Not sure I agree--if you have a low usage month, it'll make your kWhr look higher than if you had a month when you pegged the meter (high a/c usage, or electric heat, or whatever). If it's only a couple cents either way, no big deal, but it's not quite the proper story. Makes it too hard to compare if you simplify the numbers too much.
I dont disagree but that is part of the problem. You can have a cheap kWh rate but expensive "distribution" and other charges. So how can we know what someone pays to power their home and charge their car if the other charges and taxes are not added in? They are adding in with the cost of gasoline.
With that said, good point to you, so ... why cant everyone post their actual kWh cost, kWh used AND ACTUAL payment, that would help everyone to understand the true cost of power in these forums. So yeah, this is a better solution, give your cost per kWh and actual payment.
There isnt any other way to compare cost without knowing the total cost of power delivered to ones home.
Below is my current bill, my actual cost per kWh goes way up this time of year because the "Base" charge doesnt change even though I only pay 10 cents a kWh year round. In the summer I use another 400 kWh of electricity the base charge stays the same and that brings down my total kWh cost for power.
So total actual payment for power this month cost me 18 cents a kWh
Total actual payment during the higher summer use cost me 15 cents kWh
This is the only way to know what power cost us across the country. Post the kWh used, kWh rate AND what you actually pay.
This allows everyone to compare their own bills. It's the only way because taxes, costs, distribution fees and another other crazy fee does figure into what people actually pay. As an example, One utility can keep kWh low but charge for delivering it to your home, never mind a mind boggling list that some others pay so that artificially lowers the kWh representation.
What you pay in actual payment IS your cost for electricity no matter what the kWh rate its. Again, good point and in past posts I have posted my bills because of this but very few do. So those who cant, just three things
1. kWh's used
2. Charge per kWh (if possible)
3. Actual payment
#'s 1 & 3 are essential because quite frankly that is what your electric cost you to power your home regardless of the stated kWh rate.