Do you have a gas meter reading but no idea of how much it will actually cost you? 😞
We’ve made this simple gas bill calculator for you! 👇
Just add:
- Your previous and latest gas meter readings (in m³ or ft³, depending on your meter) and,
- Your kWh gas rate (available in your latest business gas bill).
And voilà! You’ll know how much you owe!
Gas bill calculator ➗
How does the gas calculator work? ♨️
Follow these step-by-step instructions if you’re unsure how to use it:
- Find your business gas meter and take a current gas reading by reading the dials and noting the units (m³ or ft³).
- Find your previous gas reading on your most recent business gas bill or on your own personal log.
- Check your latest business gas bill for your gas rate (in pence per kWh).
- Go to the calculator 👈 and insert the three figures you just read in the appropriate metric of the imperial tab:
- previous gas reading
- current gas reading
- gas rate
The calculator will spit out your gas usage in kWh and the amount you need to pay (£).
If you’re still unsure of how to get a gas meter reading, in our in-depth guide.
An example of a gas calculation 😃
Christine has just purchased a small cafe in town and is trying to keep track of her costs, including her gas usage. She goes to her old-looking gas meter and takes a reading of 2,589 ft³.
She was given an old gas bill from the prior owner that indicates a gas rate of 2.84 pence per kWh, with the last reading being 3,921 ft³.
Christine opens the AquaSwitch gas calculator and inserts both meter readings and the rate, and finds that so far, she has used 452 kWh of gas energy and that she will need to pay £12.84 up to that point.
She thinks this is manageable and concludes that improving the energy efficiency of her business is not the top priority, but recognising that doing an energy audit would be useful in case of another energy crisis in the near future.
How to work out gas consumption manually 🧠
If, for some reason using an easy online calculator is not your jam, you can certainly do the calculation manually.
You will still need your gas meter readings and your business gas rate. The first step is to calculate the energy usage in kWh. Note that the usage in ft³ needs an additional conversion factor.
Metric meters
- kWh = Difference in gas meter reading (m³) * Volume correction factor * Calorific value ÷ Conversion factor
Imperial meters
- kWh = Difference in gas meter reading (ft³) * Conversion factor to cubic metres * Volume correction factor * Calorific value ÷ Conversion factor
Where:
- The volume correction factor is an industry figure to account for atmospheric pressure, typically around ~1.02.
- Calorific value adjusts for changes in the composition of gas when burned. It can vary slightly per supplier and is different for metric and imperial calculations. Typically, ~39.2 MJ/m³ is a good estimate.
- The conversion factor is used to convert from joules to kWh, which is 3.6.
- The conversion factor to change from ft³ into m³ is ~0.028.
Once you have your energy usage in kWh, you can combine this with your gas rate (pence per kWh) and use the following formula to get your outstanding gas bill amount:
£ = Gas rate * Gas energy usage ÷ 100
Voilà! 💪
How to calculate my gas bill from a meter reading 🌡️
This simple gas calculator is designed to help you find out how much you actually need to pay just from reading your gas meter. If you’re unsure how to do this, check out our in-depth guide.
How can I reduce my gas usage? 📉
Where do we start? Most businesses in the UK are sub-optimal regarding their gas usage because of bad habits, old boilers and/or inefficient insulation.
If you want a hands-off approach, you’re better off getting an energy audit where an expert will physically come to your property and help you identify all the possible areas where your business is being wasteful regarding its gas usage.
You may get this offered for free if you switch business gas suppliers, a no-brainer considering there is almost always a better deal out there.
Otherwise, the hands-on approach would involve analysing your gas consumption. If you don’t have a gas smart meter, you can look at your consumption in hours, historical gas bills or your manual meter log if you have one (i.e. periodically writing down your gas meter measurements).
This will help you find out what may be causing you to use gas. If the difference between winter and summer is significant, you’re heating, and insulation systems may need a revamp!
In the UK, insulation tends to rank as the highest-impact improvement, given the poor insulation of buildings.
Otherwise, installing a heat pump can altogether eliminate your need for gas by regulating temperatures using electricity or even biomass boilers if you live in an area with ample biomass supplies.
Can I compare gas prices? ✅
Comparing business gas prices is our core business here at AquaSwitch; use our super simple business gas comparison service to find the best deals out there!
