How to Estimate Electric Bill by Address & Choose The Right Plan for You: A Step-by-Step Guide

Have you recently moved or are looking to move and are curious about what your electric bill will be next season?

Or, maybe you’re wondering how to estimate your electric bill by address.

If this sounds like you, we’ve got the answers you’re looking for. 

In this article, we’re discussing how to find an electric bill for an address and how to decide which electricity plan will best suit your needs. Keep reading to learn more.

 

Table of Contents

• How to Find An Electric Bill for an Address if You’re Moving to a New Home
  

• How to Estimate An Electric Bill by Address Without Contacting Tenants or Electricity Providers

• Gexa Energy Offers Electricity Plans That Are 100% Happiness Guaranteed: Make the Switch Today.*

 

How to Find An Electric Bill for an Address if You’re Moving to a New Home 

Maybe you are preparing to rent or purchase a new home and as you’re planning your new budget, you’re trying to find electric bills for an address — how can you do it? 

There are a few steps you can take as you prepare to move to know how much you might be paying for electricity in your new home. 

Step 1: Ask Previous Tenants

Are the tenants still living at your future address? Do you know the previous tenants? If you’re comfortable, simply ask the tenants what they paid for their electricity bill while living in the home. 

When learning about the previous tenant’s electricity bill, you must understand that the previous tenant’s electric bill may not completely reflect what you will pay for your electricity usage; you may also consider factors like: 

• The amount of electricity you use
• The appliances in the home 
• The electricity plan you choose

 

Step 2: Call Local Electricity Providers

If you don’t have contact or feel uncomfortable talking with the previous tenants of the home, no need to fret — you can still find an electric bill for an address, or at least get a general idea by contacting the local electricity provider. 

Once you’ve reached a representative at the local electricity company, share the address of the home and let the representative know what information you’re looking for, like: 

• The current month’s electricity bill
• A year’s highs and lows or the yearly electricity bill average

The representative should be able to provide this information or tell you if the company does not service that address. 

This is the part that can be tricky. Texas has multiple providers in many areas of the state. You may have to call several electricity companies before finding the company that services the address you’re looking for.  

At Gexa Energy, we offer multiple plans to meet your home’s unique electricity needs.  

Choose from several competitively priced plans designed with your needs in mind — and as an added bonus, all of Gexa’s residential plans are 100% green. 

 

How to Estimate An Electric Bill by Address Without Contacting Tenants or Electricity Providers

Is it possible to estimate your electric bill if you don’t want the inconvenience or discomfort of reaching out to electricity providers or previous tenants?

It is.

In order to estimate the electric bill of an address without contacting others, there are several steps you need to take. 

Step 1: Understanding How The Electricity Market in Texas Works

First, and likely most importantly, you need to understand how the electricity market in Texas works. 

Most Texans live in deregulated areas — meaning that you have the ability to choose any electricity provider who services your area. 

While deregulation leads to the potential to save every month on your electricity bill, if you are not aware that you can choose your electricity provider, you may be paying more than necessary with your current provider. 

Once you gain an understanding of the Texas electricity market, you can take the steps necessary to find the best electricity provider for your household’s needs. 

Step 2: Assess Your Electricity Usage and Needs

Next, you’ll want to assess your electricity usage and needs. 

• Are you, or your family members, home throughout the day? 
• Do you have multiple electronics going at all hours? 
• Maybe you work a traditional 9-5, are living alone, and only really use electricity on nights and weekends.

These are all factors you need to consider when estimating your electric bill. In the following sections, we’ll take a deeper dive into what you need to consider when assessing your electricity usage and needs. 

 

Determine How Many kWh of Electricity You Use

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, homes use an average of 877 kWh of electricity per month.  

To estimate your electric bill by address, it’s important to consider the amount of kWh your household uses each month. 

To do this, consider things like: 

• How often you watch television
• How many loads of laundry you do each week 
• Whether you use an electric heating or cooling system for your home

Next, you’ll want to determine how much wattage each appliance/electronic uses. Once you’ve done this, you can look at previous electricity bills to determine how much kWh you use each month, or you can use a simple formula to determine exactly how many kWh each electronic uses. 

The formula looks like this: 

(Device wattage x hours used per month) ÷ 1,000 = the monthly kWh consumption.

Now, take the monthly kWh consumption and multiply it by the kWh cost for the address. This will give you the average monthly cost for that specific appliance. 

Although this method may be tedious, as you have to add up the totals for each appliance or electronic to get the full picture of how many kWh your home uses each month, it can give the best estimate of electricity usage by address. 

 

Know the Square Footage of the Address 

One of the most significant factors to consider when estimating an electric bill by address is the size of the home. 

Generally speaking, the larger a home or building is, the higher the electric bill will be. In order to estimate an electric bill by address each month, you’ll need to gather three pieces of information: 

1. The square footage of the address
2. The average electricity rate in the area for your home per month
3. The average energy usage of households in your area 

Once you have that information, you can use a formula to estimate the electric bill by address based on the square footage. 

Let’s look at Frank’s address in Houston, as an example. 

Say the average square footage of homes in Houston is 1,900 square feet. The average energy consumption in Houston is 1,300 kWh per month and the average electricity rate per kWh is 10.44 cents. 

In order to estimate his electric bill by address, Frank can use the following formula to determine the price per square foot of his Houston home: 

(Average consumption x average rate) ÷ average square footage = price per square foot 

(1,300 x .1044) ÷ 1,900 = $.071 

Now, Frank can use this calculated price per square foot to estimate the electric bill based on his address’s square footage of 2,200 square feet. 

.071 x 2200 = $156.20 

Keep in mind that these calculations can only be used as estimates and that there are other factors to consider in addition to your rate per kWh that may affect your monthly electricity bill. 

Calculations may vary depending on the type of electricity plan you choose — for example, a free nights and weekends plan may cost you more or less and use a different formula — so it’s important to remember that these calculations are for estimation purposes only. 

 

Consider Other Factors That Affect Electricity Usage

Aside from what rate per kWh you’ll pay and the square footage of your home, other factors will affect your electricity bill each month. 

The average electric bill for an address also involves: 

• The location you live in 
• The plan you choose

The Location of Your Address

Where you live can have a massive impact on your electricity bill. As we mentioned earlier, Texas is a deregulated state — 85% of Texas is deregulated. This can directly play a role in how much you pay per month for your electricity usage. 

You should also keep in mind that living in an urban area vs. a small town can increase your electricity bill due to the higher demand for electricity. 

Step 3: Decide Which Electricity Plan is Right for Your Electricity Needs

Now that you’ve done your research and understand the factors that influence your electricity bill and how you can start to estimate the electric bill by address, it’s time to decide on the type of electricity plan that will work best for your unique needs. 

Gexa offers several different electricity plans that can not only meet your electricity needs but match your lifestyle as well. 

Fixed-Rate Plans

When you choose a fixed-rate electricity plan, the rate per kWh you agree to at the beginning of your contract will remain the same for the length of your contract. 

Gexa Energy offers 12, 24, even 36-month fixed-rate plans perfect for those who intend to stay in their home for a year or longer. 

Month-to-Month Plans

If you’re unsure if you’re ready to make a long-term commitment, or you want to get an idea of the amount of electricity you use each month before making a long-term commitment, Gexa Energy offers month-to-month variable-rate plans. 

With no cancellation fees and no long-term contracts, our month-to-month variable-rate electricity plans make learning about your electricity usage hassle-free. 

If you decide you want to switch to a fixed-rate plan with Gexa, the process is simple. 

Free Nights or Weekends

Are you a night owl? Maybe you’re away from home during the week, but spend the majority of your weekends at home? 

Regardless of the location, or square footage of your home, a free nights or weekends plan might be ideal for you — and you might be able to estimate your electric bill by address more efficiently. 

With one of Gexa’s electricity plans, you may qualify for a locked-in low rate — and free power during specific days and hours — for up to 12 months. 

 

Gexa Energy Offers Electricity Plans That Are 100% Happiness Guaranteed: Make the Switch Today*

Whether you’re trying to estimate an electric bill by address, or you’re worried you’re paying too much for your electricity every month — Gexa Energy has a plan that can suit your needs.

Gexa Energy is one of the fastest-growing retail electricity providers in Texas offering both commercial and residential plans that are affordable and flexible. 

Every residential plan is 100% green and backed by our Happiness Guarantee.* 

If you’re ready to learn more about the rates Gexa Energy can offer your address, you can shop  available plans for your area. 

 

 

* Happiness Guarantee - If you’re not happy with your new Gexa Energy residential plan, just call us within 60 days of your service activation date, change to another available Gexa Energy plan, and we’ll waive the early cancellation fee on your first plan; applies one time only for new Gexa Energy residential customers. Your contract term will restart with your second plan. Offer subject to change or withdrawal prior to customer acceptance.