Electric bill guides

Plain-language explainers on bills, rates and heating costs — every guide is grounded in the EIA data behind this site and links into the live state pages.

Bills explained What is actually on the bill, and why it moves.

Bills guide Fixed charges vs. usage rates: the two halves of your electric bill Part of your bill arrives whether you use one kWh or one thousand. How fixed charges work, why regulators raise them, and what that means for solar and conservation math. Reviewed Sep 2026 · 6 min read Bills guide Time-of-use rates explained: paying the clock instead of the meter Under time-of-use pricing the hour matters as much as the amount. How TOU windows work, who wins and loses, and how to shift load without living differently. Reviewed Sep 2026 · 6 min read Bills guide Why is my electric bill so high? The real drivers, in order Bills rise for identifiable reasons: rates, usage, seasons, fixed charges and fees. The ranked list, how to tell which one hit you, and what the EIA data says about your state. Reviewed Sep 2026 · 7 min read

Prices & trends Rates over time, states compared, data first.

Prices guide Why electricity prices rose — what five years of state data shows Rates are approved costs passed through: fuel, capital, and grid spend. What the measured state-by-state record shows about the recent run-up, and where it rose fastest. Reviewed Sep 2026 · 6 min read

Heating & gas The winter half of the energy bill.

Heating guide Gas vs. electric heating cost: how the comparison actually works Furnace AFUE, heat-pump COP and your state’s two fuel prices decide the answer. The physics, the arithmetic, and a calculator that runs it per state. Reviewed Sep 2026 · 6 min read Heating guide Natural gas prices and your winter bill: what twenty years of data shows Residential gas swings harder than electricity, and winter is when it bites. What the two-decade price record shows, why bills move more than prices, and how gas heat compares. Reviewed Sep 2026 · 6 min read

Put the guides to work

Each guide pairs with the measured pages on this site: bills by state, the monthly movers report, or the raw EIA data behind every claim.