Read a trend when a bill is missing
A renter has January and March statements but has yet to find the simulated February bill. They want to avoid reading the two known bills as consecutive months.
Open TrackerInputs and calculation
| Month | Utility | Usage | Bill | Budget | Variance | Month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-01 | electricity | 200 kWh | 50 | 60 | -10 | — |
| 2025-03 | electricity | 280 kWh | 70 | 60 | 10 | — |
March is 70 − 60 = 10 over budget. January to March spans two months, so the tracker shows no comparable prior month.
What the comparison shows
If February is later entered at 65, March’s comparable change becomes 70 − 65 = 5, or about 7.69%. January’s 50 is useful context for the longer interval.
Assumptions and limits
The app compares only consecutive calendar months with compatible units and currency. A missing record must not be represented as a zero bill.