Gas Meter Fault ?

[Little Mick]

Dear All,

We moved to a small two bedroomed bungallow 8 months ago. All has been well until we started to recieve our gas bills. We have an Ideal classic boiler that heats our 6 radiators and hot water cylinder. We have found that we cannot afford to have heating on for too long due to large gas bills. ( £400 for a quarter ) ( 22,000 kWh used ) ( Volume 1965 m* ) I have my suspicions that the meter is racing faster than it should, we disposed of all bills from our previous address (unfortunately) so i have nothing to use as a comparison. I expect i will have to have the meter checked, but am unsure if that carries a charge. I have read that the average annual consumption rate per household is in the region of 21,000 kWh I would welcome any replies with regards to consumption rates, either quarterly or annually that would enable me to make some comparisons.

Thanks to you all. Mick.

[Wizard]

I suspect I may have a similar problem after having a new (reconditioned) meter installed here, and the bills jumped very high before, all the price hikes of late, British gas told me they could have the meter checked but if it was found not to be at fault I would have to pay the cost about £96.00 at the time,

I still haven't had it done and am dreading this quarters bill but I'm no longer with British Gas so guess I would have lost the chance of any rebate anyway. I'm not sure about average consumption rates.

[Martin]

That sounds horrendous - even for winter period.

I'd suggest a few simple checks before calling them to complain...

Are meter readings actual or estimated?

Take a reading today and compare it with latest "actual" you've had.

Did you verify meter reading when you moved in?

Can you ask previous occupier about their bills?

Take 2 readings yourself, say a week apart, and compare (pro-rated) with previous bills.

Probably unnecessary since you're still alive, but check the meter doesn't move during the several hours when boiler etc is off.

But do you at least have a record of what you were paying?

Sound reasonable, but averages are always a bit dodgy.

[Little Mick]

I have been making daily checks on the meter. I am using on average 16 units a day, 112 units per week, 1344 per quarter. My neighbour has her heating on 12hrs a day, uses gas for cooking and her usage is 700 units per quarter. We dont cook with gas!. We run 6 radiators with the thermostat set at 21 degrees. My meter does't creep when gas is not in use. I have been in touch with Powergen this morning and in their opinion my consumption is correct, so my only alternative is to pay £75 to have a check-meter installed to prove if my meter is faulty. I would appreciate if anyone can give me some idea of their usage ( volume m* units ) and what they are running to amass that volume. (Just for comparison purposes.)

Thanks Mick.

[Martin]

But they would say that wouldn't they... :-(

I reckon their opinion is way out - as your neighbour's experience would suggest.

FWIW, we keep cosy in a not-so-brilliantly insulated place, occupied virtually full-time, running 15 rads plus all hot water and all cooking. Averaged across the last 3 years, we've used about 3530 "units in cubic metres" per annum, which is about 39,000 kWh pa.

If you're using more than half as much again (give or take summer / winter adjustments), the sooner you spend your £75 (or whatever) the better.

Do please let us know the outcome.

(BTW, could you please type new comments / question at the bottom of the previous posts, rather than the top - it's then easier to follow the thread. Thanks)

[Dave]

We own a 10 bed room hotel all heated, bar, dinning room + 2 private rooms and the heating is on in the Winter months 24 x 7 but turned down at night. The hot water is also gas heated.

Our worst bill last Winter was 864 units per quarter.

[®ÖÐ]

I have a 3 Bed Semi with 9 rads and use about 500 units a quarter, wife=20 keeps the thermostat at about 20, I turn it down to 18 though...

[Little Mick]

I have a 3 Bed Semi with 9 rads and use about 500 units a quarter, wife keeps the thermostat at about 20, I turn it down to 18 though...

I would like to thank you all for your comments. I will do everything I can to prove my meter is faulty. Your replies have given me a great deal of ammunition to fight with. And I will post a reply to you all with the final outcome.

Kind Regards Mick.

[Andrew Gabriel]

That's riduculas -- that would be 10kW continuous, 24h/day. (The boiler in a modern bungalow might not even be capable of burning at that rate, unless it's a combi).

What boiler have you got, and what size/rating is it? Does it cycle on and off in normal use? What timeswitch settings is it on? How old is the bungalow? Do you have any loft insulation?

[Little Mick]

Hi Andrew The boiler is an Ideal Classic RS230. I have sent two other replies with an attachement, but they haven't shown in the postings. The Boiler size is 8.8 kW 30000 Btu/h The gas consumption range goes from minimum 5.8 kW 19100 Btu/h, to a maximum of 11.0 kW 37500 Btu/h Yes it does cycle on & off. Temp set at 21 degs. boiler normally comes on for two minutes and goes off for five. Thermostat does respond as expected. The program is set to come on at 7-30am to 9-00am both heating and water. It is also set to come on again at 3-30pm to 20-30 pm. both heating and water, but we usually override the hot water program at 16-30pm and turn it off. Due to the cold weather we usually advance the central heating after 9-00 am and leave it on until the program shuts it off at 20-30pm. Our bungalow is a semi detached, two bedroomed property that is nearly

50yrs old. It has cavity wall insulation, All windows and doors are double glazed. The Loft was well insulated, But I did add extra insulation 8 months ago. Thanks for your reply.

Kind Regards Mick