How US electricity pricing actually works

Four kinds of charge, only two of which you can do anything about.

Half your bill is a service you cannot shop for. Knowing which half matters.

A cheap allowance, then a cliff. Where the cliff sits is the whole game.

The line that makes cents-per-kilowatt-hour comparisons quietly wrong.

Billed for your worst hour, not your total. Rare on homes, and growing.

The same kilowatt-hour, priced differently depending on when you use it.

A wide peak-to-off-peak gap is a lever, not a saving. Levers need something to move.

The single biggest load most homes can move, and the easiest to automate.

Usually three causes at once, and only one of them is your air conditioner.

Six things that break a comparison, and the order to check them in.

We measured every time-of-use plan we track. The tail is much longer than the middle.

Median rates from the tariffs themselves, not a state-level average.