Abdullah Shoaib
Managing Director
6 min read
Last Updated March 05,2025
How to understand your energy bills
It can be tempting to simply glance at the part that tells you what you owe and then put the bill aside – especially if you’re busy. But paying attention to those other details when you have the time to properly read through your statement can help you to get a better understanding of your tariff, which might influence your decision-making when the time comes to make a switch.
How to understand gas and electric bills
Your gas and electricity bills can vary in design and order of details depending on your supplier and whether you get your statements through the post or online. However, they should all cover the same basic touchpoints to ensure you have the information you need to make an informed decision about your account.
Below, we explore the most common details included on your gas or electricity statement.
Administrative details
On most bills, one of the first types of information you’ll read are the administrative details relating to you and your account. This will include your account number – the unique code you give to the supplier when getting in touch so they can access the information they need to help you with your query.
Other details that might be set out at the top of your statement include:
- The statement date – this is the date when your statement was created, which may be a few days before you receive the statement if you get it in the post.
- The bill’s date range – this is the time period covered by your statement. For example, the bill might cover the period from the 1st of one month to the 1st of the next.
- Your supply address – this is the address where the energy is used. If you’re reviewing business energy costs, this will be the business premises, even if the statement is posted to another address.
- Your gas or electricity meter number.
Tariff information
You should be able to find information about the tariff you’re on somewhere on your bill, including the name of the tariff. This is important, as knowing the exact name of your tariff can make it easier for you to compare deals across the market.
Your statement might also include other key details, such as annual estimates for how much energy you’ll use in a year and what that would cost at your tariff rates. In addition to that, look for:
- Your payment method – e.g. Monthly Direct Debit
- Your tariff end date – this is when you’ll need to think about securing a new tariff or going onto the standard variable rate.
- Any exit fees or other charges associated with leaving your tariff early.
An account summary
In most cases, the first page of your statement will provide you with an overview of your account status. This will likely include your previous balance, total costs since then, total payments since then and finally your new balance.
This is so you can get the necessary information at a glance without having to read through all the granular details.
A breakdown of charges
In the case of your energy usage, the bill will tell you how many units you’ve used and the price per unit applied, plus the total cost of energy used. For the standing charge, you’ll be told how many days the statement covers and the standing charge per day, and then the total standing charge for the billing period.
A breakdown of payments
If you’ve made a payment during the billing period, this will be listed here with the payment amounts and dates. If you haven’t made any payments during this time – for example, if your bill has been amended for any reason – this section may not show on your statement.
Balance details
- In credit – meaning you’ve used less energy than you’ve paid for
- In debit – meaning you’ve used more energy than you’ve paid for.
Useful contacts
Last but not least, most suppliers include a selection of useful websites and contact numbers for your reference at the bottom of your bill. This may include:
- Numbers to call in an emergency – such as a gas leak or power cut
- Web pages which provide extra information relating to your supplier or tariff
- Contact details for complaints, both with your supplier and with the energy ombudsman
- Contact information for Citizens Advice, which provides independent advice to help you with any problems you may have.
All in all, though we might automatically think of bills as only telling us how much we owe, they actually provide a lot of useful information that can be very helpful if you’re having problems with your supply. That’s just one of the reasons why it’s a good idea to keep your old statements handy for a year or so.
