Private in-browser planning

Commercial Energy Budget Calculator

Starting values are hypothetical. Replace them with your own figures. Inputs stay in this browser and are not included in the energy inquiry.

  • The reserve is a planning allowance, not an expected market-price change.
  • Supply rates, other charges and usage are hypothetical until replaced.

Begin with a complete and explainable baseline

Use twelve consecutive months of bills, then adjust the quantities for known operating changes such as an added shift, a closed location or new equipment. Keep a note of each adjustment. Electricity belongs in kWh and natural gas in therms. If a gas history is in volume units, convert it with the appropriate bill factors before entering annual therms.

Choose rates from executed contracts or clearly identified planning cases. If a component is index-based or scheduled to change during the year, a single annual rate is a simplification. A weighted monthly model may be more appropriate. Avoid using a national average as though it were an available account-specific supplier price.

Separate supply, other charges and contingency

Electricity supply allowance equals annual kWh multiplied by dollars per kWh. Gas supply allowance equals annual therms multiplied by dollars per therm. Add delivery, demand, customer charges, taxes or other expenses in the annual other-charges field when they belong in the budget scope. Make sure an item already included in the unit rate is not entered again.

The contingency reserve is the base allowance multiplied by the entered percentage. Budget including reserve equals base plus reserve. A hypothetical base of $18,000 with a ten-percent reserve creates $1,800 in contingency and a $19,800 funding allowance. That reserve is an internal planning choice, not an assertion that prices will rise ten percent or a cost charged by a supplier.

Use the monthly figure for funding, not seasonality

Dividing the annual allowance by twelve creates an average monthly funding amount. Actual bills may be much higher in heating or cooling months, or when production peaks. A flat monthly accrual can help accounting, but treasury planning still needs an actual month-by-month view of anticipated payments.

Check billing lag, deposits and payment timing separately. A major service change or contract transition may create a one-time cash need that is not visible in a recurring average. For several locations, first reconcile a common-period rollup so site costs are not omitted or counted twice before setting a combined budget.

Review the budget when the assumptions change

Track actual usage, rates and other charges against the baseline. If spending is above plan, identify whether the cause is consumption, supply pricing, demand or the allowance for other bill components. A single total variance does not tell you which operational or procurement response would be useful.

Run a second scenario when operating hours or future prices are uncertain, and keep both cases labeled. The price-scenario tool holds consumption constant to isolate price exposure, while the annual electricity projection changes both usage and rate assumptions. None of these tools obtains current offers or guarantees a bill amount; their value is making the assumptions and arithmetic visible for review.

Sources & scope

Primary references reviewed October 15, 2026. These sources support the stated concepts; actual tariffs, program rules and signed agreements govern the account. Decision examples and operational worksheets are original educational analysis.

Continue the review

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