How to read your power bill in Puerto Rico
The electric bill has more line items than almost any other household account. Understanding three numbers — kWh, price per kWh and fixed charges — is enough to know why it went up and what you can do.
The number that rules: kWh
A kilowatt-hour (kWh) is the energy unit you're billed for: using 1,000 watts for one hour. A 1,200-watt air conditioner running 8 hours burns 9.6 kWh in a day.
The bill shows the previous and current meter readings; the difference is the period's kWh. That consumption is the only thing you directly control.
The price per kWh is not fixed
The cost per kWh combines the base rate plus adjustments that change quarterly, mainly fuel cost and purchased power. That's why two bills with identical consumption can arrive with different totals.
To find your real price, divide the bill total by the kWh consumed. That's the number to use in the consumption calculators.
Fixed charges and the other lines
Beyond consumption there are charges that arrive even if you turn nothing on: customer charge, contributions and subsidies required by law. At low consumption, these fixed items can be a large slice of the total.
If your bill looks high with little usage, check the fixed charges and adjustments before blaming the fridge.
Finding the guilty appliance
The practical rule: power (watts) × hours of use ÷ 1,000 = kWh. Resistive-heat appliances — dryer, water heater, electric stove — and air conditioners dominate almost every bill.
Use the electricity calculator with each appliance's label wattage and your real price per kWh, and you'll see in dollars who takes your money each month.