US Utility Bill
US Utility Bill — US reference tool.
About US Utility Bill
A US residential utility bill has two structurally different parts. Usage charges scale with consumption: kilowatt-hours times the electric rate, plus therms times the gas rate. Fixed charges — service availability, delivery, meter and customer charges — are billed whether you use anything or not, which is why an empty house still receives a bill and why the effective cost per kilowatt-hour rises sharply in low-usage months. Separating the two shows how much of your bill conservation can actually reach: only the usage portion responds to turning things off.
Formulas
Electricity charge
Electric = kWh used x rate per kWh
Gas charge
Gas = therms used x rate per therm
- therm
- 100,000 BTU, the standard US gas billing unit
Bill total
Monthly bill = electric + gas + fixed charges
An estimate for budgeting only. Actual US utility bills depend on your tariff structure, tiered or time-of-use rates, seasonal adjustments, riders, taxes and local surcharges. Consult your utility's current rate schedule for authoritative figures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where do I find my rate per kWh?
Divide the total electricity charge on a recent bill by the kilowatt-hours shown for that period. That all-in figure includes generation, transmission and riders, and is more useful than the headline supply rate alone.
Why does my bill not fall proportionally when I cut usage?
Fixed service and delivery charges do not move with consumption. If 22 dollars of a 180 dollar bill is fixed, halving your usage cuts the bill by far less than half.
Does this handle tiered or time-of-use rates?
No — it applies one blended rate. If your utility charges rising block tiers or peak and off-peak prices, use your bill's effective average rate for a reasonable approximation, or model each tier separately for precision.
Related Calculators
United States specifics
- Currency
- $ USDUS Dollar
- Region
- North America
- Country code
- US
- Amounts look like
- $1,234,567.89
- Dates look like
- Mar 9, 2026
- Units
- imperialWeek starts Sunday
In United States, imperial units are in everyday use.
Results on this page are expressed in USD (US Dollar). Figures are estimates for general planning — confirm current rates and thresholds with the relevant United States authority before relying on them.