Energy Bill Checking Worksheet

Who this is for

Check the bill before you pay it. Copy the readings, units, unit rates and standing charge from the bill, set your own meter readings beside them, and the sheet recalculates each fuel and shows the gap from what you were charged. A checklist covers the things a total alone will not show.

Anyone who has received a bill that looks too high, is based on estimated readings or has come after a tariff change, and wants to check it line by line.

What this helps you track

• The readings on the bill against your own on the same dates
• Which readings the supplier estimated
• The unit and standing charges recalculated at the bill's own rates
• The difference between the bill total and your recalculation
• Rates, VAT, discounts and payments checked off one by one

How to use it

1. Fill in the bill date and period, the supplier, the account number and the VAT rate the bill shows.
2. In the readings table, copy the opening and closing readings for each fuel and mark whether each is estimated or actual, then add your own reading from the same date.
3. In the charges table, copy the units billed, the unit rate, the days and the daily standing charge, and the bill's total for that fuel, entering rates in pounds rather than pence.
4. The differences and recalculated totals are worked out in the browser and the workbook; on paper, multiply out each line.
5. Work through the checklist, then contact the supplier with your own readings if anything does not match.

Formats

• Printable PDF (A4 and US Letter)
• Fillable PDF with form fields
• Fill in online, saved in your browser
• Excel / Google Sheets workbook

The printable is laid out inside a box that fits both A4 and US Letter, so the two files are identical and neither one is scaled. The fillable PDF has real form fields. The workbook uses plain formulas only — SUM, IF, COUNTIF and the like — so it opens in Excel, LibreOffice and Google Sheets without anything breaking, and every calculated cell is grey so you can see which figures it worked out.

How to print

Download the A4 or US Letter file to match the paper in your printer, open it in a PDF reader and print at 100% — not "fit to page", which shrinks the writing space. Both files leave a 14 mm margin, which clears the unprintable edge on home printers. To print the online version with your entries in it, use the Print this sheet button, which prints only the sheet and none of the page around it. More on printing.

Questions

My gas bill shows kWh but my meter reads in cubic metres. How do I compare?

Compare the meter readings in the readings table, which are in the meter's own units, and enter the kWh the bill shows in the charges table. The gas meter reading and kWh conversion calculator can check the conversion using the figures on your bill.

Why enter rates in pounds rather than pence?

Bills often show unit rates and standing charges in pence, but totals in pounds. Entering everything in the same unit keeps the recalculated cost comparable with the bill total. Divide a pence figure by 100 before you enter it.

What if the bill has two unit rates for day and night?

Give each rate its own line in the charges table, such as Electricity day and Electricity night, with the standing charge on one line only so it is not counted twice.

The recalculated total is a few pence out. Is the bill wrong?

Small gaps usually come from rounding, since suppliers round rates and VAT at different points. A larger gap, or readings that do not match your own, is worth raising with the supplier.