Have I calculated my energy usage wrongly?

rosie383

I am currently wanting to change my energy supplier/ tariff but I am unsure if I have my yearly consumption figures correct.
Going by my bills over the past year, we have used 1536 kwh elec, and just 420 gas.
This seems a bit strange as our heating, hot water and cooking are in gas and we are careful with both to keep our usage as low as possible.
We have a 2 bed terrace and there are 2 adults and 2 kids at home. Does this sound about right, or have I gone way off course somewhere?

victor2

Your gas figure sounds way too low. Is it the difference on the meter readings, rather than kWh? Most gas meters read in hundreds of cubic feet (HCF) and the utility company convert that to kWh using a formula which is probably shown on your bill.
420 HCF of gas would give something in the region of 12,000 to 13,000 kWh, which is more realistic.

rosie383

Yes, it is based on the meter readings. So maybe I am wrong on my electricity too? Would I be better to do a comparison using the money I have paid over the year? That would be more accurate?

Premier_2

rosie383 wrote: »

Yes, it is based on the meter readings. So maybe I am wrong on my electricity too? Would I be better to do a comparison using the money I have paid over the year? That would be more accurate?

No, you should do any comparison based on annual kWh consumption figures for best results.

The electric one will be the same as the meter units, but the gas will not (as previously explained)

If in doubt, contact your supplier who will be able to advise you your estimated annual consumption in kWh.

victor2

Your electricity meter shows kWh so your figure should be accurate. Since your gas bills show the kWh you are being billed for, just add that up from your past bills to get a better number. Gas consumption is very seasonal when it is used for heating, so make sure you use a full year's worth of past bills to get an annual usage.
You'll get a better idea on comparison sites if you use kWh rather than actual costs.

macman

Your gas meter will be clearly marked on the front as reading in cu m or cu ft. However your annual figure of 420 certainly indicates that it is an imperial meter. You can do your own conversion from cu ft to kWh (online converters are available), but it's easy enough just to total the kWh figs off your 4 bills-or ask your current provider.
Input your comp site figs in kWh, not in monthly £ spend. Then remember to switch via a cashback site to maximise your benefit.
Your electricity consumption is remarkably low for a family of 4-twice that or more would not be unusual.

rosie383

Thank you all for your help. I will look on the bills for kwh usage for the gas. I suppose our electricity usage is low as we have all low energy lightbulbs, don't leave things on standby, don't use hairdryers etc. We just try to keep it down as much as possible. I have a wind-up solar powered radio which is my entertainment during the day, and there would be one TV on in the evening. No TVs, stereos etc in the childrens' room.
Our usage is based on the readings over a whole year and I suppose our bills would be lower than some families.

rosie383

I found an online converter and it works out that my gas usage is 4772 kwh per year. That sounds more like it, I think.

victor2

That's about right if your meter shows cubic meters of gas used as opposed to cubic feet.
Check on the front of your meter for something like cubic metres or m3. If it mentions cubic feet or ft3, then it's imperial and your figure is probably wrong. I think you'll find the kWh for the gas conumption is much higher.

rosie383

Sorry. I'm confused again. When I have done a couple of comparisons just now, using the kwh, they are showing that I could save £200 by switching to Scottish power and my annual spend would be £800 roughly. Our spend last year was much less than this.

macman

rosie383 wrote: »

I found an online converter and it works out that my gas usage is 4772 kwh per year. That sounds more like it, I think.

No, that is far too low-should be around 3 times that. Did you enter cu ft or cu m into your converter?
Have you checked your meter to confirm if it's imperial or metric?
Edit: based on 420 cu ft, you should multiply by 31.3, giving 13,146kWh.
15-20,000 kWh would be typical annual consumption for a 3 b/r house with gas CH.