Features

• Included on your paper electric bill besides your name and account number will be features such as reading dates, previous reading and present reading, the number of days the reading includes and KWH (Kilo Watt Hours) used. Current billing Information will include miscellaneous charges such as availability charge, energy charge, taxes (if any) and a prior balance if the bill wasn't paid during the previous month.
  
  

Size

• Your electric bill will vary in size according to how many appliances you have been running. Electrical appliances such as coffee pots, electric heaters, power tools and well pumps, old refrigerators and freezers pull a significant amount of electricity and will increase the size of your electricity bill if used frequently.
  
  

Prevention/Solution

• A solution to help lower electric bills includes replacing all the regular light bulbs in your house with "green" CFL bulbs which use less energy but put out the same amount of light as the old incandescent light bulbs they replace. Saving energy means lower electric bills and less out of pocket expense. Other methods of lowering your electricity bill are to wash clothes in cold water as much as possible and lower the thermostat on your electric water heater. Replace old appliances with new, energy-saving models that are economical to run.
  
  

Geography

• Electricity charges vary from state to state with charges in the eastern United States generally lower than those in the western United States. Many rural locations in the western United States have no electricity service whatsoever, which involves exorbitant charges to secure such service that is far beyond the reach of most rural residents.
  
  

Function

• Electric bills began in 1882 when Thomas Edison installed, large for their time, generators in New York, that powered 5,000 light bulbs in 225 businesses and homes. Thirteen years later, electricity became available mostly for commercial purposes to illuminate businesses to better present their wares.
  
  

Benefits

• Electricity benefits consumers in a multitude of ways enriching their quality of life. Electricity replaced the candle or the oil lamp making life in general safer. Electric pumps were used for pumping water instead of having to move water by hand or have gas generators do the job. Rural electrification benefited farmers and rural villages when it came into being in the fifties providing inexpensive electricity to ease the farmer's work burden.