Your energy use is collected from your meter. If you have a smart meter, your usage is shown in 15-minute intervals; accounts that don’t have smart meters have monthly data available. Most of the information is geared toward residential accounts and may not apply to commercial accounts. With smart meters, SMECO and its members are Getting Smarter Together.
Description of Each Tab
Energy Use Details
On this tab, you can choose to see a graph that shows data in dollars or kilowatt-hours. You can also change from the 13-month view to the daily view; just click on one of the months. Want to drill down to the 15-minute view? Just click on one of the days.
The average temperature helps you see how energy use goes down during mild months, such as May and October, and increases during winter and summer. January is usually a high-use month, and summer months are notable for their heat and humidity.
The Neighbor Comparison graph compares your energy use to other homes that are similar to yours. Click the "Who are my neighbors" link at the bottom of the graph to see more details about the comparison homes.
If you have more than one account, the energy use for only one account is shown.
Bill Forecast
On this tab, you can see how much you’ve used so far for the current billing period. Part way through the month, you will also be able to see how much you’re projected to spend for the rest of the billing period. (It’s based on how much electricity you’ve used so far during the current billing period, the weather, and the number of days in the billing period. And you must have at least seven days of usage in the billing period before an estimate of the monthly bill can be made.) Please keep in mind that the dollar amounts are only estimates and your bill will vary depending on actual energy use, taxes, and fees.
Bill Comparison
On this tab, you can see how your most recent bill compares to the previous month’s bill or the same month from last year. Just click the “Last Year” or “Previous Bill” in the top right corner. Some possible reasons for increases or decreases in energy use are shown beneath the graph.
Neighbor Comparison
On this tab, you can see how your energy use compares to that of similar homes. The comparison month is shown at the bottom left corner. Of the comparison homes, the 20% with the lowest energy use are considered “efficient neighbors.” Click the “Who are my neighbors?” arrow to see details about similar homes. (You may need to use the scroll bar to view the info.)
If you have multiple accounts, the first one listed is considered a primary account and will be the one that shows the neighbor comparison.
Energy Use Profile
On this tab, you will see estimates of how much energy you use for each of the categories listed. Please note that these are only estimates; your meter measures whole-house energy use, so an actual measurement for each appliance is not possible.
To make the information more accurate, click the “Update my Home Profile” link and complete the questionnaire to provide a more accurate description of your home.
Ways to Save
On this tab, you can find multiple tips on how to save energy so you can save money.