How much does heating cost?

Price a measured daily heating load at the unit rate on the energy tariff, with or without its daily standing charge.

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ToolHeating Cost Calculator
Input
Output
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How it works

Daily kWh are multiplied by pence per kWh, the optional standing charge is added, and the result is divided by 100 for pounds. A simple year uses 365 identical days, while the monthly figure uses the matching average of 365 ÷ 12 days.

Formula
daily £ = (daily kWh × p/kWh + daily standing charge p) ÷ 100
  • Standing charge defaults to zero so a usage-only comparison does not silently add the fixed cost of the whole energy account.
  • No thermostat-degree estimate remains because building heat loss, weather, controls, and occupancy prevent one fixed percentage from representing every home.

Worked example

30 kWh a day on gas at 6.5p a unit
A measured daily heating load multiplied by the tariff rate
Input
											Daily kwh usage: 30
Unit rate pence per kwh: 6.5
Output
												Daily cost gbp: 1.95
Monthly cost gbp: 59.31
Annual cost gbp: 711.75

When to use this

Smart-meter gas reviews, plug-meter tests of portable electric heaters, and heat-pump monitoring all pair measured kWh with the household’s actual tariff.

Edge cases

  • Zero measured kWh with a nonzero standing charge still costs money because Ofgem defines that charge as payable even when no energy is used.
  • Economy 7 and other multi-rate tariffs need peak and off-peak kWh priced separately; one blended unit-rate input cannot reproduce both periods.
  • A smart-meter total containing cooking, hot water, or appliances is not separated automatically and therefore overstates heating-only use.

References