Reconcile usage, charges and the balance
See this course’s project requirements
A one-page fictional bill-check record with the period and usage, charge/balance calculation, changed case and an unsent inquiry plus reply review.
Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.
What to include
- A period and meter card distinguishing cumulative readings from period kWh and actual from estimated evidence.
- A calculation table for current charges, prior balance, applied payment and the difference from the printed amount.
- A changed-input result and an unsent factual inquiry, followed by a review of the supplied fictional reply.
Review and revise
Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.
- Usage is derived from the matched readings with the correct unit and stated period.
- Each charge, old balance and payment is counted once; intermediate totals and the printed-bill difference are visible.
- The changed calculation follows the supplied change and preserves the original case.
- The question uses a verified-channel plan and minimum facts; a mathematically explained charge is not described as legally valid or actually paid.
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The idea in everyday life
Use the original 400 kWh from lesson one. All prices and charges below are fictional USD for one period. The $4 other charge is already a known item. The later unexplained $4 printed difference is a separate issue. There are no unstated taxes, credits or charges in the supplied case record.
Amount due equals current charges plus the previous balance minus the payment already applied. Keep variable charges, fixed charges and old debt in separate rows.
Reconcile usage, charges and the balance — worked practice
Amount due equals current charges plus the previous balance minus the payment already applied. Keep variable charges, fixed charges and old debt in separate rows.
Add a calculation column to the charge cards. Show cents for monetary totals. Do not pay, dispute or change service; this is a paper bill audit. The original $20 applied payment is confirmed in this fictional ledger.
Original fictional bill inputs
Paste at A1.
| AEntry | BValue | CUnit or treatment |
|---|---|---|
| Period use | 400 | kWh |
| Supply rate | 0.12 | USD per kWh |
| Delivery rate | 0.055 | USD per kWh |
| Fixed charge | 12 | USD per period |
| Stated other charge | 4 | USD per period; known item |
| Previous balance | 35 | USD carried forward |
| Payment applied | 20 | USD reduces previous balance |
| Printed amount due | 105 | USD to compare with calculation |
Copy as plain text
1. Calculate variable lines
Multiply 400 kWh by each stated rate and retain each result.
400×0.12=48; 400×0.055=22You should see: Supply $48.00; delivery $22.00.
Using the same period energy keeps the billing boundary consistent.
2. Add current charges
Add the two variable lines, fixed charge and stated other charge.
You should see: Current charges: $48+$22+$12+$4=$86.00.
A fixed dollar amount is added, not multiplied by kWh.
3. Roll forward the old balance
Subtract the $20 payment already applied from the $35 prior balance.
You should see: Unpaid prior balance: $15.00.
An applied payment reduces what remains owed; it does not reduce period energy.
4. Compare with the printed amount
Add the unpaid prior balance to current charges and compare with $105 printed.
86+35−20=101; 105−101=4You should see: Reconstructed amount due: $101.00. Printed amount is $4.00 higher; the supplied record has not explained that difference.
An unexplained difference warrants a specific question, not an invented charge or a fraud accusation.
What to finish
A bill table with line calculations, current charges, unpaid prior balance, reconstructed amount due and unexplained difference.
Watch for this
Subtracting the same payment twice, using the cumulative meter total, or treating a fixed charge as a price per kWh.
How can I tell I understand it?
Recalculate an applied-payment change and identify which totals should stay the same.
Quick knowledge check
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Source & access notes · checked 2026-10-02
Billing-dispute sections discuss meter-reading history, copies of bills and contacting the provider before regulator escalation. Maryland-specific rights are not generalized in this course. Case rates and arithmetic are original.
Access: Readable primary regulator page inspected on 2026-10-02. No account, complaint portal or meter test operated.
Reuse: Original fictional cases, tables, calculations and questions; no source exercise or provider prices copied.
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