Is this gas usage normal?

coylemj

armabelle wrote: »

I checked that my meters use m3 when giving me a meter reading and I can see that my provider charges me 4.5 cents per Kwh. How do I convert from m3 to Kwh to see how much I have used so far in €?

The gas being supplied to you comes from various sources which means that the energy content (kWh) per m3 varies from month to month. On each bill there is a number called a 'conversion factor' which is used to convert m3 to kWh, on my last bill in early April from BGE it was 11.2764. The m3 number is multiplied by the conversion factor to give you the kWh consumption.

armabelle wrote: »

Also does anybody know why the meters are in m3 and not in Kwh to save people the headache of converting and understanding these things?

The meter can only measure the volume of gas passing through, it's not able to convert that to an absolute measure of energy because of the conversion factor explained above.

VincePP

armabelle wrote: »

Thanks for this... a lot to consider. We actually are using Flogas in our new house and I am now monitoring our usage carefully. We have been living in our new house for 18 days and so far have used 303 m3 of gas. I believe we have to multiply that by 11.3 or so to get our kwh usage and then multiply that by the rate Flogas charges right?

I want to know how much we are using so there are no surprises.

Something wrong there. Possibly 30.3 m3?

I have a 600sqm warehouse store with 8m roof with huge double tubular industrial heater - I use about 400m3 - 500m3 in a cold winter month and heat is on for about 6 hours a day, 7 days a week. Biggest monthly bill was just over €350. (+vat)

Ring Flogas and ask them or gasnetworks - no use people here guessing, but 300m3 in 18 days is what a mansion would use.

It its right, maybe you have temps too high, imersion on etc etc. A gas boiler service will cost about €70 - worth every cent. Service guy can change settings and see why its using so much. In reality your monthly useage in winter should be about 70-90 m3 for a 2 bed apartment. Careful use and you'll be under 60, hence I reckon you are reading the meter wrong. http://www.gasnetworks.ie/en-IE/Your-Meter/Meter-Readings/Submit-a-Meter-Reading/

armabelle

Deleted User wrote: »

Tool here

http://utilitiessavings.co.uk/resources/gas-conversion-tool-convert-meter-readings-into-kwh/

thanks but where do I get the correction factor and calorific value from? I just moved in so don't have a bill yet and would like to know before my bill comes.

armabelle

coylemj wrote: »

The gas being supplied to you comes from various sources which means that the energy content (kWh) per m3 varies from month to month. On each bill there is a number called a 'conversion factor' which is used to convert m3 to kWh, on my last bill in early April from BGE it was 11.2764. The m3 number is multiplied by the conversion factor to give you the kWh consumption.



The meter can only measure the volume of gas passing through, it's not able to convert that to an absolute measure of energy because of the conversion factor explained above.

Thank you for your reply. Is there a way I can tell before my first bill what the conversion factor is? I use Flogas. I would like to know how much we are using before the first bill comes out so we can monitor and use it as per our budget.

Also, I just did a test and ran my heating for one hour. It used 1.843 m3 of gas. Is this a lot for one hour?

armabelle

coylemj wrote: »

The gas being supplied to you comes from various sources which means that the energy content (kWh) per m3 varies from month to month. On each bill there is a number called a 'conversion factor' which is used to convert m3 to kWh, on my last bill in early April from BGE it was 11.2764. The m3 number is multiplied by the conversion factor to give you the kWh consumption.



The meter can only measure the volume of gas passing through, it's not able to convert that to an absolute measure of energy because of the conversion factor explained above.

Using your conversion factor I get a nice round 1 euro for a nice round 1 hour of heating. This is handy to know and easy to calculate so if I use 3 hours a day then I will have a monthly bill of around 90 euro. This is assuming that the CF is the same though

dudara

Threads merged - no need for multiple threads on the same topic

dudara

armabelle

Knockmealdown Shepherd wrote: »

That bill is extortionate. I lived in a 2-bed apartment for 4 years in Belfast and we used a lot of heating and the bill was always 30- 50 a month.

I would guess that bill is for the previous tenants usage.

I just did a test in my new home. It is a 3 bed detached house. I ran the heating for an hour and did meter readings before and after. In an hour I used 1.8 m3 of gas. This one hour of heating cost me 1 euro give or take. If I think about how much we used the heating in that apartment I can say around 5 hours a day. If we spent 5 hours a day over around 80 days the bill comes to 400 which is about right. So I guess I am shocked at the price of gas in Ireland. My apartment was smaller than this house so perhaps we should have paid 300? I don't know the differences so I can't say but here in our new house it is 1 euro per hour. I am going to be very careful about using the heating here because I don't want to spend 400 euro every 80 days on heating, it seems very high.

ED E

1. Size isnt everything, BER(or what it measures) has a large impact.

2. Ireland has the 2nd highest energy costs in europe, drop into Dunnes and buy some onesies :pac:

armabelle

ED E wrote: »

1. Size isnt everything, BER(or what it measures) has a large impact.

2. Ireland has the 2nd highest energy costs in europe, drop into Dunnes and buy some onesies :pac:

What are onesies?

ED E

armabelle wrote: »

What are onesies?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=onesie

coylemj

armabelle wrote: »

Using your conversion factor I get a nice round 1 euro for a nice round 1 hour of heating. This is handy to know and easy to calculate so if I use 3 hours a day then I will have a monthly bill of around 90 euro. This is assuming that the CF is the same though

The average over my last 6 bills (12 months) was 11.38 ...

22/05/2015 11.3911
24/07/2015 11.3911
24/09/2015 11.3911
19/11/2015 11.4485
26/01/2016 11.3625
02/04/2016 11.2764

goldenhoarde

armabelle wrote: »

Our reading when moving in was 03742
Our reading when moving out was 04357

Okay one thing to check on first bill that you were issued (was it in your name? or Landlords, if its in your name did you submit a meter reading to the gas company) is what figure did they put down for the estimated reading? If its less than 03742 you are paying for the previous tenants usage on the second bill otherwise your bill would be right.

For the conversion factor I usually use 11.3 (or use coylemj's avg which is more likely on the money!) to convert the m3 to kwh which generally works out okay.

Your current usage appears high? when was boiler last serviced? what temp do you have it at?

Bill will have

kwh x unit cost
carbon tax
standing charge per day
PSO levys
VAT on above at 13.5%

danjo-xx

Did ur first bill show the reading u took when u moved in. Did u check this.

armabelle

Knockmealdown Shepherd wrote: »

Yeah I see in another post the OP has used 303m3 in 18 days in their new house. That's unbelievably heavy usage. I have a 4-bed house with the heating on for about 5-6 hours a day and I use 100m3 a month

Then there is obviously a problem somewhere because we only use heating a couple of hours a day. We are tenants. What should we do about this?

I did a test today where I ran the heating for one hour and it used 1.8m3 for the hour. Does this sound wrong to you?

armabelle

danjo-xx wrote: »

Did ur first bill show the reading u took when u moved in. Did u check this.

They did not send us the bill. We have asked them for it now and they are resending it in the post. Does it matter though? I did the calculation myself. There was around 600m3 used form the beginning to the end of our tenancy. I calculated it and got the same amount we were debited for

armabelle

VincePP wrote: »

Something wrong there. Possibly 30.3 m3?

I have a 600sqm warehouse store with 8m roof with huge double tubular industrial heater - I use about 400m3 - 500m3 in a cold winter month and heat is on for about 6 hours a day, 7 days a week. Biggest monthly bill was just over €350. (+vat)

Ring Flogas and ask them or gasnetworks - no use people here guessing, but 300m3 in 18 days is what a mansion would use.

It its right, maybe you have temps too high, imersion on etc etc. A gas boiler service will cost about €70 - worth every cent. Service guy can change settings and see why its using so much. In reality your monthly useage in winter should be about 70-90 m3 for a 2 bed apartment. Careful use and you'll be under 60, hence I reckon you are reading the meter wrong. http://www.gasnetworks.ie/en-IE/Your-Meter/Meter-Readings/Submit-a-Meter-Reading/

When we moved into the house where we are now 18 days ago, the reading was 09240 and yesteday was at 09533. Am I reading it wrong? I did not include decimal points.

Furthermore, today I did a meter reading to check one hour of heating. When I began the meter reading was 9536.601 and when I finished the reading was 9538.444. Is this also wrong?

armabelle

goldenhoarde wrote: »

Okay one thing to check on first bill that you were issued (was it in your name? or Landlords, if its in your name did you submit a meter reading to the gas company) is what figure did they put down for the estimated reading? If its less than 03742 you are paying for the previous tenants usage on the second bill otherwise your bill would be right.

For the conversion factor I usually use 11.3 (or use coylemj's avg which is more likely on the money!) to convert the m3 to kwh which generally works out okay.

Your current usage appears high? when was boiler last serviced? what temp do you have it at?

Bill will have

kwh x unit cost
carbon tax
standing charge per day
PSO levys
VAT on above at 13.5%

we submitted a reading to the company when we transfered into our name on 1st Feb. We supplied the company with the meter reading. We also gave them the reading when we cancelled the account so how could we have paid for the previous tenants usage?

lenoude

armabelle wrote: »

When we moved into the house where we are now 18 days ago, the reading was 09240 and yesteday was at 09533. Am I reading it wrong? I did not include decimal points.

Furthermore, today I did a meter reading to check one hour of heating. When I began the meter reading was 9536.601 and when I finished the reading was 9538.444. Is this also wrong?

I was thinking you may have been including the figures after the decimal point but it seems you are indeed taking the correct reading.

Have the gas appliances been serviced?

Also where is the gas meter located? I know sometimes they can be in the boundary wall in the front gardens between houses and sometimes they are located beside one another. I know of a few cases where this has happened.

Your supplier can get Gas Networks Ireland to send a technician out to test the meter but you would be liable for the cost if there is no fault found. The fee is passed onto the supplier from GNI and you will pay it on the next bill.

You can check to see if there may be a leak somewhere by manually turning off the supply by the handle located at the meter. This will stop the supply. Take not of the reading and leave it for a couple of hours. Go back and check the reading then. If there is no change then there is no leak but if the reading has gone up , then that would indicate either a small leak or an issue with the meter. In that case ring GNI.

I'm doubtful there would be a leak because if that was where the usage is coming from then you would definitely smell it at least, I would think anyways.

armabelle

lenoude wrote: »

I was thinking you may have been including the figures after the decimal point but it seems you are indeed taking the correct reading.

Have the gas appliances been serviced?

Also where is the gas meter located? I know sometimes they can be in the boundary wall in the front gardens between houses and sometimes they are located beside one another. I know of a few cases where this has happened.

Your supplier can get Gas Networks Ireland to send a technician out to test the meter but you would be liable for the cost if there is no fault found. The fee is passed onto the supplier from GNI and you will pay it on the next bill.

You can check to see if there may be a leak somewhere by manually turning off the supply by the handle located at the meter. This will stop the supply. Take not of the reading and leave it for a couple of hours. Go back and check the reading then. If there is no change then there is no leak but if the reading has gone up , then that would indicate either a small leak or an issue with the meter. In that case ring GNI.

I'm doubtful there would be a leak because if that was where the usage is coming from then you would definitely smell it at least, I would think anyways.

The boiler was serviced when we moved in... on the day we moved in. The meters are on the side of the house and nowhere near the neighbours meters.

I had the heating off most of yesterday after I did that one hour test and from then on the meter did not move so if there was a leak there would have been a change in the reading right?

I guess a quicker way than sending out a technician would be to ask other people how much an hour of heating costs them. I used 1.8m3 in 1 hour so multiply that by 11.2 and then I get a KWh of 20.16. This would cost me roughly 1 euro at 0.05 cent a KWh. Can other people tell me what they spend?

I saw on Bord Gais' website that they give an approximate of 15.5KWh per hour of use for a gas boiler which is not far off from mine. Have a look here:

https://www.electricireland.ie/residential/help/efficiency/what-is-one-unit-of-gas

What do you think?

tuisginideach

I estimate €1.03 at Bord Gáis rate of 11.3338 and 0.05059 - of course add standing charge, carbon tax and VAT.

armabelle

tuisginideach wrote: »

I estimate €1.03 at Bord Gáis rate of 11.3338 and 0.05059 - of course add standing charge, carbon tax and VAT.

Are you referring to usage in your own home?

tuisginideach

Sorry - yes, in reply to your previous question - that's what I'd pay .

armabelle

tuisginideach wrote: »

Sorry - yes, in reply to your previous question - that's what I'd pay .

well then we are more or less in the same ball park which means that most people would be in the same ball park as well. So how it be that other people use only 100 euros over a two month period or less? That would mean 2 hours of heating a day?

Another poster said that they only used it two hours a day. I can understand this if you are out most the day but if you work from home in winter, surely you will use at least 5 or more hours during the day to keep your home warm? Is this normal usage do you think if you are home all day ?

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

We put the heating on for about an hour before we get up, and then for two hours in the evening, If we're home all day (like on a Sunday) well light the open fire.

armabelle

LexieOnRale wrote: »

We put the heating on for about an hour before we get up, and then for two hours in the evening, If we're home all day (like on a Sunday) well light the open fire.

Ok and you are not home most the day right?

armabelle

ED E wrote: »

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=onesie

Oh I see. Yes let's all have a conversation with google from now on shall we? I am glad that google is able to solve all of life's questions for you and that you are so kind to share this great new technology with me

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

armabelle wrote: »

Ok and you are not home most the day right?

During the winter I'd have been home a lot.
Not now I'm back to work. When we are home all day, we put on the open fire. I would say I'm always cold. My partner jokes that I'd sit behind the fire if I could, and I find 3 hours a day during winter plenty.

armabelle

Knockmealdown Shepherd wrote: »

Yeah I see in another post the OP has used 303m3 in 18 days in their new house. That's unbelievably heavy usage. I have a 4-bed house with the heating on for about 5-6 hours a day and I use 100m3 a month

if your usage per hour is anything like mine, you would need around 1.8m3 per hour which is just over a euro. You would use a total of 10.8 m3 a day and 324m3 a month. Your monthly bill would be in the region of 350 - 380 euros monthly. Is this correct?

TheDriver

I find people say they only spend say 200 a bill on gas in winter. But then don't add on the 40 a week in coal for the fire.
Its about 1-1.20 an hour to run my boiler so its easy to see how much you should be paying

armabelle

TheDriver wrote: »

I find people say they only spend say 200 a bill on gas in winter. But then don't add on the 40 a week in coal for the fire.
Its about 1-1.20 an hour to run my boiler so its easy to see how much you should be paying

Thanks so your cost per hour is roughly the same as mine. I wish other people knew theirs so I could not feel so bad about spending that much per hour.

What do you think is a normal amount of time to have the boiler on in a home during a cold day when you are home all day? For us, the house gets cold quite quickly because it is big even though we have double glazed windows. Not sure how to optimize here