Bob Pierce answers questions about energy efficiency, consumer products, and cooperative governance. He is Clearwater Power’s Chief Operating Officer and welcomes your questions on our Ask Bob page.
It’s May, and spring is in the air. Why is my bill still on the higher side even though the weather is now warmer?
The bill you received at the beginning of May is for electricity you used between March 20 and April 20. Even though the sun is shining more and the weather is indeed warming up, remember it was still snowing and cold for the first half of that billing period.
If you look at a 13-month energy use graph on your bill, you can compare this month’s use to the same month last year—along with a table of your average daily use and average daily temperature for your specific area for 2022 and 2023 (see Graph 1). For most homes, colder temperatures typically mean an increase in power use.
For greater detail about your bill, log on to SmartHub. You can use the SmartHub Usage Explorer to graph your use monthly or daily. It will show average temperatures on the same graph so you can see how temperature affects your energy use (see Graph 2).
SmartHub is available on our website, or you can download a free mobile app for your smartphone.