Calculating your energy usage for the year?

JustAnotherSaver

It'll be something so simple but because of the number that i've worked out, i'm feeling i've done it wrong.

I got notification email today that i'm on a variable tariff as of today. I must've missed a warning email a few weeks ago maybe. So i start looking about for better deals.

I'm with Tonik and they've messed my bill throughout the year. One month i'll be £800 in debt, then they'll acknowledge that it's a fault, then i'll be £300 in credit which also doesn't seem right so at the moment i don't know where i'm at. Not once have i been in debit previously but at the moment i'm £150 in debit.

Trying to get quotes elsewhere & they're wanting my yearly usage. Tonik's system was down for probably about 8 of the 12 months so i wasn't able to submit the readings myself. I'd contact them over Twitter and hope they inputted them which they said they would.

My October 2019 Electricity reading said 78337 with "Type" listed as Estimate - even though i provided everything.

Every other entry is listed as the 3rd of the month, even though i always contacted on the 3rd of the month. Everything is listed as Estimate up until September 2020 when it changes to "Customer".

My entry for October 2020 reads 81892.

81892-78337= 3555. I take that 3555Kwh is my yearly usage? It doesn't seem a million miles off what the comparisons put as an estimate.

But i do this for Gas....

October 2019 reading being 20239 and October 2020 reading being 21175 giving (to me) a usage of 936? And when you go on comparison sites, 936 for gas seems quite a way off what they're estimating.

And it's because of this that i'm wondering if i've calculated it right? Especially as using this info, Shell quote me about £40-£50 per month and i'm currently paying £80 per month ... which makes me think even more that i've figured it wrong?

Robin9

Re read your elect and get an actual reading - but yes you are going the right way.

Gas is different  - yes take the meter readings but multiply that 936 by approx 11,2 to get kWhs'   ie about 10,500

Carrot007

Yes gas is not measued in kWh

https://www.theenergyshop.com/guides/how-to-convert-gas-units-to-kwh 

Use above or more basic calculation to convert.

macman

First of all you need to know if you have a metric or imperial gas meter: it's marked on the meter, cu m or 100's cu ft. Then apply the correct formula to convert the meter reading (volume) to energy (kWh).
This is because the energy content of a fixed volume of gas varies slightly from day.
It would appear, assuming that 10,635 kWh pa is your annual usage, that you have a metric meter.

dreamypuma

There are a couple of calculators online that will help with your gas. Just be sure of the unit measurements for your meter (metric or imperial)  Here's an example: https://www.ukpower.co.uk/home_energy/gas_meter_readings

(Doh! Just seen the link by 🥕 007)

anniecave

Alternatively take any of your existing bills and look at the calculations on the bill. Take one of the entries for gas and it will give you a number of meter units (based on the meter readings) and a number of kilowatt hours. The ratio between the two can be used as the conversion factor.  So take the number of kwhs used on the bill, divide it by the number of meter units for the same line on the bill, then multiply it by 936 and that's your annual kwh for gas.

Gerry1

anniecave said:

Alternatively take any of your existing bills and look at the calculations on the bill. Take one of the entries for gas and it will give you a number of meter units (based on the meter readings) and a number of kilowatt hours. The ratio between the two can be used as the conversion factor.  So take the number of kwhs used on the bill, divide it by the number of meter units for the same line on the bill, then multiply it by 936 and that's your annual kwh for gas.

Potentially two big problems there !

• If one or both meter readings are estimated then the usage could be far too low or high.

• If the meter is metric but the calculation assumes it's imperial, or vice versa, then the usage could be far too low or high.

Much easier to take use your own monthly readings to obtain the volume of gas used annually, and use a site such as this one to do the number crunching.  It should be accurate enough for comparing, but you can always look up the calorific value on your bills to get super accuracy.

JustAnotherSaver

This is my gas meter.

tim_p

Cubic meters, in the red section just above the ‘2001’ It says M3

JustAnotherSaver

Carrot007 said:

Yes gas is not measued in kWh

https://www.theenergyshop.com/guides/how-to-convert-gas-units-to-kwh 

Use above or more basic calculation to convert.

dreamypuma said:

There are a couple of calculators online that will help with your gas. Just be sure of the unit measurements for your meter (metric or imperial)  Here's an example: https://www.ukpower.co.uk/home_energy/gas_meter_readings

(Doh! Just seen the link by 🥕 007)

Interesting that 936 thrown in to both calculators gives a different result.

Gerry1

JustAnotherSaver said:

Interesting that 936 thrown in to both calculators gives a different result.

Different assumptions about the calorific value?