Cold quarantined: warn that increased use of stoves could skyrocket gas bills

05/08/2020 - 7:04

• Clarín.com
• Society

In the morning, with 2 or 3 hours of stoves it was enough. Then  the grown-ups went to work, the younger ones went to study, and the home was empty . Just at sunset, when everyone returned, the heating was turned on another 4 or 5 hours, continuous or in sections, to warm the home until the next day. Sometimes more, sometimes less, that was the usual thing in Buenos Aires during the colder months. And so the winter gas bills, charged through, were heavy for the pocket. But this year the coronavirus pandemic  completely changed the scenario .

In the midst of the quarantine - with schools and universities closed at least until July, multiple shops and industries without activity and a lot of  home office -, the low temperatures find families with several members  all day at home, every day , and with Logic need to use stoves more than usual. Something that, according to experts, could have a strong and massive  impact on the pocket .

"In the first part of the quarantine, no significant changes in household energy consumption were expected, largely because they were particularly mild months in much of the country, and the use of heating and cooling was not necessary. However, since mid-May, and with the soon coming of winter, this situation can change dramatically . "

This is, in summary, the warning that arises from a technical paper that Clarín accessed , entitled  Energy Consumption in Quarantine Times . The work was done at the School of Science and Technology of the National University of San Martín (Unsam), where they have spent several years "radiographing" the home use of energy in the City and the GBA, based on macro data, surveys and representative home measurements.

"If we are more at home when the cold weather arrives, it is foreseeable that we should use more heating. And we must be very careful because, if we light the stoves for several more hours, the costs can skyrocket ", warns Salvador Gil, specialized physicist in energy consumption and author of the research. But to what extent could they grow? That, precisely, sought the theoretical exercise.

The expert focused his analysis on gas, as it is the most used resource and whose demand jumps the most with the cold. Usually, he explains, about 56% of the gas consumed by a home in the year is used for heating, and almost all that use is concentrated  between May and September, with a peak in July .

Thus, to begin with, at Unsam they projected how much a typical average household in the Buenos Aires Metropolitan Area - with 3 or 4 members - should pay for gas in the coming months if their gas consumption were only  equal to last year, which it had moderate temperatures.

At current rates, that yielded hypothetical ballots of $ 1,983 for May, $ 2,515 for June, $ 3,991 for July, $ 3,411 for August, and $ 2,159 for September. On average, then, they would pay  $ 2,800 per month , which multiplies by 3.3 what was paid between January and April ($ 860 on average).

With the stoves full, the meter runs and runs. And it can generate heavy debt to face in the midst of a crisis. (EFE)

Now, in the same thermal scenario, if the "quarantine effect" increased the use of stoves by 25% (for example, from 7 hours a day to almost 9 ), the cost of gas in the colder months would already jump to $ 3,300 per month for that typical home from here to September ( 3.8 times that of the warm months). If instead the heating were turned on  50% more (going to 10 and a half hours a day), that would take the monthly charges to  $ 3,800 (4.4 times those of the summer).

What if the stoves were used  twice as much as last year? For example, 14 hours a day. There, based on the exercise, the typical household would pay about $  4,800  per month for gas between May and September, peaking at $ 7,100 in July . Costs, in this scenario, would  multiply by 5.5 the average from January to April.

All this supposes, in line with the forecasts until July by the National Meteorological Service, that the temperatures will be in line with the normal for the time and even that they could be somewhat milder. But if winter were to become harsher, they warn, the values ​​could be higher . They also clarify that the estimates must be taken "with great care", given how difficult it is to make projections in such an unusual context.

When buying new equipment, they advise choosing those with thermostats. (Archive)

"In any case, the best thing that users can do is to become aware and try to rationalize their consumption as much as possible ," adds Gil. Now more than ever, according to the specialist, it is key to take care of the insulation of the environments by blocking the cracks and crevices with weatherstripping, and closing the wooden curtains and blinds at night. And if appliances are replaced, always choose the most efficient ones , with energy efficiency class A or better.

Other savings guidelines, published by distributor Naturgy, include Only heat rooms where people are no more than 18 ° , using thermostats and without opening windows to lower the temperature. "Stoves and radiators should not be covered with curtains or furniture. This way accidents are avoided and caloric use is improved", they conclude.

Those who consume more will pay a part in three installments

Residential gas users who spend much more energy in the coming months than in previous years will benefit from an exceptional measure, issued within the framework of quarantine, which will allow them to pay this additional consumption in three installments later.

As the staff of the distributors that used to go house to house noting the state of the meters has not been exempt from isolation until now, the National Gas Regulatory Entity (Enargas) ordered on April 29 that, in the following 60 days, the gas bills are estimated according to "the lowest consumption record corresponding to the same period of 2017, 2018 and 2019 ".

According to the agency, when the quarantine ends and the company can re-read the meter, the difference between the estimated and the actual cost must be compensated . If it appears that the user overpaid, the distributor must refund the amount on the following invoice.

But, in the case - much more likely - that the client has paid less than what is due, the balance may be paid in three payments "only from the October invoices," explained Federico Bernal, the entity's controller. "We will take care so that they do not have any recharge on the bills of greatest consumption, such as winter ones," he added.