How do I read my gas meter?

roses

I gave British Gas my meter readings today to request a bill. As usual their billing system was down so they couldn't tell me how much I owe. The guy said it was 4.6p per unit.

How many units have I used?

The meter reading has increased by 426 since moving in.

So if I have used 426 ubic feet since I moved in January and the unit cost is 4.6p, how much is that??

espresso

Your meter measures hundreds of cubic feet and this website will do the conversion to kWh for you.

Edit after your edit: 426 = 13699 kWh x 4.6p = approx £630 depending on your region/VAT etc.

roses

Thanks, I actually already looked at that website but got a bit confused. The figure it gives me is "We calculate, based on the information input that you are using 13,699 kWhs of gas". Is that per year?

All I want to know is how much money 1 unit of my gas meter is so I can charge my lodger correctly

espresso

roses wrote: »

Thanks, I actually already looked at that website but got a bit confused. The figure it gives me is "We calculate, based on the information input that you are using 13,699 kWhs of gas". Is that per year?

It's a simple conversion from either an Imperial or Metric meter to kWh but the cost will vary depending on region and supplier i.e. not per annum.

roses

Am I supposed to put in my annual estimation or just the period I want to calculate the cost for?

When I put in my post code & 426 units, I get the following:

We calculate, based on the information input that you are using 13,699 kWhs of gas. If you have this supplied by the least cost supplier this will cost you £321.77 per annum.

£630 sounds a bit high for 4 months of use.

espresso

roses wrote: »

Am I supposed to put in my annual estimation or just the period I want to calculate the cost for?

Either, it depends what you want to calculate. Gas is charged in kWh by all suppliers, however there are two different type of meter currently in use, imperial and metric.

roses

Sorry for all the questions!

ok, looking at that website you gave the link for, it says the British Gas estimated cost is £370.51 annual usage. So I am a bit confused about the £630 figure you gave for my usage since January?

tripled

To calculate your kwh:

gas units used x imperial to metric conversion factor (2.83) x volume conversion factor (1.022640) x calorific value (printed on your bill, or use 40 as a default) then divide the lot by 3.6

In your case: 426 x 2.83 x 1.022640 x 40 / 3.6 = 13,699kwh (matches perfectly with espresso)

To work out the cost, you are on a 2 tier tariff. The first 1,143 kwh used per quarter (or 12.56kwh per day) are charged at the higher tier, everything else at the lower tier.

Assuming you moved in on the 15th January: 21 weeks = 147 days

1,846kwh on tier 1 (4.479p) = £82.68
11,853kwh on tier 2 (2.282p) = £270.49
Total= £353.17

That is based on current rates, however prices were higher in the earlier part of this year by around 20%, so you should budget around £400 to be on the safe side.

Espresso's post used the information you were given that all units cost 4.6p, as you can see the majority of the units used cost around half that.