Standing Charge and Annual Cost Projection Calculator

Who this is for

Separate what you use from what you pay regardless. Month by month, the sheet splits the bill into the cost of the kWh used and the standing charge for the days, then projects a full year from the months you have filled in.

Anyone surprised by how much of a low-use bill is fixed charge, people in small or part-time homes, and householders budgeting a year ahead for one fuel.

What this helps you track

• The usage cost and standing charge for each month, side by side
• A running total of the year so far
• A full-year projection from however many months you have
• What share of the projected bill is standing charge

How to use it

1. Use one sheet per fuel: write the fuel, your unit rate per kWh and daily standing charge from the bill.
2. Enter the start date of the projection and label each month in the first column.
3. For each month, enter the number of days it covers and the kWh used from your readings or bill.
4. Unit cost, standing charge, month total and running total are worked out in the browser and the workbook.
5. Read the projection once you have a few months in; it grows more reliable as the seasons are filled.

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

How is the year projected?

The sheet takes the usage cost per day across the months filled so far, adds the daily standing charge and multiplies by 365. A projection from summer months alone will understate a winter-heavy fuel.

Why enter the days in each month?

The standing charge is charged per day, and bills rarely run calendar months. Entering the days your bill or readings cover keeps the standing charge exact.

Can I use it for gas and electricity together?

Use one sheet for each. Each fuel has its own unit rate and standing charge, and mixing them on one sheet would blur the split this calculator is for.

Where do the rates come from?

From your own bill or tariff. No rates are supplied. Enter them in whole currency units, such as 0.5321 rather than 53.21p, so the costs come out in the same unit.