Four keys to understanding your bill

No doubt about it, winter’s here! It’s normal for your electricity consumption to go up, particularly if you have electric heating, for example. It’s time to take a look at your bill, understand it and find ways to reduce your consumption. Here’s some key information to help you.

1 - Kilowatthour (kWh)

To understand electricity consumption, it’s important to be familiar with its unit of measure: the kilowatthour. It expresses the amount of energy used by a device in a given period. For example, a 60-watt light bulb uses 0.06 kWh. If the bulb is on for 8 hours a day for 30 days, it will consume 14.4 kWh.

The kWh is used to calculate the cost of the electricity you consume. The higher the number of kWh, the higher the amount on your bill. Use the Energy Performance Indicator in your Customer Space to track your electricity use hour by hour.

Visit the What’s a kilowatthour? webpage to see how much power your devices and appliances need to operate.

2 – Variance factors

Five main factors affect your electricity consumption and your bill.

3 - Rate

Hydro‑Québec offers its residential customers different rates, including Rates D, DP, DM and G, as well as offers to save during winter peaks, such as Rate Flex D and the Hilo smart home service. To understand your bill, it’s important to know the rate at which your electricity is billed. For example, Rate D is the base rate for most residential customers. It also applies to agricultural operations.

Open for more information

More information on our rates

Finding the rate on your bill

Here’s an example of a bill for a Rate D contract.

4 – Type of bill

The bill reflects your electricity consumption and differs according to each customer’s situation and preferences. Here are the types of bills you could receive:

Tips to help lower your bill

Now that you understand the basics, check out the list of all energy-saving tips to find more ways to reduce your electricity consumption and your bill.

Because it’s winter, let’s start with three simple tips to lower your heating costs:

  • Replace your bimetallic thermostats with programmable electronic ones and save up to 10% on your heating costs.
  • Don’t heat unoccupied rooms. Lower the thermostat and close the door.
  • During winter, take advantage of the sun’s heat during the day. Let the sunshine in by opening the blinds and curtains of sun-exposed windows and keep others closed. At night, close all the curtains and blinds to keep the heat in.
  • Have a look at Hilo’s smart homeThis link will redirect you to an external site. service offerings to optimize your energy use.

*Some conditions apply.