Converting Gas to Kwh?

ML420cdi

Bit confused by this...

My gas meter has M3 next to the numbers.

I used 158 units.

My bill states:

Consumption 158.0 Units (ft3 ) Energy Used* 49.4 kWh @ 3.662p/kWh

Is that conversion correct?....158 gas units at M3 = 49.4kwh?

QrizB

ML420cdi said:

Bit confused by this...
My gas meter has M3 next to the numbers.
I used 158 units.
My bill states:
Consumption 158.0 Units (ft3 ) Energy Used* 49.4 kWh @ 3.662p/kWh
Is that conversion correct?....158 gas units at M3 = 49.4kwh?

49.4 is an strange number, and it's suspicious (without being helpful) that your bill mentions ft3.

A cubic metre of gas usually contains a little over 11 kWh. 158 cubic metres would be about 1780 kWh.

A hundred cubic feet of gas usually contains about 32 kWh. 158 hundred cubic feet would be about 5050 kWh.

Is there anything else on your bill that might explain what's going on?

Do the readings on the meter match the ones on the bill?

Does the serial number on the meter match the one on the bill?

(Edited because my maths was off.)

ML420cdi

This is my current tariff

km1500

https://selectra.co.uk/business/convert-gas-units-to-kwh

QrizB

OK, so the gas meter serial numbers match. That's good.

I have no idea why they think it's a ft3 meter, not a m3 one, but it's a fairly common mix-up.

Next to "Energy used" on your screenshot there's an asterisk. Is there a footnote that tells you how they have calculated the 49.4kWh number?

And for how long have they been making this mistake? Can you check your old bills?

From the colour scheme, I guess you're with Sainsbury's Energy which is really E.ON behind the scenes. At some stage you'll have to send them that photo of your meter and tell them that they've messed up.

ML420cdi

Calculation revealed!

QrizB

Well they have really messed up there

They have billed you for 158 cubic feet of gas (not 158 hundred cubic feet, which is what a ft3 meter would actually be measuring) and your 49.4 is roughly one-hundredth of the "about 5050" I calculated.

It's now your choice as to whether you tell them they're charging you about 1/35th of what they should be for your gas, or whether you keep quiet ...

ML420cdi

Hmmm and this has been going on for 2 years as I approach the end of my enviable tariff!...thanks for your help in confirming QrizB.

Yorkie1

This is the calculation from my bill:

Units x 2.83 x 1.02264 x 38 / 3.6

QrizB

Yorkie1 said:

This is the calculation from my bill:
Units x 2.83 x 1.02264 x 38 / 3.6

If you have an old (most likely mechanical) meter that measures gas in hundreds of cubic feet, that is the correct formula.

jbuchanangb

I would not like to perpetuate an erroneous billing situation even when it has been in my favour. In this case the OP has been billed for about 50kWh when it should have been about 1750kWh due to a combination of two errors. One error is that the energy company is billing according to imperial meter readings from which are normally submitted in hundreds of cubic feet, and the second error is that they are processing the readings in cubic feet.

This situation may have been in effect for quite a long time. In that position, I would contact the energy company, in writing, and point out the error of their ways, and offer to pay the proper rates from now on. I would establish a new baseline with a meter reading now, and propose to pay the proper rates effective from that reading. The energy company might wish to back bill for all the undercharging, but I would oppose that, and if they persisted, would insist that the matter be referred to the Energy Ombudsman. I would have to be prepared to pay an amount determined and agreed by the ombudsman, but over a payment period of at least 2 years.