To help you make a decision regarding your power supplier, we have separated the costs that make up your total bill. Most important, we've separated the power generation portion from the power delivery portion. By listing these costs separately, you will be able to compare prices from power suppliers who compete for your business. These changes to your bill do not affect the amount of your bill. Your bill is still based on your electricity usage and the current regulated pricing structure.

Each regular billing period ranges from 25 to 38 days. The range may be greater for first bills, final bills or special bills. A special bill may be rendered if we are unable to access the meter at the scheduled monthly time, but subsequently get a reading on a special trip or appointment or if a bill is canceled and re-billed.

Although the size of your homes may be the same, your appliances and the manner in which you use them could differ significantly. Insulation factors, including window and floor coverings, also affect your bill because they can have an impact on the efficiency of heating and air-conditioning systems.

Budget Billing is a program that enables you to make 12 monthly payments throughout the year and to gain added control of your personal budget. In October, the program is being modified so that your budget amount will be reviewed each month (rather than just twice a year as we do today). This will allow your budget amount to be adjusted up or down more frequently, if needed, to avoid major adjustments at the end of the program year.

If you are not already on Budget Billing, you can sign up now by contacting a member of the Customer Service team at 1-800-286-2000. You may also enroll online. If you are already enrolled in CL&P's Budget Billing program, your current budget will be carried over into the new billing system and no action is required by you.

Fluctuations in monthly bill amounts are normal. Many factors influence the amount of your bill. For example:

Kilowatt-hours used -- When comparing your monthly bills, it's best to look at the kilowatt-hours (-kWh-) of electricity used. The Energy Use Profile on your bill provides a graphic representation of your month-to-month usage pattern, in average kWh per day, so you can easily spot fluctuations.

The condition of energy equipment/appliances – While CL&P is responsible for providing the equipment to the point where electricity enters your residence, and for installing a meter to accurately record energy usage, you are responsible for the use and condition of the appliances and equipment beyond the meter. You need to be alert for the possibility of faulty wiring conditions or improperly operating appliances or equipment. They can cause an increase in the amount of energy you use, which will be add to your bill.

The time of year, length of the billing cycle, and rates – The time of year, length of the billing cycle and changes in rates may all have an impact on the amount of your bill.

Estimated bills – We typically read your meter every month. But, sometimes we are unable to read your meter. At these times, we issue an estimated bill. If a reading is estimated too high or too low, the billing will be corrected when the next actual reading is taken. Your current bill may appear higher or lower than usual because of previous low or high estimates.

Seasonal use – Changes in weather will affect the amount of your electric bill. For example, that unexpected cool and rainy weekend might have prompted you to turn on the heat for the first time in six months, but since it was a time of year when you wouldn't have expected to use the heat, you may have forgotten about it until the result showed up in your bill. The same is true for air conditioning, electric space heaters, dehumidifiers and other seasonally-used items.

For your convenience, we offer a variety of payment options. Some require you to register your CL&P account online.

If you prefer to pay by mail, CL&P provides a self-addressed envelope with each month's bill. Please do not send cash when paying by mail.

We have a number of payment agencies that will accept your bill payment by cash. Please send us an e-mail or call 1-800-286-2000 (947-2000 in the Hartford area or 860-947-2000 from Meriden) for the nearest location.

eBilling is a convenient, environmentally conscious method to receive your bill online. eBilling provides the same information as your paper bill and includes a view of your actual bill and special inserts. You can enroll online.

There are occasions when we are unable to read your meter, such as bad weather or access problems. When this happens, we will estimate your bill based on your past energy usage and the time of year. The next actual meter reading will give us an exact figure for your usage, and we will adjust your next bill to reflect any amount over or under our estimate. Your bill will always indicate when a reading has been estimated.

Let's use your refrigerator as an example. Your refrigerator will cool more efficiently when its condenser is free of dirt and dust. The dust acts as an insulator that blocks proper cooling. So be sure to clean the condenser (the coils at the back of or underneath the unit) at least twice a year. Refer to your manufacturer's manual for user maintenance instructions on your refrigerator and other appliances.

Here are the most important billing terms and what they mean:

Customer Charge - The basic cost of providing service, such as metering, meter reading, and billing. These fixed costs are unaffected by the actual amount of electricity that you use.

kWh - kWh stands for kilowatt-hour, a basic unit of electricity usage. Example: 10 - 100 watt light bulbs burning for one hour is equal to 1 kWh. (10 x 100 watts = 1,000 (kilo = 1,000) = 1 kilowatt x 1 hour = 1 kWh.)

kW - kW stands for kilowatt, also referred to as Demand, the greatest 15 minute electrical requirement occurring in a bill period. Example: A meter that services an account that only has 10 - 1,000 watt light fixtures has a demand of 10 kW. (10 x 1,000 watts = 10,000 watts (kilo = 1,000 = 10 kW.)

Peak - Period of time when the need or demand for electricity on the company's system is high, normally during the day, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Off-Peak - Period of time when the need or demand for electricity on the company's system is low, such as late evenings, weekends, and holidays.

For your payment convenience, CL&P offers two types of Direct Debit payment programs. Single Direct Debit is a one-time payment that automatically deducts a specified payment from your bank account, on a date determined by you, as much as 30 days in advance. Recurring Direct Debit is a program that automatically deducts the actual amount of your monthly bill from your bank account each month, automatically timed to occur 21 days after the statement date. You can enroll today by calling a CL&P representative at 1-800-286-2000. You may also enroll online.

Payments made before 3 p.m. on a business day will be posted to your account the same day. Payments made on a weekday after 3 p.m. or on weekends and holidays, will post to your account on the next business day.

This page link will take you to our page titled How To Read Your Meter. By reading your own meter, you can keep track of how much electricity you use, and see how well you are conserving energy. Conservation can lead to lower energy bills.

If your meter is located inside and it is inconvenient to have someone at home when the meter reader comes by to read the meter, you may phone in your reading anytime by calling us at 1-800-286-2000 (947-2000 in the Hartford area; 800-947-2000 in the Meriden area.) You will need to have your account number handy.

When a CL&P representative comes to your business or residence, he or she will be carrying an official identification badge. This badge includes the representative's full name and photo, and the CL&P logo.

If someone claiming to be a CL&P representative comes to your business or residence, please feel free to request to see his or her badge. If the person claiming to represent CL&P does not have a badge, DO NOT allow that person to enter your business, and immediately report the incident to local police. If the person does have a badge but you still have doubts, please call us at 1-800-286-2000 (947-2000 in the Hartford area or 1-860-947-2000 from Meriden). A customer service representative can determine if any work is scheduled at your address.

The Net Metering Tariff – Rider N is available to the following types of customer generation: A Qualifying Facility whose installed generation capacity is less than 50kW All Renewable Resources who’s installed generating capacity is less than 500kW Class I Renewable energy resources or Hydropower facility whose installed generating capacity is less than or equal to 2,000kW

The Energy Supplied by CL&P when your load (consumption) exceeds your amount of generation is captured on ID 04 of you net meter. ID 04 = Total cumulative kWh (Delivered by CL&P) on the meter.

The Energy Received by CL&P when your generation exceeds your load (excess Generation) is captured on ID 10 of your net meter.

ID 10 = Net total cumulative kWh (Received by CL&P) on the meter.

The arrows that move from left- to- right or from right- to- left show direction of use and consumption. The faster the arrows move, the more consumption.

When you see the arrow move from left to right, this will be on the ID 04 = Total cumulative kWh (Delivered) on the meter.

When you see the arrow move right to left, this will be on the ID 10 = Net total cumulative kWh (Received) on the meter.

There are two arrows to the left-hand side of your meter; the arrow that goes north or south is only used to indicate that there are other alternate screens available. These alternate screens are used for Testing and for other CL&P meter information.

Net Metering is a method of measuring the energy consumed and produced by a customer’s generating facility. Net Metering allows a customer to reduce the amount of energy purchased from an energy supplier and to provide a value for the excess energy (exported energy to the Grid) produced by their generator.

Many people expect their electric bill to be significantly lower than usual when they're away on vacation. They often find their bill amount isn't much different from their usual bill. There are several reasons for this:

Your time away from home may have fallen into two billing periods so that the total difference in your energy use will not be apparent in a single bill.

Automatic appliances operate throughout the day and night, whether you are home or away. Some examples: refrigerator, freezer, electric water heater, heating system, etc. It may not be practical or even wise to disconnect them unless you plan to be away for weeks at a time.

The Customer Service Charge remains the same each month. It's determined seperately from the energy used.

Improperly working appliances or equipment are usually less efficient energy users than their properly working counterparts. Many times, we are unaware that some of our appliances or equipment are defective. We must all learn to be "energy detectives” in our homes. Here are some clues that could signal higher-than-usual energy use: Blown fuses or tripped circuits. Pumps that run more often than they should. Leaky faucets – A small leak that fills a coffee cup in 10 minutes wastes approximately 3,000 gallons of water a year. If you have an electric hot water heater, that small leak can add $40 a year to your electric bill. An increase or decrease in water temperature – This can signal a faulty thermostat or heating element.

It can, particularly for electric hot water heaters and dishwashers. We recommend your water heater be wrapped and set to 120 degrees for additional savings. (Automatic dishwashers may require a higher temperature - refer to your owner's manual). An increase or decrease in water temperature can signal a malfunction, such as a faulty thermostat or element.

Whether you are a business or a residential consumer, or you buy your power individually or through a group, you saw changes to your electricity bills with restructuring.

The generation services charge in your rates is set at a fixed cost (determined by the DPUC). Since Standard Offer was introduced, Connecticut’s electric customers have saved over $700 million because the fixed Standard Offer rate has been much lower than alternative market prices.

Second, your CL&P bills are itemized or “unbundled” to show you what you are paying for the energy supply and energy delivery components of your bill.

Are you doing extra loads of laundry – bedspreads, curtains, blankets, clothes? Although the washing machine itself does not use a lot of energy, hot water is a big contributor to energy usage if you have an electric hot water heater. We recommend you use cold water when doing laundry. An electric dryer, at a wattage rating of 5,000, uses 5 kWh per hour of use. Make the best use of the dryer by drying a full load rather than a few items at a time.

There are a number of variables that can cause your electricity bill to fluctuate each month. For example, the use of an air conditioner during the summer or electric heat during the winter can significantly increase the amount of your bill. In addition, the number of days in the billing period, or changes in the number of people in your household, can affect your bill.

Aside from the efficiency of your central heating system, the following appliances are likely to be the biggest energy users in your home:

Portable space heaters
Electric water heaters
Air conditioners
Refrigerators
Dehumidifiers
Water bed heaters

You can save money by making wise energy choices and purchases. It is important to remember that energy costs mount up over time. For that reason, it is important to look at the cost to run an appliance over its lifetime.

If it's electric-powered, it probably will. For example, is a member of the household on a respirator, or using a vaporizer? Is someone in the household using an electric treadmill for exercising?

Have the work schedules of household members changed so that they're home more? Are you working at home later into the night, using your lights and appliances for a longer period of time than previously? Lighting costs can make up 15 percent of your electric bill.

Have you recently had an addition to your household, for instance, a baby or an elderly parent? This could result in keeping the house warmer in the winter and cooler in the summer, and promote increased use of appliances. All of this will affect your bill.