Your first electric bill: why it’s higher, prorated or late

Ask your provider for its expected issue date, using your confirmed service start date. FirstEnergy says the first bill is usually ready after the first billing cycle (the time one bill covers) ends. Its timing depends on when service starts and the meter is read.^⁠[1]

Keep the service period, statement date and payment due date separate. FirstEnergy uses the statement date for when it made the bill; the due date is when to pay.^⁠[4] Those labels answer different questions when you’re looking for your first bill.

• Ask which service start date and reading date determine your first billing cycle.^⁠[1]
• Check how you’ll hear that the bill is ready. FirstEnergy sends an eBill notification to people enrolled in that option.^⁠[1]
• Read the payment due date on the actual bill, separately from the date it was prepared.^⁠[4]

Your service start date may fall partway through the provider’s billing cycle. ComEd explains that its monthly cycles don’t necessarily match calendar months.^⁠[1,2] Compare the service dates on your bill with the start date you arranged.

Proration means adjusting a charge for the length of the billing period. The applicable tariff, or utility rules, sets which charges change with the period. These utility examples show why you should check each charge’s treatment.^⁠[3,5]

Check the covered period, setup charges and reading status before judging the total. Duke Energy Carolinas in North Carolina, for example, puts an applicable connection charge on the first bill.^⁠[3] FirstEnergy also describes estimated readings and later adjustments.^⁠[1]

Keep the total beside its service dates while you ask those questions. For a fuller walkthrough of the statement, see how to read your electric bill, line by line. Here, the goal is to understand the first period before comparing individual charges.

A setup charge and a security deposit serve different purposes. Georgia Power says a transfer to a new home includes an account setup charge on that home’s first bill. Its deposit guidance also says some new accounts need a deposit before service starts.^⁠[8]

• A setup charge relates to establishing service. Georgia Power’s example above concerns a transfer within its service area.^⁠[8]
• A deposit is held as security. Georgia Power says its deposit doesn’t count toward the monthly bill.^⁠[8]
• A monthly customer charge is a separate cost. ComEd’s Rate BES applies its Customer Charge to the monthly billing period, where applicable.^⁠[2]

Ask which category an unfamiliar charge belongs to and if it repeats. For the broader account-opening process, read our guide to setting up electricity in a new home. Keep any deposit receipt handy when asking about the first bill.

An estimate can mean the provider didn’t have an actual reading. PSEG Long Island says it may estimate when it can’t access a meter, using past usage and weather conditions.^⁠[9] Ask what the biller based the opening and current readings on.

PSEG Long Island says its next actual reading corrects the difference between estimated and actual usage.^⁠[9] Duke Energy Carolinas’ North Carolina rules also describe adjustments after a missed reading.^⁠[3] Ask how that process applies to your bill, without assuming the adjustment will reduce it.

For the meter itself, our electric meter reading guide covers the different displays. Ask your provider how it uses a reading for billing.

First confirm who bills you and what kind of bill to expect. Prepaid service is one reason a monthly bill may not be part of the setup. GEUS SmartPay in Greenville, Texas, specifically advertises no monthly electric bill.^⁠[10]

If you’re billed through your property, ask the property manager who issues your electricity charges. Otherwise, ask your serving provider if your request is complete and when it expects to issue a bill. Keep these details together with the checklist below.

Confirm the service and billing setup rather than relying on the light switch. FirstEnergy tells people moving into an already powered home to complete a Start Service request.^⁠[1] Ask the provider handling your service request if it’s complete.

At participating properties, FPL’s optional Automatic Connect program can put service in a property manager’s name between residents.^⁠[11] That’s one reason existing power doesn’t identify your account setup. Ask the property manager who bills electricity at your home and what setup applies.

Keep your service records and any bills beside you when you call the biller. Tick off each question once you have an answer, so you can return to anything still unclear.

Public Grid can help set up your electricity when you move in and track your usage and bills.^⁠[12] You can start with our move-in service; it’s free to sign up, with no contracts.

Electricity accountvia Utility Co.

Sample account

BillsTracked