Facts About Your Electric Bill
Understanding your electric bill and knowing how much energy various appliances use will help you get the most out of your energy dollar. The greatest portion of your electricity needs involve heating, cooling, food refrigeration, water heating and lighting. The following pages are designed to give you a detailed description of all the items on your Minnesota Power bill. If you have further questions about your electric bill or energy use, please call us at 1.800.228.4966.
Understanding Your Bill...
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1 Your personal account number. 2 The Billing Summary is your total amount due. 3 A summary of current and previous balances, payments received, and billing period for electric and non-utility charges. Additional details of charges are on Page 2 of the bill.
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9 Effective Nov. 1, 2011, the Affordability Surcharge on your bill, $0.65 per month, recovers the costs of a rate affordability 5 The Residential Service Rate discount program for incomecode identifies your classification of qualified residential electricity service. This example is of a single customers. family dwelling.
4 This graph depicts a two-year record of your electric power (kilowatt-hour) use.
The Renewable Adjustment 6 Total kilowatt-hours (kWh) used 10 charge includes the costs for during a billing period. additional renewable energy and 7 Service Charge is the minimum transmission to deliver this energy monthly fee which covers the cost to our system. We are investing of connection to our system. in renewable energy projects as economically as possible to meet The amount you are charged per 8 Minnesota’s Renewable Energy kWh varies depending on your Standard of 25 percent renewable monthly usage. There are five energy by 2025. separate rate blocks; the more electricity you use, the more you 11 The Transmission Adjustment will pay per kWh. The fee for charge includes costs for new your monthly energy usage is the transmission facilities that are Total Energy Charge.
necessary for reliable delivery of the electricity to customers. 12 The Resource Adjustment is a combination of two charges. The first portion of this charge is applied to the cost of our state mandated Conservation Improvement Program which promotes energy conservation through education and outreach. The second portion is fuel and purchased energy which is based on the fluctuating cost of fuel used in our generating stations and power purchased from other energy providers when needed. Due to the varying costs of fuel, this line item will vary from month to month.
Other things you should know about your Minnesota Power bill Billing
Payment Options
Budget Billing
Most customers’ electric meters are read by an automated reading system. An electric device connected to your electric meter provides Minnesota Power with accurate monthly usage of your household or business.
Minnesota Power offers these options to pay your bill.
Budget Billing levels out seasonal highs and lows on monthly electric bills. The budget amount is based on your past 12 months’ usage divided into 12 equal payments. You pay the same amount for your electric service each month, so budgeting for monthly expenses is simplified. The current status of your budget billing account is shown on the reverse side of your bill. There is no charge for this service.
You may experience an occasional estimated bill. We estimate your consumption based on historical usage. Actual readings subsequently correct any overcharge or undercharge that may result when an estimate must be made. Visit mnpower.com or call 1-800-228-4966 for more information.
• Western Union Speedpay - Recurring Payment Plan – free when using
checking, savings or money market accounts
- One-Time Payment - Pay-in-Person – using Western Union Convenience Pay locations
• Walmart – Customer Service desk • Mail • Drop Boxes - Duluth and Little Falls only
The Ups and Downs of Your Electric Bill Residential electric bills follow surprisingly uniform patterns from year to year. When a bill is higher than usual, it arouses curiosity. There are many reasons why your use and cost of electric service may vary.
Seasonal Changes
with a billing period. Your reduced usage, therefore, would be spread over two bills. It’s likely too that you’ll use more electric energy getting ready for a vacation and when you return home again.
Cold weather requires more heat and use of furnace fans, humidifiers, roof and gutter cables, supplementary heaters and auto engine heaters. Holiday entertaining requires extra cooking, lighting and use of decorations.
Other Reasons for Change
During hot weather, there is increased usage because of air conditioners, fans, refrigerators, freezers, dehumidifiers and laundry appliances. The charts show average use factors for heating and lighting and how they vary seasonally. Find tips for saving energy throughout the year at mnpower.com/seasonsofsavings
Usage During Vacation It’s natural to expect your electric bill to decrease substantially when you’re away from home. But while you’re away, your refrigerator, freezer and water heater continue to operate — unless you turn them off. Also, your vacation schedule may not coincide
• Your lifestyle may change, your family grows, you entertain more often or you have more houseguests. • The age and condition of your appliances often affects their cost of operation. • You may leave lights or appliances on unnecessarily, wasting electricity and affecting your bill. Variations are caused by the length of the billing period. In general, for every day’s difference in the billing period, your energy consumption increases or decreases by 3 percent.
Appliance Operation Costs The following costs are based on energy consumption of typical appliances and their average use. Your appliances and use patterns may vary somewhat, so you may want to figure exactly what it costs to operate your appliances. It’s not difficult to do if you have the right information. All electric appliances have the “wattage” or “amperage” and “voltage” indicated somewhere on the unit (amps x volts = watts). You can use this figure to determine your cost of operation. For example, an electric space heater with 1,500 watts costs about 13.65 cents per hour to operate. Here’s how that figure is reached: 1,500 watts ÷ 1,000 = 1.5 kW each hour 1.5 kW x 9.1 cents/kWh = 13.65 cents/hour
Many electric appliances are thermostatically controlled. Because they turn off and on automatically, they use energy intermittently. The following figures give you a basis for estimating appliance operating costs. These estimates are based on Minnesota Power’s average residential customer cost of 9.1 cents per kilowatt-hour. (Average Minnesota household use is 750 kWh per month.) Your average cost may be slightly lower or higher than 9.1 cents depending upon your usage, rate classification and the community in which you live. You can check with your local public library to see if it has an electric usage monitor called a Kill A Watt™ available for checkout. This tool allows you to assess how efficient your appliances are by monitoring their electric consumption.
If you have further questions about your electric bill or energy use, please call us at 1.800.228.4966.
Average Home Energy Use
Average Appliance Usage
*These estimates are based on Minnesota Power’s average residential customer cost of 9.1 cents per kilowatt-hour. (Average household use is 750 kWh per month.) The residential rate is subject to approval, modification or acceptance by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. Average Monthly kWh
Average Monthly kWh
Average Monthly cost*
Household Services Washer (average is 12 hours/month) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 0.82 Dryer (average is 16 hours/month). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 9.46 Water heater (52 gallon, quick recovery) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400 . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 36.40 100kWh (base running) tank + 100kWh per person (double for infants)
Water heater (energy efficient model or one with blanket) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350 . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 31.85 50kWh + tank add 100 kWh per person (double for infants)
Range (family of 4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 . . . . . . . . . . . . Refrigerator (conventional) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 . . . . . . . . . . . . Refrigerator/freezer (upright, 2 door, 14 cubic feet) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95 . . . . . . . . . . . . Refrigerator/freezer (side by side) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152 . . . . . . . . . . . . Freezer (15 cubic feet, manual defrost). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 . . . . . . . . . . . . Freezer (15 cubic feet, frost free) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147 . . . . . . . . . . . . Dishwasher (with heating unit) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 . . . . . . . . . . . . Oil burner (use low/average/high based on outside temp) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 . . . . . . . . . . . . Furnace fan (use low/average/high based on outside temp) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 . . . . . . . . . . . . Supplementary electric heaters (watts x hours) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300 . . . . . . . . . . . . Room A/C (depends on size, use and weather conditions) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228 . . . . . . . . . . . .
$ 6.83 $ 5.46 $ 8.64 $ 13.38 $ 6.92 $ 13.83 $ 2.37 $ 5.46 $ 9.10 $ 27.30 $ 20.75
Average Monthly cost*
Central A/C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .360 . ........... Television (Tube) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 . ........... Television (Plasma) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 . ........... Television (LCD) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 . ........... Television (LED) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 . ...........
$ 32.76 $ 5.10 $ 6.55 $ 2.46 $ 2.18
Other Appliances Dehumidifier (depends on size of unit and hours of operation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .255 . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 23.21 Auto engine heater (watts x hours) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75 . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 6.83
Lighting 5 room house (winter months). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 . ........... 8 room house (winter months). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 . ........... Standard outdoor 100 count holiday lights.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .150 . ........... Midsized LED 100 count holiday lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 . ...........
$ 4.55 $ 7.28 $ 13.65 $ 0.27
Other High-Use Items Roof and gutter cables (usually 7 watts per foot, multiply watts x hours) . . . . . . . . . . .82 . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 7.46 Home computer and printer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 2.55 Electric blanket . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22 . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 2.00
tips for efficient energy use
Take the next step ... demonstrate the Power of One® Check out these tips for saving energy in your home.
Learn more about how you use energy.
Complete a free Your Home Energy Report and find out if a home energy analysis is right for you. Take the next step to develop a customized action plan for achieving your energy-saving goals. Visit us at mnpower.com/portal
Replace furnace filters monthly.
This will improve the efficiency of your furnace, extend its life and reduce dust in your home.
Clean refrigerator and freezer coils.
For refrigerators, clean on a biannual basis and more often if you have animals. For freezers, clean more often if stored in dusty areas. You can also clean the coils on your window air conditioner and dehumidifier.
Turn down the thermostat in the winter and turn it up in the summer.
As a rule of thumb, for each one degree reduction in temperature in the winter you can save 2 percent or more on your heating and for each degree you raise the temperature in the summer, you can save 3 percent or more on cooling. You may want to consider installing a programmable thermostat.
Wash your clothes in cold water as much as possible—and only full loads. About 90 percent of the energy used is spent heating the water. Take the next step and install an ENERGY STAR® qualified clothes washer.
Plug air leaks in your home.
Inexpensive foam strips and caulking can cut your heating and cooling loss by 10–25 percent.
Turn off lights when not needed.
a conservation program Don’t forget to visit
mnpower.com/powerofone for additional energysaving tips, tools and rebate information.
Take the next step by installing energyefficient ENERGY STAR® qualified light bulbs and fixtures. Lighting represents up to 10 percent of an average home’s energy usage.
When not in use, turn it off ... or better yet, unplug it.
Televisions, chargers, computers, and other plug-in devices that are simply turned off can still use as much as half the energy they do when they’re turned on.
Have your furnace tuned up annually.
Take the next step by installing a new, high-efficiency furnace with an ECM fan motor.
Get rid of that second refrigerator or freezer.
The second refrigerator or freezer in your garage or basement can cost you several hundred dollars over its lifetime. Take the next step and replace that old refrigerator or freezer with a new ENERGY STAR® qualified model. Visit mnpower.com/refrigeratorrecycling to learn how you can get rewarded for recycling your old unit.
Every unit of energy you save is one less you pay for. One change, one choice is all it takes.
Power of One®... it begins with you.
Your Powerful Partner 30 W. Superior Street, Duluth, MN 55802
1.800.228.4966 | mnpower.com