THE ENERGY TRANSLATOR

Less jargon. More understanding.

The words on your bill, translated into useful ideas. Search a term or browse the concepts behind our calculators.

kW × h = kWh

Power multiplied by time gives energy. A 2 kW heater running continuously for 3 hours uses 6 kWh.

32 terms

kW: A kilowatt is a rate of using or producing energy: 1,000 watts. A 2 kW load operating continuously for three hours uses 6 kWh.
kWh: A kilowatt-hour is an amount of energy. Bills typically charge for the kWh used or supplied during a period.
Watt: A unit of power. Divide watts by 1,000 to convert to kilowatts before multiplying by hours.
Billing period: The dates covered by a statement. Use the actual number of days when comparing different bills.
Current charges: Charges for the current period, separated from previous balances, payments and unrelated services.
Energy charge: The amount charged for electricity supply. It may use a flat, tiered or time-based price.
Delivery charge: Charges associated with moving electricity to your property. A tariff may include fixed and usage-based components.
Fixed charge: A charge that does not directly vary with each additional kWh within the applicable billing arrangement.
Credit: An amount reducing the charges due. Enter a credit separately so it is not mistaken for lower energy use.
All-in effective rate: Current electricity charges divided by kWh. Useful for explaining the total bill; it is not necessarily the price of an extra kWh.
Blended energy rate: The energy charge divided by the period’s kWh. It combines the energy prices applied to that period.
Marginal price: The applicable price of an additional unit of electricity. It can differ from the average price across the entire bill.
Tiered tariff: A tariff with different prices for specified blocks of consumption. The block size and period are defined by the utility.
Time-of-use: Energy prices that depend on when electricity is used. Schedules can vary by season and day type.
Peak period: A period identified in the tariff, often with a higher energy price. It does not always match the peak use in your own home.
Demand charge: A charge based on a measured or defined power demand, often in kW, rather than only total kWh. Check the tariff’s measurement interval.
Daily use: Billing-period kWh divided by billing days. It helps remove the effect of different period lengths.
Annualized cost: A period’s daily cost multiplied by 365. This is a constant-pace scenario, not a weather-adjusted forecast.
Estimated reading: A meter reading or consumption amount estimated rather than measured for the relevant point in time. A later bill may reconcile it.
Reconciliation: Checking that energy, delivery, fees and tax minus credits add to current charges. A difference needs an explanation.
Standby load: Power drawn while equipment is waiting or in a low-activity mode. Small continuous loads accumulate energy over time.
Duty cycle: The fraction of time a device operates at a given load. Thermostat-controlled equipment often cycles instead of drawing maximum power continuously.
COP: Coefficient of performance: useful heating or cooling delivered divided by energy input under specified conditions. Conditions matter when comparing values.
Charging efficiency: The share of electricity from the wall that reaches the EV battery. Divide battery energy by efficiency to estimate wall energy.
Self-consumption: Solar electricity used at the property instead of exported to the grid. Its value depends on the retail purchases it avoids.
Export credit: The value assigned to electricity sent to the grid under the applicable agreement. It may differ from the retail purchase price.
Round-trip efficiency: The usable energy returned by a battery relative to energy put into it for a defined charge/discharge cycle.
Usable battery capacity: The energy available for use within the battery system’s operating limits. It can be lower than its nominal capacity.
Simple payback: Upfront cost divided by annual net savings when those savings are positive. It omits financing, discounting and future changes.
Baseline: A defined starting point for comparison. Keep the period, equipment service and assumptions clear.
Tariff: The published pricing structure and conditions for electricity service. A headline rate is only one part of it.
DAC: CFE’s Doméstica de Alto Consumo classification. Its rules depend on consumption history and the applicable domestic tariff.

Definitions explain our calculations. For billing, your utility’s tariff defines how a term is applied. Find official resources.

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