CostElectricity Bill Estimator
Estimate a monthly electricity bill from total household kWh usage, energy rate and fixed charges.
Enter your values and press Calculate.
Tip: country presets are starting points only. Replace rates and prices with your actual figures whenever possible.
Read the inputs from your electricity bill
Use energy consumption in kWh, not the meter's cumulative reading. If estimating from readings, subtract the previous reading from the current one and apply any meter multiplier shown by the utility. Enter a rate in currency per kWh: 17 cents means 0.17 dollars.
Worked example and charge breakdown
650 kWh × 0.17 = 110.50 energy charges. Add 15.00 fixed charges for a subtotal of 125.50. Applying 5% to that subtotal adds 6.275, giving 131.78 after rounding.
Tiered and time-of-use tariffs
This model uses one rate. For 100 kWh at 0.10 and 200 kWh at 0.20, energy charges are 50.00; divide by 300 kWh to enter an effective rate of 0.166667. For time-of-use billing, similarly weight each rate by consumption in that period. Do not use a simple unweighted average.
Tax assumptions and exclusions
The entered percentage applies to both energy and fixed charges. If your bill taxes only certain items, set the percentage to zero and include known additional charges in the fixed field. Demand charges, export credits, rebates and tariff-specific adjustments require separate treatment. Country presets are illustrative inputs, not current utility tariffs.
How this calculator works
The estimator multiplies monthly electricity use by your energy rate, adds fixed charges, then applies the entered percentage for taxes or other proportional charges.
Formula
If a household uses 650 kWh at $0.17/kWh with $15 fixed charges and 5% additional charges, the estimate is about $132.
Getting a more accurate result
- Use total kWh from a recent bill.
- Replace the preset rate with your actual tariff.
- If your tariff is tiered, use an effective average rate or calculate each tier separately.
Understanding your result
The result is intended for comparison and planning. Real-world costs can differ because of local taxes, fees, tariffs, financing, usage patterns, equipment efficiency, rounding and other conditions. For important decisions, verify the inputs against your bill, contract, lender, employer or other authoritative source.
Frequently asked questions
Does this support tiered tariffs?
Not directly. Use an effective average rate for a quick estimate.
Why is my utility bill different?
Demand charges, fuel adjustments, subsidies, taxes, net metering and tiered rates can change the total.
Can I use this for solar households?
Yes, but enter net grid consumption and account separately for credits if your utility uses net metering.
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Reviewed for CostMeter V1.5 • October 2026