# How do you read your MLGW bill after a heat pump goes in?

> How to read your MLGW bill after a new heat pump: kilowatt-hours, the fuel adjustment, gas use, comparing like months and spotting strips that run too much.

URL: https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/blog/reading-your-mlgw-bill-after-a-heat-pump/

Blog, Seasonal

Kilowatt-hours, the fuel adjustment and the gas side. How to compare fairly and how to spot strip heat running when it shouldn't.

Last Updated: November 12, 2026

The short answer

Compare kilowatt-hours, not dollars, and compare the same months year to year. In a strip-heat house, winter kilowatt-hours should fall sharply after a heat pump. In a dual fuel house, gas use falls a little on mild months and electric use rises a little. A winter spike in kilowatt-hours usually means strips running too often.

## Compare usage, not dollars

An MLGW bill mixes usage with rates that change. The energy rate shifts between summer, winter and transition months, TVA’s fuel cost adjustment changes through the year, and the gas side carries a purchased gas adjustment that moves every month.

So the dollar total is a poor way to judge a new heat pump. [Bluffline Memphis Heat Pumps](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/) suggests comparing usage instead.

### What to compare

| Line on the bill | What it measures | Compare |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Electric kWh | Electricity used | Same month last year |
| Gas ccf | Hundreds of cubic feet of gas | Same month last year |
| Days in the billing period | Length of the period | Adjust if very different |

## Strip-heat houses

If the heat pump replaced an electric furnace, winter is where the change shows. Strips turned one kilowatt-hour into one kilowatt-hour of heat; the heat pump delivers two to three on most winter days.

### What to expect

- **December to February kWh** should fall noticeably against the same months before.
- **Mild winter months** should fall the most, since the heat pump carries them with no strips at all.
- **Summer kWh** may fall too, if the new unit has a higher SEER2 than the old AC.

## Dual fuel houses

If the heat pump went on a gas furnace, the bill shifts a little between the two fuels.

- **Mild months:** gas falls and electricity rises slightly, as the heat pump carries those days.
- **Cold months:** little change, as gas does the heating below the switchover.
- **Summer:** electric use may fall with a more efficient unit.

Where the switchover is set decides how big the shift is. The [switchover guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/dual-fuel-switchover-temperature/) explains the setting.

## Spotting strips that run too much

A winter bill that jumps in kilowatt-hours on a mild month usually means the backup strips are running when they shouldn’t. Check the thermostat on a 45-degree day: if it shows AUX HEAT for long stretches, something is off.

### The usual causes

- No outdoor sensor or no lockout.
- Large overnight setbacks with fast recovery.
- Emergency heat left on.
- A heat pump losing capacity.

The [aux and emergency heat guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/auxiliary-emergency-heat/) explains each and what fixes it.

## An example

Take an all-electric Millington ranch that swapped a 15 kW electric furnace for a heat pump with 5 kW of backup. Here is the kind of change to look for, comparing kilowatt-hours month by month:

| Month | Year before | Year after | Why |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| January | High | Much lower | Heat pump carries most hours; strips only on cold mornings |
| March | Moderate | Lower | Mild month; heat pump alone |
| July | High | Somewhat lower | Higher SEER2 than the old AC |
| October | Low | Similar | Little heating or cooling either year |

### If January didn’t fall

If winter usage barely moved, the strips are probably running too much. The thermostat setup is the first place to look. The [Millington page](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/service-areas/millington/) describes the kind of house where this matters most.

## Fixed charges

Every MLGW bill carries monthly customer charges for electric and gas service, whatever you use. They don’t change with a heat pump, unless you close the gas account entirely after a full electric conversion.

Leave them out when you compare months, so the equipment’s effect shows clearly.

## Weather matters

A cold January uses more than a mild one, whatever the equipment. If you want a fairer comparison, note the average temperature for each billing period, or compare over a full year rather than one month.

## Reading the gas side

MLGW gas is billed in hundreds of cubic feet. A dual fuel house that lowers its switchover in a high-gas month will see gas fall and electricity rise. The [gas versus heat pump guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-vs-gas-furnace-memphis/) shows how the two compare per unit of heat.

## Outside MLGW

Homes in Southaven, Horn Lake, Hernando and parts of Olive Branch are on Entergy Mississippi, and West Memphis has its own municipal utility.

Their bills look different, but the method is the same: compare kilowatt-hours and gas use against the same months a year earlier, not dollars. The [Southaven page](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/service-areas/southaven/) covers the Mississippi side.

## A simple yearly check

Once a year, line up the twelve months of kilowatt-hours and gas use against the year before the new system. That one comparison tells you more than any single bill. The [thermostat setup guide](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-thermostat-setup/) covers the settings that move it.

## Questions about this post

### Why did my MLGW bill go up even though my usage went down?

Rates and the monthly fuel and gas adjustments change. Compare kilowatt-hours and hundreds of cubic feet of gas, not dollars, against the same month last year to see what the equipment changed.

### How can I tell if my backup strips are running too much?

A big jump in winter kilowatt-hours on mild months, or a thermostat that shows AUX HEAT on days in the 40s and 50s, points to strips. An outdoor sensor and lockout usually fix it.

## Keep reading

- [Learn**What is the difference between auxiliary heat and emergency heat?** Two settings that both turn on the strips, why one is automatic and the other is a last resort, and how to keep the bill in check.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/auxiliary-emergency-heat/)
- [Decision Guide**Is a heat pump or a gas furnace cheaper to run in Memphis?** The per-BTU math on MLGW's rates, the months it flips, and what it means for keeping, adding to or retiring a furnace.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-vs-gas-furnace-memphis/)
- [Seasonal**What should you expect from a new heat pump in its first summer?** Longer, quieter cycles, a drier house and a few settings worth checking. Here is what normal looks like from May to September.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/blog/first-summer-with-a-heat-pump/)
- [Learn**How should a heat pump thermostat be set up in Memphis?** The handful of settings that decide whether a heat pump saves money: the equipment type, the outdoor sensor, the lockout, setbacks and the fan.](https://blufflinememphisheatpumps.com/guide/heat-pump-thermostat-setup/)

## Get an estimate for your house

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