ABSTRACT
Once the energy rate structures for a customer have been examined and been understood, the next step in understanding how utility costs are determined is to perform a utility bill analysis. Knowing how a customer is charged for the energy it uses each month is an important piece of the overall process of energy management at a facility. This entry discusses how electric bills and gas bills for large commercial, industrial, and institutional customers are calculated. Average costs, peak load costs, and time-of-use (TOU) costs are presented and evaluated. Electric costs are found as demand costs per kilowatt per month, and energy costs per kilowatt hour. The utility cost data are used initially to analyze potential energy savings opportunities, and will ultimately influence which of these opportunities are recommended.This entry originally appeared as “Utility Bill Analysis” (Chapter 22) inCombined Heating, Cooling & Power Handbook, by Neil Petchers. Published by Marcel Dekker, Inc., New York, NY, 2003; reprinted with permission from AEE/Fairmont Press.
