What is an electric bill explainer?
It separates bill line items into energy charges, delivery charges, fixed customer fees, and taxes so you can see what drove the total.
Bill explainer
Turn electric bill line items into a plain-English diagnosis.
Enter the usage and charges from a bill to see what changed, what is fixed, what is usage-based, and what to check next.
Electric bill
$226
Energy$142
Delivery$48.00
Fees$36.00
All-in rate
$0.246 per kWh
Best next check
Cooling hours
Paste the numbers from your bill
Start with the line items you can find. Leave missing fields at 0.
Energy charge
The electricity you used, usually measured in kWh.
Delivery charge
The cost to move electricity across poles, wires, and meters.
Customer charge
A fixed monthly fee that stays even when usage is low.
Taxes and public fees
Local taxes, riders, public programs, and regulatory fees.
Bill total
$226
The line items added together.
All-in rate
$0.246
Total bill divided by kWh usage.
Fixed share
37%
Charges not directly controlled by usage.
Plain-English explanation
Most of this bill is tied to electricity usage. Appliance habits, heating, cooling, and time-of-use pricing are likely the best places to investigate.
The first number to watch is the all-in rate. If it rises while usage stays flat, the bill is getting more expensive because of rate changes or fixed charges, not because the home used much more electricity.
Calculate the line items next
Electric delivery charge calculator
Separate delivery charges, customer fees, riders, taxes, and supply cost.
Open pageTime-of-use electricity calculator
Estimate bills that split kWh across peak and off-peak rate periods.
Open pageElectric bill spike calculator
Compare two bills to see which line items changed most.
Open pageBill troubleshooter
Turn the line-item breakdown into a prioritized list of checks for a high or confusing bill.
Open pageElectricity rate calculators
Turn cents per kWh into a full bill estimate with delivery and fixed fees.
Open pageState electricity bill calculators
Start with state-level rate assumptions before replacing them with the rate on the bill.
Open pageCommon electric bill terms
Energy charge explained
Understand the usage-based part of the bill and how it follows kWh.
Open pageDelivery charge explained
Separate wires, poles, meters, transmission, and distribution charges from supply.
Open pageCustomer charge explained
Check the fixed monthly fee that can keep a low-usage bill from falling much.
Open pageEstimated meter reading explained
See how an estimated read can shift usage into the wrong billing period.
Open pageTime-of-use rate explained
Learn why peak and off-peak hours can change the bill even when kWh is similar.
Open pageTaxes and fees explained
Identify the non-usage charges that may not respond to energy savings.
Open pageUseful checks
Tools that can make the estimate more accurate
Smart thermostat
Useful when cooling or heating hours are the biggest part of the electric bill.
LED bulb multipack
A simple upgrade for homes still using older incandescent or halogen bulbs.
Links may become affiliate links when an associate tag is configured. Product checks are optional and are not required to use the calculators. Read disclosures.
FAQ
Short answers for search visitors and bill-checking moments.
Which electric bill charges can I control?
Usage-based energy charges are the most controllable. Delivery, customer charges, taxes, and public fees are usually set by the utility or regulator.
What should I check if my electric bill suddenly increased?
Compare kWh usage first, then check rate changes, weather-driven heating or cooling, new appliances, billing period length, and fixed fee changes.