Plant Utilities worked example

Utility Cost per Unit at 99% share assigned to production: a worked example

Push share assigned to production up to 99% and the picture changes. This example computes every intermediate figure at that operating point. Use it when reviewing utility cost per unit for a utility budget, maintenance priority, capacity check, energy project, or production support plan.

The inputs for this scenario

  • Utility billing units: 185,000 units (unchanged)
  • Average utility cost: 0.12 $ / unit (unchanged)
  • Share assigned to production: 99 % (raised for this scenario; the documented default is 92)
  • Demand charge and meter fee adder: 2,400 $ (unchanged)

Working through the calculation

  • Applying the documented formula (Total utility production cost = utility billing units × average utility cost × share assigned to production + demand charge and meter fee adder) to the inputs above produces each figure below.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 23,462 $ for total utility production cost, the number this scenario is built around.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 0.13 $ / item for cost per item or period.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 21,062 $ for variable utility production cost.
  • At this operating point the engine returns 2,400 $ for fixed utility adder.

How this compares with the baseline

  • Against the tool's baseline example, where share assigned to production sits at 92% and the headline result is 21,973 $, this scenario comes in 6.78% above the baseline at 23,462 $.
  • It computes total utility cost assigned to production (variable consumption plus fixed demand/meter adders) and divides it across billing units to give cost per item or per period. The value of this scenario is the size of the gap it exposes: that gap, priced out over a year, is the budget you can justify spending to close it.

Results at a glance

  • Total utility production cost: 23,462 $ (headline result)
  • Cost per item or period: 0.13 $ / item
  • Variable utility production cost: 21,062 $
  • Fixed utility adder: 2,400 $

Run it with your numbers

  • Every input above is editable in the live Utility Cost per Unit calculator, which recalculates instantly and can be shared with the inputs intact.

Last reviewed 2026-05-12.