Possible broken meter - Grateful for Advice Please??

Head-Out-Of-Sand

Hello!

My friend and I have been discussing our energy bills - this is how we compare...

me-

People in house - 3 adults
GCH
Always someone in the house
3 separate "lives" so three tellys, computers etc

combined bill - £73 per month

friend-

People in house - 2 adults
no GCH
Couple living together
1 Gas fire in living room

combined bill - £100 per month

She always phones up and gives accurate meter readings and has tried switching to no avail. They're not big energy consumers and I wondered if there might be a problem with the meter? She says it's quite an old one, and while everyone's bills went up, hers have jumped from an average £40 a month to £100 about a year ago.

Has anyone had a problem with their meter? I understand it's quite rare but wonder whether in this case it might be the reason?

Any advice gratefully received!!

Pink_fluff

Doesn't sound like a broken metr to me... Just sounds like your friend has noticed the increase in price over the last few months. Also, I assume she has electric heating? It is very expensive. You don't say how many rooms your house has and how many your friend has.

Head-Out-Of-Sand

Hi Pinkfluff,

No, she has no central heating at all, and a £60 per month jump in a year seems a bit high, surely? Even with the recent jumps? There's been no change in usage from her.

It's a 2 bed terraced house, whereas mine is 3.

SwanJon

Head-Out-Of-Sand wrote: »

1 Gas fire in living room

Trying to heat a whole building with one of these is excessivly expensive - even more so if it is one of those lovely real flame effect ones.
You say she's quite an old one - maybe she likes the room warmer than you?

Also, it is possible that the £40 was too low last year, so the jump looks higher than it really is.This winter has been colder than last year too.

Head-Out-Of-Sand

SwanJon wrote: »

You say she's quite an old one - maybe she likes the room warmer than you?

Ha ha no, it's the house that's old, not her!! She's 26! He he, I will tell her that though!

Thanks - I think she's always phoned up and given meter readings so that's not it - maybe it's the gas fire though? It is a very pretty one. Thanks for that, I'll let her know!

And I'm sure all those lovely, altruistic utilities companies will be sure to pass the drop in prices on to us as soon as they can...ahem...:rolleyes:

Fire_Fox

You are not comparing like with like. You are giving us combined prices, not kwh usages for gas and electric. Is either on Economy 7? Has she always provided readings or only recently? You also haven't provided us with any information about the house - age, style, size, windows, loft insulation. Nor of usage of the expensive parts of the bills - how long do you each have the heating on per day? What is the ambient temperature? Do either of you use a tumble dryer? How long do you put the hot water on each day? Do you mean the gas fire is new and pretty? Or old and not been serviced lately?

Head-Out-Of-Sand

Hi Firefox - I don't have that info sorry - but the fire is new and pretty! I wonder whether that might be it. She has no heating whatsoever other than that.

Head-Out-Of-Sand

Oh no tumble dryer either, for both of us Mine went west when my brother lived here and tried drying two load fulls of soaking wet jeans in it for three hours!! Probably for the best though

auntynet

Get her to check the meter to see if it is metric or imperial. If its a metric one they could be charging her as if its an imperial one - which means she will be paying almost 3 times what she should be. It might not be the case but its worth checking out.

Tell her to watch Watchdog on BBC1 next monday evening as they're running an article about it.

Bill7

auntynet wrote: »

Get her to check the meter to see if it is metric or imperial. If its a metric one they could be charging her as if its an imperial one - which means she will be paying almost 3 times what she should be. It might not be the case but its worth checking out.

Tell her to watch Watchdog on BBC1 next monday evening as they're running an article about it.

If it's all electric I don't think that would come into the equation, I was only aware of gas meters having imperial or metric. unless you just mean digital or dial which shouldn't matter?

auntynet

Bill7 wrote: »

If it's all electric I don't think that would come into the equation, I was only aware of gas meters having imperial or metric. unless you just mean digital or dial which shouldn't matter?

OP mentions gas fire in friends house and gas central heating in their house.