Extortionate gas bill - advice needed!

[bread 10]

I was just wondering if anyone has any advice/suggestions. My gas bill has doubled in the past year - in part due to price rises but also due to increased usage. It's this increased usage that's confusing me. I have the thermostat set lower this year than last and have the heating on for much less time. I live in a 2 bed house where we wash up once a day and have 2 showers per day and have a gas hob for cooking. Other than that there are no gas appliances. Our use of the central heating has gone down and everything else is constant. Can anyone think of any reasons why my usage has gone up? I had a boiler service in January which showed the boiler running at 94% efficiency. Any advice gratefully received! Thank you!

[speleo1 10]

what as it gone up from,monthly direct debit or quarterly

[corgigasman 10]

Firstly, I very much doubt your boiler is running at 94% efficiency as almost all new condensing boilers are only about 89% efficient. Secondly, has your usage actually gone up ?? Check usage on bills....previous bills MAY have been estimates, therefore SHOWING a lower usage, but not reflecting your actual usage. Your bills should not have doubled if your habits have remained the same (in fact you appear to be trying to save gas, having read the above). Also check if your gas tariff has changed.....old tariffs that have expired will mean energy company will put you on their expensive new tariffs, it is then up to you to switch to a cheaper tariff...with them, or another provider. Could also be worth checking for gas leaks too, unlikely but something else to check before ruling out, regards, Steve

[bread 10]

Oh, that's interesting about the efficiency. I was told 94% when I had it serviced. He must have been exaggerating! I expected the price to go up slightly as I switched to a fixed tariff but the latest bill has gone from £63 to £111 (that's dual fuel monthly direct debit) The energy company has given us details of how much we've used over the past year compared to previous years. We're using 64.67 kWh per day for gas where they predicted 25.64kWh per day based on what we've used in the past. I just don't understand. We give readings fairly regularly so there's always some actual reading on our bills

[watchcoll 10]

My energy company increased my direct debit from £50 a month to £91 a month because i had a £53 debit for the year! They wouldnt lower my direct debit even when i argued the toss.

Thus, i decided that i would rather incur a £50 "penalty" to leave them than give them a £41 interest free loan every month for the next year. Their customer service is appalling too.

I would check your old bills to see if your usage has actually gone up or if theyre being cheeky.

[GerryBooth 10]

Who does the meter readings? I read my meter wrong once and got a quarterly bill = to 18 months usage.

[bread 10]

The meter readings are correct. I can't dispute that and it means we're over £300 in debt to them!

[FORE 12]

64.67 kWh per day for gas?

Is this the average for the bill in question?

I would take readings daily at the same time, that seems one hell of a lot!

 

Are your radiators bled, could it be the boiler trying to achieve the thermostat temp with only part of the radiator 'in use'?

[bread 10]

The radiators are bled and all work fine. The bill says that's what our daily use is. I do wonder if something's wrong with the boiler and it's burning too much. Our water gets dangerously hot even when we turn down the water temperature on the boiler itself and it goes hot and cold constantly when you're showering (it didn't do this before my my recent boiler service!!). The radiators also get very hot. The room thermostat is fine as the heating does switch off when it gets to 17 degrees, it's just that the heating absolutely blasts out to get it to that temperature. I did mention the very hot water when I had my boiler service, but the guy didn't seem too bothered by that and said it didn't matter

[ttparsons 10]

There are usually two dials on a modern boiler to control radiator water temperature and tap water temperature.

 

Have you considered the possibility of a small gas leak, maybe somewhere where you wouldn't smell it? A gas safety inspection, which landlords have to provide, (rather than just a boiler service if you have other appliances) should pick up any drop in pressure due to leaks in the pipework.

[the_bloke 17]

With all gas appliances off, watch the meter for a few minutes and see if it changes

[bread 10]

I did have a safety check with my service. All fine. The dial does stop when the heating etc is off. It just spins super quick when it's on. I'll have a double check tomorrow though. Maybe I just need a new boiler!