Whether you’re in the middle of a complete kitchen renovation project or just want to install a new cooktop, one of the major decisions that you’ll have to make is the choice between natural gas and electricity. Both have their fair share of advantages and disadvantages, but it’s important to look beyond all that. Before you make any type of decision one way or the other, you’ll also want to find out how much money you’re really spending on each fuel type so that you can make the most informed decision possible with your hard-earned dollars.
Calculating the Cost of Natural Gas
One of the difficulties in calculating how much a natural gas appliance really costs comes down to units of measurement. Efficiency ratings on things like hot water heaters are usually expressed in BTUs per hour, while your provider charges you an average price per Thermal Unit of natural gas.
Luckily, finding the answer is straightforward given the right equation. First, go to the website of your natural gas provider to find out how much money you’re being charged per Thermal Unit, or Therm. Next, look to the documentation that came with your appliance to find out how many BTUs per hour it uses while in operation.
Because one therm is equal to 100,000 BTUs, the cost equation is simple. Divide the number of BTUs the appliance uses per hour by 100,000, which will give you the amount of therms it uses in an hour. Next, multiply that number by your cost per therm from your utility provider to find out how much money you’re spending every time you use that appliance for one hour.
Calculating the Cost of Electricity
The cost of electrical appliances is similarly an easy equation, provided that you have access to the right information. Look on the documentation that came with an appliance to find out how many kilowatt-hours it uses while in operation. Next, look online for how much money you’re being charged per kilowatt-hours.
By multiplying the two numbers together, the answer that you arrive at is the cost that the appliance in question will be responsible for every time you use it for one hour. Compare the cost of the natural gas appliance versus the cost of the electric equivalent to find out which one is really cheaper.
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Whether you’re looking for natural gas or electric appliances or just want a little help planning your next home renovation project, Fowles is here to help. We have a wide range of auctions to help make your renovation dreams a reality. Our weekly kitchen auctions, timber and building materials auctions and carpet and timber floor sales can help you score wonderful discounts over retail prices, making sure that cost is never the biggest obstacle to overcome on the path to home improvement success.
