I find comparing kWh (especially kWh/day) is more useful than comparing dollar values - dollar cost basically shows cost variability as much as or more than use variability. Plus, here we have time of use billing so I am not sure my dollar amounts are useful. I am also paying rural residential low-density rates, which = expensive.
My average kWh per day is 14-16, except summer, when it jumps to about 35 - that is a bit of AC, and a lot of pool pump, both running at off-peak. I do watch time of use, I usually have 2-3 on peak (cooking, computer, lights in winter), 2-3 mid-peak and 8 - 32 (high is for summer) off-peak.
There is only so much incentive to cut total use - of my December 2015 bill, $43.43 was actual electricity, $67.75 was delivery charge, $2.67 was regulatory charge, $2.70 was debt retirement charge, and $15.15 was HST. Then there was the clean energy 10% credit. Total bill $118.53 for 385.2078 kWh for 28 days. This is one of the cheaper months, because no summer extras, no furnace fan for heating. This time next year it will be more, because the rates are going up, the benefit is disappearing, and we are moving to fixed charges for delivery (right now it is partially fixed and partially variable based on use). If our delivery rate was the same as in town, my bill would be a lot less, but I doubt that will happen.
