Guides
Written against the files retrieved for this site in October 2026. If a number is not in those files, it is not in the guide.
- 01 How to read your electric bill
What the kilowatt-hour, the customer charge, and the all-in price are doing on a residential bill, with the 2025 EIA figures beside two checked tariffs.
- 02 All-in cents per kWh versus the tariff energy charge
Why a single energy-charge line and EIA's annual cents per kilowatt-hour answer different questions, with the arithmetic from the 2025 file and from checked schedules.
- 03 Why electric bills are rising in 2026
What EIA Table 5.6.A actually shows for July 2026 against July 2025, and what the table does not explain.
- 04 Time-of-use plans explained
What a time-of-use price changes, using Seattle City Light's published 2026 periods and the time-of-use flag in the October 10, 2026 Power to Choose file.
- 05 Texas TDU delivery charges explained
The October 1, 2026 residential delivery charges for Oncor, CenterPoint, AEP Texas, and Texas-New Mexico Power, set next to their 2025 EIA averages.
- 06 Bill credits and minimum-usage traps in Texas
How a Texas plan can look cheap at 1,000 kWh and expensive at 500 kWh, using the Power to Choose file retrieved October 10, 2026.
- 07 Heat pump versus furnace operating cost
How to price the same delivered heat with a heat pump, electric resistance, natural gas, and propane, using EIA prices and EIA heat contents.
- 08 How much electricity a home uses
The 2025 EIA-861 residential average, the 2020 RECS site-energy total, and ENERGY STAR medians, kept as separate measurements.
- 09 EV home charging and off-peak rates
How to price fueleconomy.gov kilowatt-hours per 100 miles at a home rate, a public rate, and Seattle's published off-peak price.
- 10 Average electric bill by state, 2025
The EIA-861 final 2025 residential average bill, price, and usage for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.