Site Prices Update
Last Updated28th June 2022
All calculations on this site are based on current fuel prices, they are checked regularly and calculations are automatically updated.
The costs calculated based on these fuel prices should be regarded as 'good estimates', given that fuel prices vary in different parts of the county and at different time of the year.
The calculations also have different levels of accuracy depending on the nature of the calculation. For example calculating the energy use of a known power output TV is very easy compared to calculating the effect on energy savings when insulating a cavity wall.
Site Calculations
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User PricesFor several of the fuel prices on this site you can now set your own prices and all the calculations on the site will adjust accordingly.
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At Confused About Energy we aim to provide practical, impartial advice on all aspects of energy usage, climate change and ways to save money on energy bills.
All calculations on this site are based on current fuel prices they are checked regularly are automatically updated and were last changed on:-
28th June 2022
The costs calculated based on these fuel prices should be regarded as 'good estimates', given that fuel prices vary in different parts of the county and at different time of the year.
The calculations also have different levels of accuracy depending on the nature of the calculation. For example calculating the energy use of a known power output TV is very easy compared to calculating the effect on energy savings when insulating a cavity wall.
Site Calculations
| Electricity | £0.271 per unit (1 kWh) |
| Economy Electricity | £0.094 per unit (1 kWh) |
| Gas | £0.072 per unit (1 kWh) |
| Domestic LPG | £0.122 per unit (1 kWh) |
| Heating Oil | £0.104 per unit (1 kWh) |
| UK Grid CO2 Emissions | 0.233 kg per kWh used |
The main units used in this site are in the table below, For a complete explanation of power and energy Read More.
| Unit | Name | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| W | Watt | Unit of Power |
| kW | Kilowatt | 1000 watts |
| kWh | Kilowatt hour | Measure of Energy |
| L | Litre | Measure of Volume |
Sometimes these numbers seem to be meaningless, they are so large, we cannot get our minds round them, 18Gt (18,000,000,000 tonnes) how bid is that? and these are not your soft American short tons, these are proper metric tonnes! To provide some perspective we have related this weight to the weight of the great pyramid at Giza, a rough estimate for the weight of the great pyramid at giza is 6 million tonnes. Using this number 18Gt of CO2 weighs the same as about 3000 Great Pyramids (18000Mt÷6Mt). So we need to remove about 8.2 Great Pyramid weights each day, that is quite a lot, but a least we know where we stand.
Renewable Electricity 4931
Some Key Points
- By renewable energy for electricity generation we mean wind, solar, geothermal and biomass, hydroelectric energy is another renewable energy but this is treated separately, simply because the main data source defines things in this way.
- There are also biofuels for combustion this is covered in another metric
- Worldwide electricity demand is increasing by about 2% each year, even if we increase renewable electricity generation by 8% per year we will still be using more fossil fuel in electricity generation than now in 2040.
References
https://www.bp.com/en/global/corporate/energy-economics/statistical-review-of-world-energy.htmlNotes
Figure 12.1 shows the sources of electricity generation for the world from 1985, fossil fuels are dominant, and currently renewables constitute only 8% of this and fossil fuels 64%. Figure 12.2 shows the growth in renewables since 1965, the growth rate is impressive, but can it be sustained and can it be replicated in all regions around the world.
There is a lot to do to replace fossil fuels in electricity generation with renewables, but given that power generation accounts for over ⅓ of global CO2 emissions it is an important target. Unfortunately it is not simply a case of replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy, this is what we would all like to see but it is not happening. Instead with growing population and greater demand for electrical power we are increasing the use of renewable energy and increasing the use of fossil fuels, we will probably continue to do so for at least another 20 years, in doing so our output of CO2 will continue to increase not decrease. In a fairly likely scenario given current trends (Figure 12.3), renewables substantially grow whilst the use of fossil fuels also continues to grow to meet the ever increasing demand. In a nutshell this is why we need to consider actions like carbon capture from power plants in addition to renewable energy, a multifaceted approach is essential to atmospheric CO2 reduction.
In addition as we move to electric ground transport electricity demand will increase even further but will reduce the use of fossil fuels in the internal combustion engine. On the UK grid this is a gain, as the carbon output from our grid per mile driven is lower than the carbon output of an internal combustion engine per mile driven, but on a grid solely powered by coal this is not the case.
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Why is global warming measured from the average temperature between 1951 and 1980, this is a direct quote from the NASA website:- "The period of 1951-1980 was chosen largely because the U.S. National Weather Service uses a three-decade period to define “normal” or average temperature. The GISS temperature analysis effort began around 1980, so the most recent 30 years was 1951-1980. It is also a period when many of today’s adults grew up, so it is a common reference that many people can remember." So now we know, it is fairly arbitrary, but we do need a reference and it was a fairly stable period, so it makes sence.