
Why Is My Electric Bill So High in January? 6 Winter-Only Causes
January electric bills spike from heating degree days, heat-pump aux heat, winter rate seasons, and estimated meter reads. See the winter-only causes.
We translate electricity, gas, and water bills into decisions you can actually make — line by line, charge by charge, so you stop overpaying.
ELECTRICITY · GAS · WATER · HEATING — 129 GUIDES · DECODED LINE BY LINE
Decode kWh, supply vs. delivery charges, demand fees, and find out why your bill jumped.
Explore electricityUnderstand therms, CCF, customer charges, and why your gas bill spikes in winter.
Explore gasLearn CCF, sewer charges, stormwater fees, and how to read your water meter.
Explore water
January electric bills spike from heating degree days, heat-pump aux heat, winter rate seasons, and estimated meter reads. See the winter-only causes.

Why is my furnace running constantly? It is often normal in cold weather — or one of five fixable problems. Ranked causes and the DIY-vs-pro line.

How to keep pipes from freezing: the ranked prevention ladder — free tonight, cheap this weekend, worth-it upgrades — plus who pays if one bursts.

How much does it cost to run a furnace? A 60,000 BTU/h gas furnace costs about $1.44 per hour of burner run at national-average prices. The full formula.

Electric baseboard heater cost to run: a 1,000 W unit costs $0.18/hour at the US average rate — about $44/month at 8 hours a day. Per-wattage tables.

Does closing vents save money? No — in a typical single-zone forced-air system, closing registers raises static pressure and can cost more than it saves.