How billing works
Why your bill arrives 2–3 months after you use the energy, and how to plan for it.
Which month's usage is on which bill
This month (October 2026) we received and paid the Bluenergy and Chiurlo bills for August 2026 usage, and the Sky Energy bills for September 2026 usage. They post to your Starnik account on the first business day of November 2026, and you have until 30 November to pay.
Usage billed
| Bill posts in Starnik | Usage billed | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluenergy | Chiurlo | Sky Energy | |
| October 2026 Current billDue by 31 October | Jul 2026 | Jul 2026 | Aug 2026 |
| November 2026 Next billDue by 30 November | Aug 2026 | Aug 2026 | Sep 2026 |
| December 2026Due by 31 December | Sep 2026 | Sep 2026 | Oct 2026 |
| January 2027Due by 31 January | Oct 2026 | Oct 2026 | Nov 2026 |
Posting happens on the first business day of each month. Company timing can occasionally shift by a month.
The monthly billing cycle
Monthly, not bimonthly. Italian households are normally billed every two months. Home Fuels has agreements with its companies to receive invoices monthly.
End of the month: the companies close the billing period. They have until the 15th of the next month to send us all invoices; later invoices move to the next cycle. We check each invoice is free of IVA (VAT) and for the right customer, and test it in Starnik.
By the 25th: our accounting team pays all companies on the same business day. The euro exchange rate on that day is entered in Starnik and used to bill everyone in U.S. dollars.
First business day of the next month: we apply late fees to balances unpaid at the end of the previous month, check exchange rates and program fees, and lock the cycle, which sends invoices to customers. The next cycle then begins.
Planning and budgeting
Because bills arrive 2–3 months after the usage, plan ahead. If you receive a utility allowance, a simple approach is to put the whole allowance in a separate account for utility bills; whatever is left after your final bills is savings.
- Log your readings monthly. Photograph your meters on the last day of each month to see how your usage changes.
- Work out your usage. You need two months of readings. Electricity: add A1, A2 and A3, and subtract that total from the next month's total to get kWh. Gas: subtract the previous reading from the newest one to get Smc.
- Watch market prices. Monthly summary data is published for electricity (€/MWh: move the decimal three places left for the PUN rate per kWh) and natural gas (€/MWh: move the decimal two places left for the rate per Smc).
Market rates aren't the whole bill: the company's margin, distribution and transport costs, and fixed administrative fees also apply.
Estimated bills
Gas: to reduce estimated bills, photograph your gas meter at the end of each month and send it to us so we can submit it for you. How to submit gas readings.
Electricity: estimates are very rare, because the distributor reads electric meters automatically each month. We can't send electricity photos unless the company asks, so keep your own monthly photos in case they're needed.