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When it comes to understanding your gas bill, it’s important to understand how to convert gas units to kilowatt-hours (kWh). The gas units displayed on your bill are in kWh, but your gas supply is measured in either cubic meters (m^3) or hundreds of cubic feet (hcf), depending on the type of meter you have with Yü Energy.
Understanding Your Gas Meter
There are two types of gas meters you could have: an Imperial Meter or a Metric Meter.
If you have an Imperial meter, you’ll notice a four-digit reading after the decimal point, which is measured in hundreds of cubic feet (hcf). On the other hand, a Metric meter will display a five or six-digit reading and will be measured in cubic meters (m^3)
Gas Units to kWh Conversion Calculator
Try our simple conversion calculator below to convert your gas units to kilowatt hours. You’ll need to know the cubic meters or cubic feet used (subtract your current meter reading from your last billed reading), and your Calorific Value (CV) which can be found on your bill.
How do I convert gas units to kWh?
To help you understand your bill better, let’s go through the process of converting your gas usage to kWh.
To Convert a Metric gas meter you can use the following formula:
Cubic Meters (m^3) Used x Calorific Value x Correction Factor (1.02264) ÷ kWh Conversion Factor (3.6) = kWh.
Here’s a breakdown of the factors involved:
- Cubic meters (m^3) used: To determine this value, subtract your current meter reading from your last billed reading.
- Calorific Value (CV): The CV refers to the amount of heat generated when a known volume of gas is completely burned. You can find the exact amount of CV on your bill.
- Correction Factor: Since gas expands and contracts with temperature and pressure changes, we incorporate a correction factor into the calculation. This factor is standardised across the industry and is set at 1.02264.
- Conversion Factor: A number used to change one set of units to another, by multiplying or dividing. In this case, we’re dividing by 3.6 to get kWh.
Example of Converting Gas Units to Kilowatt-hours
Here’s an example:
If you used 150 cubic meters of gas with a calorific figure of 38, you can convert the figure to kWh as follows: 150 x 38 x 1.02264 ÷ 3.6 = 1619.18 kWh.
Converting Imperial Gas Meter Units
Converting a gas meter that measures in hundreds of cubic feet (hcf) follows the same principles. However, you need to first convert cubic feet to cubic meters before applying the formula. To do this, multiply your usage by 2.83.
(Cubic Feet (hcf) Used x 2.83) x Calorific Value x Correction Factor (1.02264) ÷ kWh Conversion Factor (3.6) = kWh.
For example, if you used 50 hcf, the calculation would be as follows: (50 x 2.83) x 38 x 1.02264 ÷ kWh Conversion Factor (3.6) = 1,527.4 kWh.
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