Have you ever found it difficult/confusing to read your utility bill? If so, what makes them confusing? (Q38a S+W 2020)

This chart reflects responses to Question #38, exclusive to the Winter 2020 Survey which asks respondents, “Have you ever found it difficult/confusing to read your utility bill? If so, what makes them confusing?” This was an open ended question.

There were a total of eighty three respondents who answered this question. Forty-two respondents (50.6%) reported they had never been confused by their utility bill. Five respondents (6%) responded “sometimes.” Two respondents (2.4%) indicated they did not read their bill and simply paid them. One respondent (1.2%) did not know. One respondent (1.2%) did not pay their houses’ utility bills. One respondent gave another answer and talked about learning about wattages (1%). Thirty-one respondents indicated that they had been confused by their energy bill before (37.3%). Of the respondents that said yes, thirteen indicated terminology was the most confusing. Two respondents were confused about date ranges. Three respondents were confused by the amount of energy they used. Two respondents were confused about the format. Ten respondents were confused about the fees in the bills. 

The data was produced by the Shifting Energy Demands in COVID-19 Survey, which has been administered to 169 people over two time periods. The Spring 2020 survey was administered to 86 people between May and June, and the Winter 2020 survey was administered to 83 people between December 2020 and March 2021. Visit the Shifting Energy Demands in COVID-19 - Spring + Winter 2020 Survey Results page to view more data from our survey. The project is approved by Drexel’s IRB.