Working out energy bills and direct debits

Robin9

National_Numeracy wrote: »

If you use 11,650 kWh of gas a year, what is a sensible amount for a monthly direct debit?[/B]

Gas Tariff:
4.0p per kWh
Standing charge 22p/day

Your question is incomplete. What about VAT ?

dggar

Nick_C wrote: »

I still have a slide rule but I'm blowed if I can remember how to use it.

I'd be OK with log tables though. In fact it would be nice to have some use for remembering the Log of Pi; one of the many bits of knowledge that I learned as a child which are now useless.

When I first went to university in 1968 I remember a lecturer saying that the only use for log tables was to prop up a short leg of an uneven chair. The thing to use was a slide rule. (simple pocket calculators were just begining to appear.)

Hoof_Hearted

If you do need to convert, 39.5 is a reasonable average for calorific value.

Flt._Lt._Biggles

National_Numeracy wrote: »

For money savers, the cost of heating your home is always a hot topic (pun intended). But for those with patchy maths skills, understanding the charges can be a bit of a nightmare.

At National Numeracy we want to help people understand the maths behind the charges, so we thought we'd ask for MSE users' help in explaining the numbers.

So, in that spirit - how would you work out the question below? What aspects of numeracy would you use to arrive at your conclusion?

If you use 11,650 kWh of gas a year, what is a sensible amount for a monthly direct debit?

Gas Tariff:
4.0p per kWh
Standing charge 22p/day

If you don't know where to start and you struggle with working out bills, then the National Numeracy Challenge could help. It's a confidential and informal website, where you can assess your numeracy, learn everyday maths, and work towards getting the Essentials of Numeracy. Register for free here.

Related on MoneySavingExpert: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub

I consulted a comparison site and it suggests

£31.16 / month



...based on the Yorkshire Supply region, and switching to Economy Energy on their Economy Energy - Direct Saver (Fixed) v1 tariff, who would then only charge
2.615p per kWh
Standing charge 18.99p/day

:money:

reeac

I don't see the relevance of spreadsheets if you just want to know the regular monthly payment.

Norman_Castle

Ilona wrote: »

I don't use comparison sites because I don't understand them. I am with a company that charges the same rate for monthly DD and quarterly bills.

You only need your annual usage in kwh which should be available from your current provider. I find this http://www.energylinx.co.uk/ easier than others.
Do a few comparisons for dual fuel and separate suppliers and various ways to pay.

Nick_C

reeac wrote: »

I don't see the relevance of spreadsheets if you just want to know the regular monthly payment.

Recording the results of several meter readings and analysing the data to get an abusive figure. Forecasting where necessary.

Added benefits of taking regular readings and using a spreadsheet are checking the accuracy of your bills and monitoring consumption, asking for your DDs to be adjusted where necessary to avoid large bills in future, or asking for refunds if you are building up credit.

I know this all goes beyond the simple issues raised by the OP, which are quickly answered in post #2

System

As usual, we have got massively off the topic. The whole point of initiatives such as The Numeracy Challenge is to give people the skills necessary to cope with life and work. Rather than doing maths for maths sake, I can well understand the logic of putting the challenge into Real World situations. It is irrelevant whether the CV is 39.2 or 39.8, or whether A uses a spreadsheet or B uses a calculator, the original post is about simple multiplication, addition and division. We should all applaud and support initiatives like this as it is extremely worrying that in a country such as ours that we still have people who cannot add up or read.

reeac

Nick_C wrote: »

Recording the results of several meter readings and analysing the data to get an abusive figure. #2

Don't bring my MIL into this discussion.

Shrimply

Raxiel wrote: »

This thread got pretty alarming.

My kids are too young for school, guess I'll have to pay close attention to their maths homework once they're old enough to start getting it.

I don't think you need to worry in the slightest as long as you keep them engaged and interested.

My understanding is that the aim is to get the kids thinking for themselves, and actually understanding what is going on. Yes you can give them simple rules to follow and they might get the answer quicker but that doesn't mean they are following why they are doing it.

e.g.

Giving them the BODMAS rules and written mathematical problems to solve is different from practical skills where you need to work out what order to do the operations based on the question you are trying to answer.