How to turn an electricity tariff into a household estimate

Separate fixed and variable charges

Copy the supplier’s billing unit, fixed charge, usage rate, taxes and effective date into separate fields. Check whether prices are tax-inclusive and whether a displayed discount requires conditions you meet. A cheap unit rate alone does not establish a cheap bill. Preserve the tariff’s original currency and do not compare a daily fixed charge with another supplier’s monthly charge.

Apply a stated consumption scenario

With a genuinely flat tariff, a simple model is monthly fixed charges plus kWh used multiplied by the unit rate. Illustration: 12 fixed plus 200 kWh at 0.25 gives 62 before any excluded items. That is a worked example, not a city quote. Tiered rates, time bands or minimum charges require their own calculation; do not flatten them without documenting the approximation.

Explain the estimate’s limits

Use your own comparable consumption or a clearly labelled assumption. A household with electric heating cannot automatically reuse a non-heated apartment’s kWh figure. Keep deposits and installation outside the recurring bill. Recheck the tariff when a promotional period ends, and retain the source date so you know whether a changed result came from new usage or a changed price.

Sources and further reading

• Lifovra — methodology and limitations