How Do I Find My Electricity Usage?

How Do I Find My Electricity Usage?

  • Your monthly usage is usually found on your monthly billing statement.
  • If you have opted for paperless billing, you can view your electricity consumption using your computer or smart phone online.
  • If you do not have an online account with your power provider, you can also call your power company and request your usage either in kWh or in dollars.
Sample Ameren Illinois bill with diagrams and term definitions
Portion of sample Ameren Illinois bill showing electric usage in kilowatt-hours and gas usage in therms

Homeowners with net metering agreements for their solar system that is interconnected with the Ameren grid has a few more items on their bill breakdown. Net metering energy statements reflect how much electricity a customer buys from the grid, and how much solar power a customer has supplied the grid, in a billing period.

A diagram of a sample bill for Ameren Missouri customers with solar or wind power interconnected with the grid

Note the following added terms for customers with net metering agreements for their solar power or wind power interconnected with the Ameren grid:

  • Customer kWh to Utility
  • Net Billable kWh
  • Net Excess kWh

You may also see the following terms on the Usage Summary if you have grid-tied solar power:

  • On-Site Excess Gen kWh
  • Del Prior Carryover Gen
  • Delivery Carryover Gen kWh
  • Supply Prior Carryover Gen
  • Supply Carryover Gen kWh

Below is a bill copy of an actual Ameren Illinois customer who has a solar system on his roof, installed by IM Sustainable in 2019.

Bill copy of an Ameren Illinois customer with rooftop solar power installed by IM Sustainable

Once a homeowner or a business owner has a solar system installed and interconnected with the grid, the utility provider switches the actual physical meter to a bi-directional meter, which measures how much power a customer receives from the grid, and how much renewable energy the customer’s solar system supplies to the grid.

If you need help figuring out how much power you use in a billing cycle, or if you have solar power installed by IM Sustainable or by others and would like to know how much power you are receiving from and sending to the grid, we can help you. Please send your email to office@im-sustainable.com.

Original post can be found at IM Sustainable website.