Find out what’s driving your Xcel bill in two minutes
- Weather, rates or useHeating, base load, a cold month and rate changes, in dollars. Xcel NOAA
- The free fixes firstThe thermostat alone: up to 10% a year on heating and cooling. DOE
- No sign-upThree numbers from your bill.
- The next check to makeOne step picked from your numbers. Xcel
Independent site. Not affiliated with Xcel Energy.
Decode your bill
Example billJanuary 2026 · $248
Next check
Check the thermostat schedule
If heating stays the biggest piece in a normal month, a Squad Plus visit tests for leaks.
Estimated charges before deductions; the hatched end comes off
- Service charges$21
- Base load, estimated$101
- Heating in a normal January, estimated$111
- Milder than normal−$9
- Rate changes since January 2025+$15
- Estimate at Xcel’s reference rate$239
- Unexplained difference+$9Taxes, city fees, credits, billing days or 5 to 9 p.m. use.
- Your bill$248
Heating looks like the biggest piece, about 45% of the bill.
January 2026 was 8% milder than normal in Denver.
Assumes gas water heating at Colorado's January average, 19 therms (add your July gas to use yours).
Reference rate: Xcel's standard residential rate, before taxes and city fees. Xcel, checked Oct 13, 2026. Weather: NOAA, Denver airport, through September 2026.
Where these are on your Xcel bill
- Bill total: current charges in the Summary of Current Charges on page 1. Amount Due can include an old balance.
- Gas used: the therms on the usage line under Natural Gas Charges, usually page 2 or 3.
- Electricity used: the kWh on the usage line under Electricity Charges, usually page 2.
- Usage month: Meter Reading Information shows the read dates. Use the month most of those days fall in.
- Last year: the usage graphs on the bill show the same month last year, and past bills are in your Xcel account online.
Compare with the same month last year
Your own base load
July’s gas is mostly the water heater. A month with no heat or AC, often May, shows your base electricity.
The free fixes first
Before you start
- Heat pumps
At current Xcel rates, heating with a heat pump costs more to run than a 95% gas furnace. Price both before the old one fails. Xcel, checked Oct 13, 2026
Ducted heat pump $21,000–$28,000, about $13,000–$20,000 after rebates (Xcel gas, Denver metro, 2026); heat pump water heater $7,500–$8,200.
- What we do
- We don’t do audits, insulation or air sealing.
Send photos for an estimate
Priced after rebates, confirmed in person.
Equipment labels and a photo of the closed electrical panel help, too. Leave covers in place.
Prices are typical ranges from recent estimates in the Denver area, before rebates.