It can be hard to try and work out how much energy you are using. However there are few things you can do to determine what your energy usage is.
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One of the best ways to work out how much energy you are using is to look at your energy bill. If you have a good idea of what your energy bill is telling you, then you will be better placed to work out your energy consumption.
Unfortunately your energy bill will be different depending on who supplies your gas and electricity. This means that working out how much energy you use can often appear more complicated than it needs to.
There are some things that all energy bills will have in common:
Billing Period
Your billing period is the time frame over which you are being billed for. By looking at this, you will be able to see how much you’re being charged for how much energy you use in this period. In the summary that appears on your bill, it will tell you what your current billing period is.
Energy Used
This figure will tell you how much energy you used during the billing period. However it will be stated in pounds and not in units of energy.
Total
This figure will also be stated in pounds and will tell you the exact amount of money that you owe for this bill. This figure will take into account any additional charges such as VAT etc.
Usage
This is the most important figure when it comes to working out how much energy you use. This figure will be stated in kilowatt hours and will also show you how much you are paying per kWh.
If you want to know how much energy you have used over this billing period, then usage is the piece of data that you should be most concerned with. However, many people often want a more specific indication of how much energy they use per week etc.
Another great way to find out how much energy you use is by going directly to your gas and electricity meter. Your gas and electricity meter will tell you exactly how much energy you’re using at any given time.
If you want to work out your weekly energy usage then you should make a note of your meter reading and take another one a week later. This will give you precise information on how much energy you use.
If you are currently using a standard gas and electricity meter then you may want to consider changing to a smart meter. This will allow you to get a break down of how much energy you use and at what times.
It also gives you the added benefit of sending your usage data straight to your electricity or gas supplier which means your bills will no longer be based on estimates. This means that you are much less likely to be overcharged on the amount of energy you use.
Of all the ways to work out how much energy you use, energy monitors are probably the best. These energy monitors will keep track of exactly how much energy you are using and display that information to you in a clear and simple fashion.
Some energy suppliers will provide you with an energy monitor for free, although many will charge you for one. If you do have to pay for an energy monitor, then you will probably be looking at a cost of around £30-£100.
Whilst this is a bit of a large initial spend, energy monitors could save you a lot of money as you will always be able to see how much energy you use. This means you can see where you might want to cut down so you can save money on your gas and electricity.
If you think that you may be paying too much on the amount of energy that you use, then you should have a look at our free and impartial energy comparison service. We’ll show you how you could be saving money on your gas and electricity bills.
We will also help you work out how much energy you use if none of the options above are available to you. All we need is some information on the size of your home and how you power it and we’ll give you an accurate estimate on your usage. Compare energy deals now to see if you could be paying less for the power you use.