What is the difference between a kWH of gas and a kWH of elecricity?

falcieri

I've just had my first bill through from my new provider. I have used almost exactly the same kWH of gas and electricity throughout the month, but the electricity bill is twice the cost of the gas one.



Now, I KNOW why this is. But I just wondered, in terms of usage, what is the difference between the two kWH. I'd like an estimate ie (1 kWH is approx equal to leaving a light on all day - that sort of thing) to see if there's a way I can cut down on my electricity and get my bill down, or if this is likely to be my standard going forward until the weather changes and the nights draw out.With thanks in advance.

matelodave

Leccy is fairly easy, a hundred watt lightbulb on for 10 hours will use 1kwh of electricity. A 1kw heater will use 1kwh or electricity in 1 hour or 10kwh in 10 hours a 250watt TV on for 4 hours will use 1kwh (250x4=1000).

Gas isn't as straightforward as there is an efficiency factor to take into account so to get 1 kwh or energy out of a radiator might take about 1.25kwh of gas. But gas is a so much cheaper that it dosen't make so much of a difference although setting your heating controls efficiently can save you a lot of money.

The way to save energy is to turn stuff off or down when it's not being used.

Install LED lightbulbs especially if you've got halogen downlighters. LED bults use 1/10th of the energy of an incadescent bult for the same light output so use LEDs in rooms that you use the most..

Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need, only use the washing machine, dryer and dishwasher with full loads, they cost the same to run whether full or empty. Dont waste hot water by letting it run down the sink, rinse stuff in cold water rather than hot.

Take shorter showers or shallower baths and fewer of them.

Dont leave TV's, Video recorders, Xboxes etc on standby - turn them off at the wall.

Read you meters at least once a month so you can see what you are using. When you monitor it you can control it. Make sure you give readings to your supplier at the same time every month and check your bills and statements carefully. Dont accept estimated bills, get them corrected if they are wrong.

Most of the problems that get flagged up on this forum are because people dont monitor their consumption or check their bills and then get a nasty shock when it catches up with them.

wavelets

falcieri wrote: »

I've just had my first bill through from my new provider. I have used almost exactly the same kWH of gas and electricity throughout the month, but the electricity bill is twice the cost of the gas one.



Now, I KNOW why this is. But I just wondered, in terms of usage, what is the difference between the two kWH. I'd like an estimate ie (1 kWH is approx equal to leaving a light on all day - that sort of thing) to see if there's a way I can cut down on my electricity and get my bill down, or if this is likely to be my standard going forward until the weather changes and the nights draw out.With thanks in advance.

Start by reading this:
https://www.ovoenergy.com/guides/energy-guides/what-is-a-kwh-kw-and-kwh-explained.html

It doesn't matter how the kW is produced, a kW is a kW ... and an hour is an hour.

The difficulty you may experience with gas is that many gas appliances (particularly older ones) are rated in BTU (British Thermal Units) rather than W or kW

1kW = 3412.141633 BTU

EneryMiser

falcieri - to really help you. Some idea of how heating, not water and cooking use energy would be needed. Also if comfort or economy was paramount.
Recently a pensioner who had been moaning about his gas bills had a thorough tweaking of his old thermostatic radiator valves to reduce temperature in his hall. Timer settings were also changed.
So less gas used for less time. Lower bill.

His daughter has since changed it all back because he was cold at 5.30 in the morning and the heating took longer to get up to temperature. I shudder to think what his next bill would be.

Regular meter readings as mentioned above are a good starting point.
So if you have gas central heating check m3 before and after a set time of having heating on.
A little tedious but might enlighten you.

I am curious about the same kWh double the price.
On most tariffs the leccy price per kWh is 3 or 4 times the price.
3 - 4 for gas 12 - 16 for electricity per kWh

Norman_Castle

His daughter has since changed it all back because he was cold at 5.30 in the morning and the heating took longer to get up to temperature.

Adjusting the time so he has heating at 5.30 is understandable but the trv's don't affect how quickly rooms heat up they simply switch off when the room is up to temperature.

falcieri

matelodave wrote: »

Leccy is fairly easy, a hundred watt lightbulb on for 10 hours will use 1kwh of electricity. A 1kw heater will use 1kwh or electricity in 1 hour or 10kwh in 10 hours a 250watt TV on for 4 hours will use 1kwh (250x4=1000).

Gas isn't as straightforward as there is an efficiency factor to take into account so to get 1 kwh or energy out of a radiator might take about 1.25kwh of gas. But gas is a so much cheaper that it dosen't make so much of a difference although setting your heating controls efficiently can save you a lot of money.

The way to save energy is to turn stuff off or down when it's not being used.

Install LED lightbulbs especially if you've got halogen downlighters. LED bults use 1/10th of the energy of an incadescent bult for the same light output so use LEDs in rooms that you use the most..

Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need, only use the washing machine, dryer and dishwasher with full loads, they cost the same to run whether full or empty. Dont waste hot water by letting it run down the sink, rinse stuff in cold water rather than hot.

Take shorter showers or shallower baths and fewer of them.

Dont leave TV's, Video recorders, Xboxes etc on standby - turn them off at the wall.

Read you meters at least once a month so you can see what you are using. When you monitor it you can control it. Make sure you give readings to your supplier at the same time every month and check your bills and statements carefully. Dont accept estimated bills, get them corrected if they are wrong.

Most of the problems that get flagged up on this forum are because people dont monitor their consumption or check their bills and then get a nasty shock when it catches up with them.

Thanks for this. The only thing on your list I need to look at is LED bulbs. I think I have a few but there's a bit of a mish-mash in my flat. None of them are the old style bulbs but I think I have a couple of halogens.

falcieri

EneryMiser wrote: »

falcieri - to really help you. Some idea of how heating, not water and cooking use energy would be needed. Also if comfort or economy was paramount.
Recently a pensioner who had been moaning about his gas bills had a thorough tweaking of his old thermostatic radiator valves to reduce temperature in his hall. Timer settings were also changed.
So less gas used for less time. Lower bill.

His daughter has since changed it all back because he was cold at 5.30 in the morning and the heating took longer to get up to temperature. I shudder to think what his next bill would be.

Regular meter readings as mentioned above are a good starting point.
So if you have gas central heating check m3 before and after a set time of having heating on.
A little tedious but might enlighten you.

I am curious about the same kWh double the price.
On most tariffs the leccy price per kWh is 3 or 4 times the price.
3 - 4 for gas 12 - 16 for electricity per kWh

I'm quite strict on usage. I only use my heating in the evening and I have a gas hob and hot water, and I keep the heating low. I am often cold but that's just the way it is. However, I really like warm temperatures so I'm probably complaining about nothing. So I just pile on extra layers and get on with it. I've just had my first monthly bill through from Bulb after I switched from Econony Energy. So my readings were:


Gas 145 kw £5.27 with charges = £11.26

Electricity 143 kw - £18.29 with charges £24.93



You're right on the cost. The electric is more than half! My mistake.

Raxiel

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Adjusting the time so he has heating at 5.30 is understandable but the trv's don't affect how quickly rooms heat up they simply switch off when the room is up to temperature.

You're not wrong, but turning down the TRV's in unused rooms might mean that other rooms actually heat up faster, depending where the radiators sit on the CH loop.

Biggus_Dickus

Norman_Castle wrote: »

Adjusting the time so he has heating at 5.30 is understandable but the trv's don't affect how quickly rooms heat up they simply switch off when the room is up to temperature.

Incorrect!,... turning TRV’s to the highest setting means that the room heats up more quickly as the radiator obviously gets much hotter than it would if the TRV was on a lower setting.

TRV’s work exactly the same as the heat control on a gas fire.

P.S. The above rationale is courtesy of my wife,...and no amount of reasoning/logic can convince her otherwise. :doh:

EneryMiser

That makes sense. The gas price per kw hour is normally lower but in some
instances people have gas heating on for extended lengths of time so, in colder
months their gas bill is high compared to their electricity bill..

So just to let me understand better your have a gas hob? Hot water gas via central heating?
If electricity is 143 kWh and Gas 145 kWh What is using the electricity?

Many people would be very pleased with that combined bill (even if it involves a few extra layers)!

falcieri wrote: »

I'm quite strict on usage. I only use my heating in the evening and I have a gas hob and hot water, and I keep the heating low. I am often cold but that's just the way it is. However, I really like warm temperatures so I'm probably complaining about nothing. So I just pile on extra layers and get on with it. I've just had my first monthly bill through from Bulb after I switched from Econony Energy. So my readings were:


Gas 145 kw £5.27 with charges = £11.26

Electricity 143 kw - £18.29 with charges £24.93



You're right on the cost. The electric is more than half! My mistake.

EneryMiser

Thanks guys, (Biggus Dickus & Raxiel)
I think different systems can behave in subtly different ways.

The system is circa 1973 and if the blazing hot hall radiator is turned down
it seems to have a direct impact on the large number or radiators in a long thin
open plan living dining room.

I dare say a new installation might allow reduced output from one rad without
starving the others which seem to be downstream of the hall radiator in a single loop.

Upstairs the bathroom, toilet and bedrooms seem to be happy and willing to be individually
adjusted without impacting on the other radiators. I don't know if the ceiling void upstairs
allowed a better install or if the solid floor downstairs was more restrictive.
Possibly the system is subpar after 40 plus years of gunge or may have just been not
well thought out back in the day.

Biggus_Dickus wrote: »

Incorrect!,... turning TRV’s to the highest setting means that the room heats up more quickly as the radiator obviously gets much hotter than it would if the TRV was on a lower setting.

TRV’s work exactly the same as the heat control on a gas fire.

P.S. The above rationale is courtesy of my wife,...and no amount of reasoning/logic can convince her otherwise. :doh: