Make Sense of Your Electricity Bill
Many people don’t read their electricity bill. And we can understand why. Electricity bills can be hard to understand. After all, there is a lot to sort though in the Pennsylvania energy market. But, understanding your electricity bill can help you save money. So if you want to be a smarter shopper, check out our guide on how to read your electricity bill.
Reading Your PA Electricity Bill
Utility bills don’t all look exactly the same. That’s because they don’t serve the same markets. So, your PECO bill will look one way. But a PPL bill, on the other hand, will organize things a little bit differently. However, Pennsylvania state law requires utilities follow billing standards. So all utilities tend to group the same information the same way on electricity bills.
Account Summary: This section contains your name, service address, phone number, and account number. In most bills you receive, such as one from PECO, this information will be at the very top. This is usually next to your due date. Above all, never give your account number to a stranger. Scammers can use it to change your electricity provider without your permission. The best way to escape an energy scam is to keep your info private.
Billing Summary: Generally, the billing summary is the first thing you see on your bill. You can find the billing period, total charges, account balance, and the amount due. Pittsburgh customers can look here to see if DLC estimated or read their meters.
Billing Details: Here you can find details about your electric use for the month. Your utility bills your use by the kilowatt hour (kWh). That is, the price for using 1000 watts for 1 hour. This section also shows your total usage in kWh. You will also see your total price per kWh broken down by charges.
Messages: This includes important notices and information. PPL will inform customers if they estimated or read their meter in this area.
Shopping and Supplier Information: If you have bought an electricity plan, this section shows info about your supplier. But, if you are using the PTC rate, here you will find everything you need to shop for electricity rates.
Understand What You’re Paying for Electricity
The supply and distribution charges are usually the biggest amounts on your bill. So, it helps to understand these charges and how they affect what you owe each month.
Distribution charges come from your utility. These charges cover the cost of delivering electricity to your home. For instance, costs of maintaining lines, poles, and substations.
Customer charges also come from your utility. These charges include the costs of billing, meter reading, equipment and maintenence.
Supply or generation charges are the big one. This charge is for the costs of making electricity and transmitting it your utility’s switch yards. They then distribute it through their network to your home.
Most retail providers include the transmission charge in with their rates. If you chose your utility PTC rate, your bill may show different information. For example, PPL combines the two charges. But, PECO tracks the generation and transmission charges separately under “electricity supply”.
Lower Your Electricity Bills
Hopefully now your electricity bill is a lot easier to read. So now that you can better understand your bill, how do you save money? By shopping for the best electricity rate. There’s only one site that lets you read reviews and shop suppliers all in one place. Visit https://www.paenergyratings.com today!