Are you aware of your home gas usage amount each month? You may be like many other homeowners, who simply glance at the bill, write out a check and file the bill away. Unfortunately, terminology on the gas bill may prevent you from looking beyond the bottom line. It’s time to come out of the dark, and take a proactive stance against high energy bills. With the high cost of electricity in our region, it pays to take steps to lower energy costs.
One of the most important terms on the bill is the baseline allowance. This is the estimated monthly amount to cover basic gas service for homeowners in our region. On your bill, you’ll see a baseline allowance line item. This amount is charged at the lowest rate. As your gas consumption increases above the baseline, so will the charge per unit of gas.
Other terms to get familiar with include:
- Gas-cost adjustment. This charge appears as a credit to you when the utility company overestimates the cost of gas the previous month, and as a charge when its previous estimates were too low.
- Delivery charge. This charge covers the utility’s cost to move the natural gas from its suppliers to your home.
- Commodity charge. This charge covers how much the utility must pay its providers for gas, which it passes on to consumers.
With a little knowledge of what appears above the bottom line, you can learn ways to lower home gas usage:
- Keep more heat inside when operating your gas-powered furnace by insulating and sealing air leaks.
- Keep an eye on consumption to keep your home’s gas usage under the baseline allowance limit.
- Wrap an insulating blanket or jacket around your storage tank water heater to stop standby energy loss.
For more expert tips on reducing home gas usage, please contact us at Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We proudly serve homeowners in the greater Fresno area.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in the greater Fresno, California area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about understanding your gas bill and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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