If you’ve ever perused your gas bill only to discover that you have almost no idea what any of it means, you’re definitely not alone. Many homeowners have no clue what most of the terms refer to. If you learn these terms, though, it could mean energy and money savings when using your home’s furnace.
Three primary terms in your gas bill
Though some of the terms can vary, your gas company typically uses three primary terms to convey information:
- Baseline allowance — In order to bill you for your gas usage, the first thing that the gas company will need to do is establish a baseline allowance. This is the amount of usage that they have determined will meet your basic needs, and is calculated by looking at the average usage in your area. Once this has been set, you will be billed via a tiered structure.
- BTU — British Thermal Unit refers to the amount of gas utilized in a given month. This measurement is the most commonly used, although you may also see “therm” or “thm” on your bill to denote gas use.
- CCF/MCF — These are second terms that may also be found on your gas bill. They’re easy to remember … CCF = 100 cubic feet of gas; MCF = 1,000.
How this knowledge can save you money
Once you know what these terms mean, you can use this information to lower your energy usage. For example, by comparing this month’s usage with last month’s, you can begin to see patterns in how energy being wasted. Plus, if you’re making strides in helping to control your gas usage, but your bill isn’t getting any lower month to month, this could mean that your furnace is not operating properly. This could clue you in to the need for repair or replacement.
If you would like further assistance with understanding your gas bill, or for questions regarding home comfort, please don’t hesitate to contact the experts at Around the Clock Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. We have been serving the HVAC needs of Los Angeles and its surrounding areas since 1967.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Los Angeles, North Hollywood and surrounding areas 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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