellular antennas on our water towers; operation and maintenance and billing contracts, which represent fees earned from municipalities for our operation of their water or wastewater treatment services or performing billing services; and fees earned from developers for accessing our water mains, miscellaneous service revenue from gas distribution operations, gas processing and handling revenue, sales of natural gas at market-based rates and contracted fixed prices, sales of gas purchased from third parties, and other gas marketing activities. The performance obligations vary for these revenues, but all are primarily recognized over time as the service is delivered.
Alternative Revenue Program: o Water / Wastewater Revenues – These revenues represent the difference between the actual billed utility volumetric water and wastewater revenues for Aqua Illinois and the revenues set in the last Aqua Illinois rate case. In accordance with the Illinois Commerce Commission, we recognize revenues based on the target amount established in the last rate case, and then record either a regulatory asset or liability based on the cumulative annual difference between the target and actual amounts billed, which results in either a payment from customers or a refund due to customers. The cumulative annual difference is either refunded to customers or collected from customers over a nine-month period. o Natural Gas Revenues – These revenues represent the weather-normalization adjustment (“WNA”) mechanism in place for our natural gas customers served in Kentucky and, beginning in October 2024, for our natural gas customers in Pennsylvania. The WNA serves to minimize the effects of weather on the Company’s results for its residential and small commercial natural gas customers. This regulatory mechanism adjusts revenues earned for the variance between actual and normal weather and can have either positive (warmer than normal) or negative (colder than normal) effects on revenues. Customer bills are adjusted in the heating season billing months, with rates adjusted for the difference between actual revenues and revenues calculated under this mechanism billed to the customers. These revenue programs represent a contract between the utility and its regulators, not customers, and therefore are not within the scope of the FASB’s accounting guidance for recognizing revenue from contracts with customers.
Other and Eliminations – Other and eliminations consist of market-based revenues, which are earned through our non-regulated natural gas operations and Aqua Resources, and intercompany activities for revenue billed between our subsidiaries. Our non-regulated natural gas operations consist of utility service line protection solutions and repair services for households and the operation of gas marketing and production entities. Revenue is recognized and the performance obligation is satisfied over time as the service is delivered. Aqua Resources earned revenues and continues to earn revenue through third-party water and sewer service line protection and repair services. For the service line protection business, the performance obligations are allowing the use of our logo to a third-party water and sewer service line repair provider. Revenues are primarily recognized over time as service is delivered.
Cash and Cash Equivalents ─ The Company considers all highly liquid investments with an original maturity of three months or less, which are not restricted for construction activity, to be cash equivalents.
Under our cash management system, checks issued but not yet presented to banks would result in a negative bank balance or a book overdraft. The Company funds its book overdraft from its line of credit and operating cash
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