Every month, it’s likely that you receive a gas bill in the mail. In the spring, it gradually decreases to light summertime levels when you’re not using your furnace. Then, in the fall it begins fattening up, until you get to winter when it feeds off your household budget for several months. Learning how to read your home heating bill can go a long way toward lowering your energy costs during the cold months when your furnace is working for much of the time.

Definition of a few terms

In order to get the most out of your home heating bill, learn what the terms mean. Some of the terms may vary between gas companies, but these are the most likely to show up on your home heating bill:

• Your home’s baseline allowance – This is connected to the tiered energy usage system that you can find on your bill. The gas company calculates the amount of gas that you will likely require to meet your basic needs, and then sets that amount as your baseline allowance. Any gas used above that line likely will cost more.

• British Thermal Unit – On your home heating bill, you’ll see this listed as BTU. This is a basic measurement of how much gas your home is using during each billing cycle.

• CCF and MCF – These terms may be used in exchange for BTU. They refer to 100 and 1,000 cubic feet of gas, respectively.

Using this information to save energy and money

Many homeowners peruse this information, and may even learn what the terms mean, but the real trick is realizing how these terms can help you save on your household energy expenses. Some of these savings can be achieved by comparing one bill to the next. By keeping track of how your gas is being utilized on a monthly basis, you can adjust and reduce your overall energy usage. Plus, if you make considerable changes and your energy usage doesn’t go down, it likely means that your furnace needs to be serviced, repaired or replaced.

If you would like further help understanding your home heating bill, or for any questions regarding home comfort, please contact the experts at Powers Heating & Air. We have been serving the HVAC needs of Peachtree City and the surrounding area since 2001.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Peachtree City, Georgia and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems).

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