My Bill · 3–5 minutes

Where is your money going?

Start with a sample bill of about $250. Tap each line to see what it means in plain English, then change the numbers or type in your own. Nothing you enter leaves your browser.

Step 1 · Tap each line

Sample electricity bill

Example household

  • What this means

    A fixed fee for being connected to the grid, charged every day whether or not you use any electricity. It helps pay for the poles, wires and metering that keep your home connected.

    Here: 90 days × 100c = $90.00. Even if you went on holiday and used nothing, this would still be on the bill.

Tapped 0 of 8 lines

Words you’ll see on a bill

kWh (kilowatt-hour)
The unit electricity is sold in. Using 1,000 watts for one hour is 1 kWh.
c/kWh (rate)
The price in cents for each kWh you use. 35c/kWh means 35 cents per kWh.
Tariff
The pricing structure of your plan: which rates apply, and when.
Peak
The expensive hours, usually late afternoon and evening, when demand is highest.
Off-peak
The cheaper hours, such as overnight, when demand is low.
Supply charge
A fixed daily fee for being connected, whether or not you use electricity.
Feed-in credit
What you're paid for solar electricity you send back to the grid.
GST
Goods and Services Tax: 10% added to supply and usage charges.

Where your money goes (before solar credits)

  • Supply $90.00
  • Peak usage $105.00
  • Off-peak usage $44.00
  • GST $23.90

Step 2 · Change the numbers

Try different usage, rates or a longer billing period, or type in numbers from your own bill. Everything above updates straight away.

days
c/day
kWh
c/kWh
kWh
c/kWh
kWh
c/kWh

$249.90

total for 90 days · about $2.78 a day

Quick check

If you used no electricity at all during this billing period, roughly how much would the bill be?

Make a prediction first, then reveal the answer.

Assumptions and limitations
  • The sample is a made-up example household, not a real customer or retailer.
  • GST is 10% on supply and usage. Solar feed-in credits are treated as GST-free for a household.
  • Real bills can also include other lines: concession discounts, demand charges, controlled-load circuits, late fees, and different peak, shoulder and off-peak windows.
  • Retailers and distributors round differently, so your bill may differ by a few cents.
  • This tool is for understanding, not for predicting your savings or choosing a plan.

Understand the science

Want to learn more? The articles go deeper on how it all works.