It may surprise you, but your natural gas bill is easier to read than you might think. All you have to do is learn the terms, and from there, you can use that information to help reign in your energy usage. At this point, you probably have questions about how you can relate this to your Lorain area home, and we’re here to answer those questions.
Which terms are the most important?
You may see variations to the standard terms, but for the most part, you should concentrate on these three: baseline allowance, BTU (British Thermal Unit), and CCF/MCF. The first, your home’s baseline allowance, is the amount of gas usage that has been determined to meet your basic energy needs, based on other consumers in your area. Those costs are typically the lowest in a tiered-usage system. From there, you will be billed on the tiered system, which penalizes you by cost per unit as you use more gas. Second, there’s the BTU. This one is easy to remember. It’s the measurement used to show how much gas you’ve been using. And third, you may see the terms CCF and MCF. These refer, respectively, to 100 cubic feet of gas and 1,000 cubic feet of gas. As you can see, these two are simply variations of measurement.
How can you use this information to lower your gas usage?
It all comes down to analysis. When you receive your bill, take a look at your energy usage and apply that to your specific situation. Consider how you’ve been using your gas on certain days. One month may not be enough. For the best results, track your usage for a few months. This will allow you to change your habits and lower your bills. And if your bills aren’t lower after considerable effort, this may mean that your furnace should be repaired or replaced.
If you would like further assistance with understanding your gas bill, or for any questions regarding home comfort, please contact the experts at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning. We serve the HVAC needs of Lorain, Erie and Cuyahoga counties.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about Gas Bills and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area