What is the approximate cost of UK gas per cubic foot ?

thesled

What is the approximate cost of UK gas per cubic foot ?

This seems to be a surprisingly difficult question to get a straight answer to.

The reason is simple. I want to look at my gas meter, take a reading, write it down, take another reading a few days later and work out what it has cost by multiplying the units used by the cost per unit. This is easy to do with electricity. 

But with gas you get bogged down in a quagmire of conversion factors and other junk because some genius decided to measure gas in KWh, same as electricity, to which it is fundamentally unsuited. 

Gas used to be measured in pence per therm. For wholesale gas market purposes it appears it still is, because gas traders don't want to get bogged down in nonsense. A therm is 100 cubic feet, so all pretty easy. However of course the wholesale price is not anybody's retail price. 

My rough calculations say it is about 2p per cubic foot which seems well on the low side. Do folks agree/disagree with this? 

teaselMay

The appropriate formula for your supply will be on your most recent gas bill

Ayr_Rage

From my last bill

116.323 m3 = 4107.91 ft3 cost £78.47 (EDF Southern Scotland 6.25p/kWh)

This equates to 1.91p per ft3

Ayr_Rage

teaselMay said:

The appropriate formula for your supply will be on your most recent gas bill

But that doesn't matter here, all you need to do is convert m3 used to ft3 on Mr G and then divide the cost of that amount of gas (less SC) by the ft3 figure.

thesled

Thanks for your replies. 

I think Ayr_Rage has nailed it with 1-9p - so close to my 2p. So about right then. But the point is it's pennies not pounds. 

By way of background, that's what it cost to heat one (quite large) room for 24 hours to about 14-16 degrees with an OAT of around zero. 

This is following getting my central heating partially going again (long story). The previous cost on an oil radiator (electric) was many £££s - not sure exactly how many but probably around £6-10. 

But it's clear that those advocating using any form of direct electric heating are off their nuts (unless less its storage on a cheap overnight tariff). These little electric heaters they keep trying to sell everywhere claiming they will heat your home for next to nothing are just talking rot. 

Qyburn

thesled said:

Thanks for your replies. 

I think Ayr_Rage has nailed it with 1-9p - so close to my 2p. So about right then. 

By way of background, that's what it cost to heat one (quite large) room for 24 hours to about 14-16 degrees with an OAT of around zero.  

Are you sure it was 1 cu.ft, not 100 which is the unit Imperial meters read?

FreeBear

thesled said: Gas used to be measured in pence per therm. For wholesale gas market purposes it appears it still is, because gas traders don't want to get bogged down in nonsense. A therm is 100 cubic feet, so all pretty easy. However of course the wholesale price is not anybody's retail price.

Nope. A therm is a measure of energy equal to 100,000 BTU or approximately 29.3kWh.

If you are converting a volume of natural gas to kWh, BTU, or Therm, you'll need to know the calorific value which varies from day to day and also a conversion factor to account for variations in pressure.

thesled

Thanks Qyburn, you are totally right. I KNEW there was something fundamentally wrong. Still the cost is still correct per ft3. So the meter actually measure in THERMS. Right at least we know where we are now.
So cost per therm (the meter reading) is about £2. Great easy calculation. 
Still a lot cheaper than electric - roughly half the price. 

Correction - to be strictly correct the meter DOES measure in ft3 - but only if you count the small digits which of course no-one does. 

matt_drummer

thesled said:

Thanks Qyburn, you are totally right. I KNEW there was something fundamentally wrong. Still the cost is still correct per ft3. So the meter actually measure in THERMS. Right at least we know where we are now.
So cost per therm (the meter reading) is about £2. Great easy calculation. 
Still a lot cheaper than electric - roughly half the price. 

No, gas is about a quarter of the price of electricity on the SVT per kWh

thesled

Yes you're right. Thinking about it I was basing my electricity use over one day but the gas over two - so it is indeed half of half which is a quarter. Thereabouts. 
I which they would just give people a price in ft3 or m3 for those that have metric meters. It would just make it all a lot easier for people just trying to survive. These basic rules of thumb like 'electricity is four times the price of gas' everyone should know. 
The way it is just leads people to get into a complete buggers muddle  

matt_drummer

But we do know

It's a direct comparison, both priced in pence per kWh