Understanding Your Utility Bill Can Help You Save

If you’re like many homeowners, your gas utility bill may seem like a puzzle waiting to be solved. The good news is that we can help you figure it out, allowing you to get a better handle on energy usage in your Kansas City area home.Deciphering the code of your gas bill

Calling the information on your utility bill a “code” may be an exaggeration, but trust us when we say that deciphering the terms can help lower your energy costs. To start, learn two of the most common elements of the bill:

  • Baseline allowance – If you look closely, you’ll see that the cost of your gas usage is calculated with the use of a tiered system. As you use more gas, the price you pay for each unit increases. Your baseline allowance is at the bottom of this tier and represents how much your gas company believes you should use for your basic heating needs, based on similar homes in your area.
  • Measurements of gas usage – What you see here will depend on your gas company, but each of them represents the amount of gas you’ve used during your billing cycle. A common term to use is BTU, which stands for British Thermal Unit. But you may also see either therm or thm, both of which mean thermal unit. And finally, there’s CCF and MCF, which translate to 100 and 1,000 cubic feet of gas, respectively.

Once you know these terms, you can begin to watch your gas usage each month. By comparing your bills, you can see patterns of use that you need to change, or – in the event that changes in behavior do not lower you bill – indications that your furnace is not working properly.

If you would like further assistance with understanding your utility bill, or for any questions regarding energy savings and home comfort, please contact us at Overland Park Heating & Cooling, Inc. We have been serving the HVAC needs of the Greater Kansas City area since 1983.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Overland Park, Kansas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

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