Editorial Policy

Utility Cost Guide is published and edited by Muhammet Çay, a sole proprietor registered in Istanbul, Türkiye. This policy describes the rules he follows so readers can judge how far to trust the numbers. See the about page for who we are.

How fees are researched

Each official fee row is taken from a primary document published by the utility or responsible public body: a fee schedule, ordinance, tariff, rate sheet or board resolution. We record the amount, charging basis, meter size, customer class, effective date, source URL and the date we verified it. Every row links to its source. We do not invent local fees to fill gaps; where no official figure exists, a calculator uses a labeled national estimate instead. Industry and consumer sources may inform those benchmarks but never become official fee rows. Details are in the methodology and sources and data policy.

Use of AI tools

Drafting tools, including AI, may help prepare text. Every figure is checked against its cited source by the editor before publication, and AI output is never treated as a source.

Freshness and flags

We check source links weekly. A working link does not prove a fee is current, so a page’s “Last reviewed” date changes only when its content or data is actually re-checked. Rows whose newest official schedule is old, or that could not be re-confirmed, are flagged “Confirm with utility”. Records more than 12 months past verification are marked stale.

Independence and advertising

UCG is not affiliated with any utility or government agency and does not sell services. We accept no payment for listings, rankings or placement. Advertisers and contractors do not choose or influence fees, estimates or conclusions. Ads are separate from content and labeled; see the advertising disclosure.

What we are not

Our pages are for planning, not professional, legal or engineering advice, and an estimate is never a utility quote. Confirm every fee with the serving utility.

Corrections

When we get something wrong we fix it and, if the change is material, record it in the public corrections log. Report errors to corrections@utilitycostguide.com.