Please help with my central heating system.

[dan83590]

We have just had a huge shock from our gas company. Without going into to much detail basically they say over the winter months we were using nearly £50.00 worth of gas a week!! Meter readings are correct. Now we know gas has gone up in price but this is silly.

So I have to question our heating system. Is it really inefficient?

We live in a 2 bed flat.

5 radiators (1 x 8 ft double, 2 x 6ft single, 2 x 4ft single)
Electric thermostat
Radiator thermostats also
The water runs through 6mm copper to each radiator
Boiler is a combi type (Vaillant)

What do you guys think?

 

[mrgas]

How many hours a day was your heating on.
At what temp was your room stat set to.
What temp was your boiler thermostat set to?

 

[picasso]

how many people live in your flat and how many long showers do you take?, doubtful if the heating is using so much gas, its the hot water side that runs up the bills.

 

[gas4you]

Sounds ridiculous.

Do you cook by gas as well?

Is the flat well insulated?

Have they read the correct meter?

Have/can you smell gas anywhere, even outside?

I would get the meter checked if all the above are true.

I have a 17 rad system, uneconomical Boilermater 2000 and cook (well her indoors does) by gas. She also wants the heating on nearly 24hrs a day including summer and still it is only £100/month

 

[dan83590]

How many hours a day was your heating on.
At what temp was your room stat set to.
What temp was your boiler thermostat set to?

During the winter months - 1hr in the morning and up to 7hrs in the evening. Longer at the weekends obviously.

Room stat usually set to 18 - 20 degrees.

Boiler set to maximum. (Temp gauge on the boiler does not work, dunno if that makes any difference!!)

how many people live in your flat and how many long showers do you take?, doubtful if the heating is using so much gas, its the hot water side that runs up the bills.

Just 2 of us live in the flat. The shower runs from the boiler, we have one shower a day each 5 - 10 mins maybe.

Do you cook by gas as well?

Is the flat well insulated?

Have they read the correct meter?

Have/can you smell gas anywhere, even outside?

I would get the meter checked if all the above are true.

We do use the gas for cooking.

We are well insulated, in fact I am upgrading it all the time. Ceiling are all good and I am currently doing the walls and floors.

The meter readings are correct, I have double double checked those.

Cannot smell gas anywhere. We have decided not to use any hot water or heating for a few days to see if the gas meter changes at all. It was fine last winter. We certainly didnt notice anything untoward.

Could the meter give an incorrect reading then?

 

[picasso]

there was bit about gas meters being wrongly read on watchdog a little while ago, I cant remember all the details , perhaps someone else can.

 

[gas4you]

Meters can give the wrong amount of gas usage.

I think they charge you to check them, then refund the charge if found to be faulty.

 

[dan83590]

So from the details I've given above can you see anything that looks untoward?

Do you think we should get the meter checked or is there anything we should be checking first?

 

[picasso]

see if this helps
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/watchdog/2009/01/are_you_paying_too_much_for_ga.html

 

[kmeeres]

How long have you lived there ?
Just moved in ?
If not how does the bill compare with last years usage ?

Are you able to compare actual consumption or just the cost ?

Is this a custom built flat or a house conversion ?

 

[dan83590]

Thanks Picasso, I'll have a read.

How long have you lived there ?
Just moved in ?
If not how does the bill compare with last years usage ?

Are you able to compare actual consumption or just the cost ?

Is this a custom built flat or a house conversion ?

We have lived here for a few years now. Last years bills were significantly lower in cost, 600% lower in fact.

The building is victorian. Was a hotel and is now flats, has been for decades.

 

[gas4you]

Has another flat tapped into your gas meter?

 

[glasgowgas]

Has another flat tapped into your gas meter?

also possible your meter is the primary meter,all other flats are secondary meters from your meterd supply.

only a suggestion!!

 

[D_Hailsham]

We have lived here for a few years now.

Do you still have previous bills, say covering the last two or three years?
If so you can compare the Kilowatt-hours usage at different times of the year.

If you haven't got them, your supplier should be able to provide them.

Has the meter been changed recently?
Is the meter recording in cubic metres or 100's of cubic feet?
Is the bill using the correct formula to convert meter readings to kilowatt-hours?

 

[Agile]

This is a very common query.

It usually results from earlier reading being estimated or having been wrongly read previously OR in some cases the reader making up your reading to get his bonus.

Then there are those who "borrow" your meter when outside to run up the reading.

Then a mistake on entering the readings!

Can you post the readings going over the last three years plus with the nature of each reading i.e. read or estimated and someone here will evaluate them for you.

Your boiler seems to have "lost" its sight glass! If thats the case then its evidence that you have not bothered to get your boiler serviced lately. Its also classed as At Risk or if very strict as Innediately Dangerous and of course should be turned off until the glass is replaced.

It could also be evidence of a boiler fault which has been bodged by removing the glass.

Tony