Final answer:
The EnerGuide label and accompanying documents must be given to the homeowner or builder within 30 calendar days after the home energy evaluation. Actual energy usage compared to estimations can be assessed by converting usage into the same unit and then calculating a percentage. Comparing different energy sources like electricity and gas also requires conversion to the same units for a valid comparison.
Step-by-step explanation:
The EnerGuide label and associated documentation must be provided to the homeowner or builder within 30 calendar days following the on-site home energy evaluation. When examining energy labels and usage, such as the one described for a hot water heater that is estimated to use 242 Therms per year, the utility bill when divided over 12 months would reflect the estimated cost per month. However, actual energy use may vary, as indicated by the mentioned utility bill with a usage of 4 Therms in one billing period. To compare the actual usage with the estimated usage, you calculate the percentage of actual use (4 Therms) of the estimated yearly use (242 Therms) and divide by the number of months in the billing period to obtain a monthly average. This provides a way of comparing the actual usage against the estimated monthly usage.
Moreover, when comparing energy consumption in different units, such as kWh and Therms, it's important to convert them into the same units to make a direct comparison. In the case provided with 230 kWh of electricity and 4 Therms of gas usage, you could convert kWh into Therms or vice versa to express both in equivalent units, making the comparison more meaningful in terms of energy use. A simple sentence summarizing this could be, 'Converted into the same units, the actual electricity and gas usage shows that the household consumes X times more electricity than gas, or vice versa.'