PowerCost LabEstimate a billOpen tools
U.S. commercial energy planning tools

Find the cost hiding in your peak demand.

Model energy charges, demand charges, equipment loads, and peak-shaving opportunities with transparent formulas and current public benchmarks.

Explore state rates
EIA-based benchmarksNo signupCalculations stay on device
Restaurant · TXMay 2026 benchmark
$4,832
estimated monthly bill
Demand charge$1,548
Peak event4:15 PM
A 20 kW lower peak is worth about $360/month at this demand rate.
Start with a profileFull-service restaurant
Monthly estimate

Commercial electricity bill

Live calculation
Use the values printed on your tariff or latest bill for the closest estimate. State averages do not include every tariff component.
Estimated monthly total
$3,713
Effective rate $0.15/kWh
Energy$1,982
Demand$1,476
Fixed + tax$255
Demand share40%

of this estimate comes from the highest measured interval, not total energy use.

Official benchmark data

Commercial electricity rates by state

May 2026 statewide commercial averages from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Averages are not individual utility tariffs.

Selected benchmark
TX

Texas

8.26¢per kWh commercial average
Price rank#49 of 51
Privacy-first helper

Turn bill text into usable inputs

Paste text copied from a utility bill. The extraction runs in your browser; the text is not uploaded or stored.

Detected values
Energy use— kWh
Peak demand— kW
Amount due—
Always compare detected values with the original bill before using them in a decision.
One cost language

Built for energy-intensive small businesses

Every industry has different operating hours and loads. The same core questions still matter: how much energy, how high a peak, and when does it happen?

Reviewed authority library

Understand the bill before changing the building

Practical guides connect utility tariffs, interval data, equipment operation, and the calculator results. Every guide identifies its assumptions and primary sources.

G1

Demand charges explained

How utilities turn a peak kW interval into a monthly charge.

Read the guide
G2

Read a commercial bill

Separate energy, demand, riders, fixed fees, and taxes.

Read the guide
G3

Reduce peak demand

Find controllable overlap before investing in equipment.

Read the guide
G4

EV charging demand

Plan charger power, concurrency, tariffs, and managed limits.

Read the guide
G5

Cold-storage efficiency

Connect refrigeration operation, defrost, doors, and peak cost.

Read the guide
G6

Commercial HVAC efficiency

Translate capacity, efficiency, runtime, and controls into cost.

Read the guide
The key distinction

kWh measures how much. kW measures how fast.

kWh

Energy charge

The accumulated electricity your business uses throughout the billing period.

kW

Demand charge

A charge tied to the highest average power draw recorded during a utility-defined interval.

LF

Load factor

A measure of how steadily your facility uses its available peak demand.

Transparent by design

Every estimate shows its assumptions.

PowerCost Lab separates energy, demand, fixed charges, and taxes. It does not hide those inputs behind a single unexplained number.

Read the methodology