Although applicable regulations require that electricity bills be delivered to Poles in a unified form, many recipients still do not know how to read an electricity bill correctly. This still requires knowledge of the components of the invoice. Knowing about fees helps you avoid misunderstandings and unnecessary costs.
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As the Energy Regulatory Office explains on its website, most customers currently have comprehensive contracts – one electricity bill includes fees for the sale and distribution of energy. Previously, separate invoices from the seller and the network operator were possible, but from February 24, 2024, only comprehensive contracts are concluded.
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An electricity bill is a log of home energy consumption, which in practice allows you to control and detect any changes. This, in turn, may translate into minor adjustments that will result in real savings.
Electricity bill: sales, distribution and taxes. What does it cost?
The consumer pays the seller for the energy consumed. The amount of the bill depends on the amount of energy used, the selected tariff and any protective mechanisms. The invoice includes an active energy fee (variable) and a commercial fee (fixed), and sometimes additional fees for services or insurance.
Components of the electricity bill
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URE / URE.gov.pl
It is worth remembering that the seller charges for active energy, while the distributor charges for delivering electricity to the home. Fixed fees include, among others: subscription fee, capacity fee and renewable energy fee, i.e. support for renewable energy sources.
How to check your electricity bill?
Distribution fees are divided into variable (e.g. quality fee, network fee, renewable energy fee, cogeneration fee), lump sum fee (capacity fee, transitional fee) and fixed fee (fixed network fee, subscription fee). Even with zero energy consumption, the recipient pays fixed fees related to maintaining the network and readiness for supplies.
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As explained by the Energy Regulatory Office, the amount of fixed fees is not influenced by the active energy used by the recipient. These include:
- fixed network fee [zł/miesiąc] – fee for access to the power grid, maintenance of devices within it and for having a meter,
- subscription fee [zł/miesiąc] − its rate is set by the distributor as the cost of issuing an invoice, reading and checking the meter and other administrative activities.
Tariffs are prepared by energy companies and approved by the President of the Energy Regulatory Office. Sellers can also offer market products whose prices do not require approval. Distributors must submit tariffs for approval for all customer groups.
How to read an electricity bill?
The amount of your electricity bill depends not only on energy consumption, but also on the selected tariff. The G11 tariff is the simplest option – you pay a fixed rate for each kilowatt hour, regardless of the time of day. G12 allows you to use cheaper electricity at night, but the rate is higher during the day. G12w is a tariff with lower prices also on weekends. Information about the selected tariff is usually found at the top of the bill.
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The electricity bill also includes settlement details: meter readings, reading method (by a collector, independently, remotely or estimated) and actual consumption. This is the basis for calculating all fees.
The bill is divided into fees for the sale of energy and for its distribution. The most important item is active energy – this is how much you should pay for the electricity actually consumed according to the selected tariff. Distribution, i.e. supply of energy. The amount of fees also depends on where the electricity is consumed.
Knowing the components of your electricity bill allows you to better manage costs and choose offers consciously. The new regulations simplify settlements, but require careful reading of invoices and knowledge of the rules for calculating fees.
