Gas charges

YorkshireBaz

I would like to open the debate on gas charges and the formula which the gas companies use.
All gas usage is calculated into cubic meters. My old meter is measured in cubic feet. The gas bill states that each unit reading is a 100 cubic feet and to convert that to cubic meters you have to multiply the reading by 2.83, which would equate one cubic meter as 283 cubic feet, when a cubic meter is actually about 30 cubic feet.
Also, is there a way of checking if my meter has been re-calibrated to convert 1 cubic foot to 100 cubic feet, because at the moment the gas bill says 91 units of gas on my meter reading equates to 257.5 cubic meters of gas used.

Barry

[Deleted User]

YorkshireBaz said:

I would like to open the debate on gas charges and the formula which the gas companies use.
All gas usage is calculated into cubic meters. My old meter is measured in cubic feet. The gas bill states that each unit reading is a 100 cubic feet and to convert that to cubic meters you have to multiply the reading by 2.83, which would equate one cubic meter as 283 cubic feet, when a cubic meter is actually about 30 cubic feet.
Also, is there a way of checking if my meter has been re-calibrated to convert 1 cubic foot to 100 cubic feet, because at the moment the gas bill says 91 units of gas on my meter reading equates to 257.5 cubic meters of gas used.

Barry

Gas meters record volume in either cubic metres or cubic feet. Depending on the type of meter that is in use the supplier will apply different calculations to convert volume to kWh. For example, one cubic metre of gas equates to approximately 11.22 kWh ( it varies with the calorific value of the gas supplied.

What do you mean by ‘old meter’? If the meter is recording usage in cubic feet and the formula on the bill shows a cubic metre calculation then you need to speak to your supplier.

[Deleted User]

Look at this photo:

The reading that you provide is 043838. However, to the right of the 8 are 2 more numerals (both 0). When the digital to the closest to the 8 increases by 1 you will have used 10 cubic feet of gas. After 10 increases, then 8 will click over to 9. The difference between 8 and 9 is 100 cubic feet. In other words, you are providing the supplier with a reading in hundreds of cubic feet.

Edit: Corrected typo in bold.

PeterGr

YorkshireBaz said:

The gas bill states that each unit reading is a 100 cubic feet and to convert that to cubic meters you have to multiply the reading by 2.83, which would equate one cubic metere as 283 cubic feet, when a cubic meter is actually about 30 cubic feet.

100 cubic feet is equivalent to 2.83 cubic metre  (100 * 0.3348 * 0.3048 * 0.3048)
Therefore one cubic metre is 100 / 2.83 = 35.3 cubic feet
Readings submitted to your energy suppliers are in units of 100 cubic feet
So conversions is units x 2.83, which in your case is 91 units x 2.83 = 257.5 cubic metre
And when you read your ft3 meter you ignore the numbers in red, so that each unit of your reading is 100 ft3
The reading in the picture above is 43838 

drewdrews

So 3 weeks ago as i live in a 1 bed bungalow,this place does not need much energy.

Last winter i used only 1 vortex Air heater/purifier/cooler and it saved me so much money rather than having the gas central heating going.

Yes it is a pain having no hot water and boiling the kettle for washing up/strip wash in the sink rather than a shower BUT i am soon purchasing an electric shower for this PLUS saving over £300 per year and more from November on just standing charges.

I have a key meter electric on standing charges and even in the height of winter spent no more than £45 per month topping it up,NO SMART METER IN THIS HOUSEHOLD .

I had too jump through many hoops to have the gas meter REMOVED COMPLETELY and a £250 charge,but in the long run it will save me money.

I hope this helps people.

drewdrews

After first sentence i meant to add I HAD THE GAS METER REMOVED,,sorry about this.

Gerry1

If it's an instantaneous electric shower you'll probably find it wipes out most of your gas savings... 😯

Spoonie_Turtle

drewdrews said:

Yes it is a pain having no hot water and boiling the kettle for washing up/strip wash in the sink rather than a shower BUT i am soon purchasing an electric shower for this PLUS saving over £300 per year and more from November on just standing charges.

I'm not sure an electric shower will save you money over gas heated hot water!  Plus the charge to have your meter removed - that will be a long payback period, if ever.

Edit: and you save more like £100 on the gas standing charge, not £300.

Gerry1

drewdrews said:

PLUS saving over £300 per year and more from November on just standing charges

How did you work that out?  Who has a gas standing charge of 82p/day or more?

pseudodox

Has the boiler been removed?  Or will it be, along with any radiators?  A boiler that is not activated regularly will seize up & should gas ever be reconnected you would be looking at a new boiler.   Electric showers eat money, unless you run it cold - in which case you might as well stand naked in the garden when it rains!  All this may prove expensive should you ever want to sell the house & will seriously reduce any potential asking price, along with deterring most potential buyers.  You could lose a lot more than you will ever have gained.

Will you wash up in the shower or continue to boil the kettle?  

£300 standing charge?  Is this just a wind up?

Gerry1

You seem to have a glorified fan heater that can't cool the room and will use cripplingly expensive daytime electricity.  It remains to be seen how long it will.last if it's the only source of full time room heating.

Bungalows are also expensive to heat because of the large roof area compared to the floor area.

To summarise, you've maximised your running costs and minimised your chances of selling the property promptly and getting a good price.  Sorry to sound harsh but that's the way it is.