Gas Cost Calculator

Having a smart meter installed at your property is the best way to ensure your supplier is accurately billing you for the gas you’re using to heat your home and water. This is because they use automated meter reading (AMR) technology to instantly send readings to your energy provider, putting an end to manual meter readings and estimated bills.

If you don’t have a smart meter, you’ll need to keep on top of your energy usage and give regular gas meter readings to your supplier. It’s also worth occasionally checking you’re being billed correctly. And that's where our gas cost calculator comes in handy.

How to use the UKPower gas cost calculator

To get started, grab a copy of your latest gas bill - if you don’t get paper bills, you’ll have to log into your supplier’s app or online account - and make a note of the meter readings for this billing period.

These figures will most likely be listed on your bill as ‘previous meter reading’ and ‘most recent meter reading’. If you need help finding these readings on your bill, check out our guide to understanding your gas and electricity bills.

Then enter these two readings into our calculator along with the date of the opening meter reading and the date of the most recent meter reading. These dates should be shown on your bill under the heading ‘Billing period’.

💡 READY TO SWITCH? Enter your postcode in the box on the right 👉

Then you need to select the type of meter you have, which will be one of the two types below:

• Imperial gas meter - If your meter is an old imperial gas meter, which will measure gas in cubic feet, it will have the words "cubic feet" or the letters ft3 shown on the front of the meter.
• Metric gas meter - If your meter is a newer metric meter, which measures gas in cubic meters, it will state "cubic meters" or display M3 on the front of the meter.

For more information on gas meters, take a look at our guide on how to convert gas meter readings units from M3 to kWh.

Then hit ‘Calculate’ and you’ll be shown the following information:

• How much gas you have used during that billing period
• How much your gas use is going to cost you in total and per day
• Your average gas consumption per day  

Why use the UKPower gas cost calculator?

If you give regular meter readings to your energy supplier, they’ll estimate how much gas you’re using each billing period. This can lead to one of the following two outcomes, neither of which are ideal:

• You’ll be overcharged - This could see you out of pocket each month and leave you chasing a refund.
• You’ll be undercharged - This could see you could be hit with a huge bill one month to make up for a number of underpayments.

Both of these situations can be easily avoided by either getting a smart meter fitted or providing your supplier with regular gas meter readings.

How do energy suppliers estimate gas usage?

In order to estimate your gas usage, suppliers will use calculations that are based on the size of your house and industry averages, which are known as Typical Domestic Consumption Values (TDCV):

• A one or two bedroom house/flat uses an average of 8,000kWh of gas per year.
• A three or four bedroom house uses an average of 12,000kWh of gas per year.
• A house with five or more bedrooms uses an average of 17,000kWh of gas per year.

Your supplier might also base its estimates on the average usage figures of a small, medium or large property. Find out more at our energy cost calculator page.

Once you know how much gas you should be using, it’s time to compare them with the average gas usage figures above. This means you can easily work out if you’re using too much energy. If you are, check out our energy saving advice page for some simple ways to cut the amount of gas you’re using.

If you’re not using more energy than you should be but your bills still seem high, it’s time to run an energy price comparison and switch suppliers.

How to compare energy prices

You can switch energy suppliers in three simple steps with UKPower:

1. Enter your postcode in the box at the top of the page, then give us a few more details on your current supplier and usage.
2. We’ll show you the best energy quote from a wide range of providers, including the Big Six and the smaller suppliers.
3. You choose the deal that’s best for you, and we’ll take care of the rest of the switch.

The more information you can give us, the more accurately we can quote you, it helps if you can check your latest gas and electricity bills to find out exactly how much gas and electricity you use. If you don’t have this information to hand, we can still find energy comparison rates based up on the size and type of house you live in.

Our online energy comparison tool is available 24 hours a day, but if you’d sooner speak to one of our energy experts and compare rates over the phone, give us a call on 0800 320 2000. Lines are open at the following times:

• Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm
• Saturday 8am - 6pm
• Sunday 10am - 4pm

Once you’ve chosen the deal you like best, we’ll let your old supplier know you’re leaving and inform your new supplier that you’ll be joining them. All you then need to do is give your old supplier a final meter reading, so they can give you an accurate final bill, and let your new supplier know your opening meter reading with them.

The whole energy switch should be completed within 21 days, which includes a 14-day cooling off period during which time you can cancel the switch without having to pay any exit fee. And the gas and electricity will be supplied through the existing pipes and cables, meaning there’s no need for any digging or drilling at your property.

💡 READY TO SWITCH? Enter your postcode in the box on the right 👉