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Revenue
 12 Months Ended
Dec. 31, 2020
Revenue from Contract with Customer [Abstract]  
Revenue Revenue
Sources of Revenue

The following table provides detail of Pinnacle West’s consolidated revenue disaggregated by revenue sources (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,Year Ended December 31,
202020192018
Retail Electric Service
Residential$1,929,178 (a)$1,761,122 $1,867,370 
Non-Residential1,486,098 1,509,514 1,628,891 
Wholesale Energy Sales93,345 121,805 109,198 
Transmission Services for Others65,859 62,460 60,261 
Other Sources12,502 16,308 25,527 
Total Operating Revenues$3,586,982 $3,471,209 $3,691,247 

(a) Residential revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 reflect a $24 million reduction related to the Arizona Attorney General matter. (See Note 11).

Retail Electric Revenue. Pinnacle West’s retail electric revenue is generated by our wholly owned regulated subsidiary APS’s sale of electricity to our regulated customers within the authorized service territory at tariff rates approved by the ACC and based on customer usage. Revenues related to the sale of electricity are generally recognized when service is rendered or electricity is delivered to customers. The billing of electricity sales to individual customers is based on the reading of their meters. We obtain customers’ meter data on a systematic basis throughout the month, and generally bill customers within a month from when service was provided. Customers are generally required to pay for services within 15 days of when the services are billed. See “Allowance for Doubtful Accounts” discussion below for additional details regarding payment terms.

Wholesale Energy Sales and Transmission Services for Others. Revenues from wholesale energy sales and transmission services for others represent energy and transmission sales to wholesale customers. These activities primarily consist of managing fuel and purchased power risks in connection with the cost of serving our retail customers’ energy requirements. We may also sell into the wholesale markets generation that is not needed for APS’s retail load. Our wholesale activities and tariff rates are regulated by FERC.

Revenue Activities

Our revenues primarily consist of activities that are classified as revenues from contracts with customers. We derive our revenues from contracts with customers primarily from sales of electricity to our regulated retail customers. Revenues from contracts with customers also include wholesale and transmission activities. Our revenues from contracts with customers for the year ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018 were $3,533 million, $3,415 million and $3,644 million, respectively.
We have certain revenues that do not meet the specific accounting criteria to be classified as revenues from contracts with customers. For the year ended December 31, 2020, 2019 and 2018, our revenues that do not qualify as revenue from contracts with customers were $54 million, $56 million and $47 million, respectively. This relates primarily to certain regulatory cost recovery mechanisms that are considered alternative revenue programs. We recognize revenue associated with alternative revenue programs when specific events permitting recognition are completed. Certain amounts associated with alternative revenue programs will subsequently be billed to customers; however, we do not reclassify billed amounts into revenue from contracts with customers. (See Note 4 for a discussion of our regulatory cost recovery mechanisms.)

Contract Assets and Liabilities from Contracts with Customers

There were no material contract assets, contract liabilities, or deferred contract costs recorded on the Consolidated Balance Sheets as of December 31, 2020 and 2019.

Allowance for Doubtful Accounts

On March 13, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic we voluntarily suspended disconnections of customers for nonpayment. The suspension of customer disconnections was extended from March 13, 2020 through December 31, 2020. Our disconnection policies are also impacted by the Summer Disconnection Moratorium. The suspension of disconnection of customers for nonpayment ended on January 1, 2021 and certain customers with past due balances were placed on eight-month payment arrangements. These circumstances and the on-going COVID-19 pandemic have impacted our allowance for doubtful accounts including our write-off factor. We continue to monitor the impacts of COVID-19, our disconnection policies, payment arrangements, among other considerations impacting our estimated write-off factor and allowance for doubtful accounts. (See Note 1 for our accounting policies on allowance for doubtful accounts. See Note 4 for additional discussion on the COVID-19 pandemic and the Summer Disconnection Moratorium.)

The following table provides a rollforward of Pinnacle West’s allowance for doubtful accounts all of which primarily relates to APS (dollars in thousands):
Year Ended December 31, 2020Year Ended December 31, 2019Year Ended December 31, 2018
Allowance for doubtful accounts, balance at beginning of period$8,171 $4,069 $2,513 
Bad debt expense20,633 11,819 10,870 
Actual write-offs(9,022)(7,717)(9,314)
Allowance for doubtful accounts, balance at end of period$19,782 $8,171 $4,069