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How does my gas bill compare?

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kerri_gt
kerri_gt Posts: 11,202 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Xmas Saver!
Hi. Firstly apologies if I repeat a question anyone else has asked, but how do I guage the cost/consumption of my gas?

Myself and my husband moved house in Dec from a 1 bed flat with elec only, to a 3 bed house with gas heating and elec cooking. We got our first gas bill in yesterday from British Gas (expect the Elec will follow shortly) and it was £198 (this is from Dec to end of March - apologies I don't have the bill with the exact date on it).

I'm looking to move to a cheaper tariff with BG when my elec bill comes in (currently just on standard tariff) but since I have never had gas before, I have no idea whether my current bill is expensive or not for a quarter - given the cold winter we've just had (well 3 1/2 months from the bill dates)?

To me, it doesn't seem more than what some of our last elec bills were for the flat, which had storage heating and I really noticed the bills go up the months we had the heating on.
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  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Is it billed on an actual reading or an estimated one?No one can tell you how it compares unless you say how many units you have used and over how many days. Post your figures and also whether metric or imperial meter.
    if it's estimated, read your meter and calculate the actual usage over the period.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • Stronger
    Stronger Posts: 104 Forumite
    I was going to post a similar question about this.

    Interesting to hear that we can read our own and calculate the bill, any pointers on how this calcultion can be done please?
  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    edited 7 April 2010 at 10:11AM
    If you post your figures over the period required, someone can take you through it, or use one of the calculation sites:
    http://smartmeter.ukpower.co.uk/
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • Stronger
    Stronger Posts: 104 Forumite
    Thanks macman.
  • Stronger
    Stronger Posts: 104 Forumite
    reading was 11300 as of Dec 03 2009
    reading today is 12265.

    metric meter.

    I have had a quick play on the site, and it says the bill should be more?

    Any further help?
  • GetRealBabe
    GetRealBabe Posts: 2,258 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic
    Stronger wrote: »
    reading was 11300 as of Dec 03 2009
    reading today is 12265.

    metric meter.

    I have had a quick play on the site, and it says the bill should be more?

    Any further help?


    Hi

    I usually use the reading from 1 April (when I submitted my last online bill) and the today's reading.

    What's the date of your bill? (I would have thought that your bill will be more as your reading now is up-to-date. Just guessing,:))

    GRB
    Sealed Pot Challenge No 089-Finally got a signature.:rotfl::j

  • Stronger
    Stronger Posts: 104 Forumite
    Statement date 27 March 2010
    Statement period 03 Dec 09 - 26 Mar 10


    Does this help?

    Feel like a right dumb a55
  • GetRealBabe
    GetRealBabe Posts: 2,258 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Photogenic
    Stronger wrote: »
    Statement date 27 March 2010
    Statement period 03 Dec 09 - 26 Mar 10


    Does this help?

    Feel like a right dumb a55

    Hi

    You could take a reading from 26 Mar to today. Will give you a idea of how much gas/electric you've used.

    GRB.
    Sealed Pot Challenge No 089-Finally got a signature.:rotfl::j

  • macman
    macman Posts: 53,129 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    Stronger wrote: »
    reading was 11300 as of Dec 03 2009
    reading today is 12265.

    metric meter.

    I have had a quick play on the site, and it says the bill should be more?

    Any further help?

    So you've used 965 units in about 125 days. With a metric meter, multiply by 11.06 to give the approx kWh consumption (so 10,673 kWh). Multiply that by the kWh tariff rate and then add the daily standing charge x 125 days (unless you are on a no standing charge tariff). Add 5% VAT if not already included. That will be your approx cost for 4 months usage.
    Average gas usage for a house with gas CH is around 25,000 kWh. If you pro-rata your daily usage up to a year, it's around 31,000 kWh, but of course your usage will fall greatly in the spring/summer once the heating goes off.
    So your consumption does not seem unduly high.
    No free lunch, and no free laptop ;)
  • spinningsheep
    spinningsheep Posts: 1,053 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Personally i would say that less than £200 for the coldest 3 months in 30 years was pretty good going for a 3 bed house. My consumption daft as it sounds was approx 4000 kwh less gas in this quarter in comparison to the same in 2009, but I think that is down to more effective programming of the heating and a lack of a workshy lodger who had the heating on full tilt when we were out at work:mad:

    CC limits £26000


    Long term CC debt £0

    Total low rate loan debt £3000

    Almost debt free feeling, priceless.

    Ex money nightmare, learnt from my mistakes and never going back there again, in control of my finances for the first time in my adult life and it feels amazing. 
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