A person with a one-bedroom apartment used x kWh of electricity one month and y kWh the next month. Since he used a lot of electricity the first month, he made an effort to use less the second month. The decrease in his usage, \( x-y \), was 58 kWh . His average usage for the two months, \( \frac{x+y}{2} \), was 323 kWh . How much electricity did he use during the second month? \( y= \)

Let's start by using the information given in the problem. 1. The first piece of information tells us that the decrease in usage from the first month to the second month is: \[ x - y = 58 \quad \text{(1)} \] 2. The second piece of information gives us the average usage for the two months: \[ \frac{x + y}{2} = 323 \quad \Rightarrow \quad x + y = 646 \quad \text{(2)} \] Now we can solve these two equations step-by-step. From equation (1), we can express \( x \) in terms of \( y \): \[ x = y + 58 \quad \text{(3)} \] Now substitute equation (3) into equation (2): \[ (y + 58) + y = 646 \] \[ 2y + 58 = 646 \] Subtract 58 from both sides: \[ 2y = 588 \] Now, divide by 2: \[ y = 294 \] So, the electricity used during the second month is: \[ y = 294 \text{ kWh} \]