help with illogical gas bills/useage

macabc

We have been in our current home (smaller than our previous period home) for 9 months. It is a 3 bed detached bungalow (2 beds in roof).

The 1st qtr (jul 08-sept 08) our gas useage was 3588 kwh (113 units) £110.

2nd qtr (sept 08 - dec 08) useage was 11465 kwh (362 units) £394.

this qtr (dec 08 - mar 09) useage is 23499 kwh (783 units) £791

We have heating and hot water via gas (not a combi boiler), and a gas hob. We are a family of 4. Cavity wall insulation and loft insulation.

Our useage over the last 2 qtrs has been the same. ie, we leave our heating/water on constant (timed) at approx 20 degrees celsius from 4-30am til 10pm.

We used to operate this way in our old (larger and older) property and our bills were nowhere near this.

What is hard to figure is why, for 2 quarters with the same useage, the actual gas useage, and cost, is double in the 3rd qtr from the 2nd. I can understand the difference between qtr 1 and 2 due to summer months and less useage for ch.

We are with Southern Electric (not that its really relevant to the useage). Anyone able to advise, and/or also indicate how ameniable SE are to checking out the meter as this reading/useage just does not seen feasible based upon constant useage over the last 2 quarters?

Many thanks

M

Magentasue

Answered on other thread:

It seems reasonable to me because the amount of gas used would be much higher for the colder months - and they were much colder. You could have your heating set to 20deg every day for a month and use different amounts of gas from day to day because of other factors - outside temperature, what's going on in the house etc. After all, if you had your heating on in the summer, it would use little gas because the boiler would rarely/never come on.

macabc

Thanks for the swift reply. I completely understand your point. However, does it not seem excessive to have a qtr cost for gas for normal domestic use of £800....for a family of 4 in a 3 bed house? As I say, we operated in a similar manner in our old home, which was much larger, and the bills did not fluctuate significantly between sept to april.

regards

M

KimYeovil

The temperature did not fluctuate much between September and April for a couple of winters. It was warm all winter. It has fluctuated and is cold this winter.

Usually, in the UK, September is one of the warmest months of the year! You've included one in your first quarter.

littletommytucker

Heating on CONSTANT in this day and age??? This is not NORMAL! Even at 20 degrees, over the last quarter it probably never stopped running!!!

macabc

To keep it constant is not necessarily bad....a boiler fireup every now and again to keep it to temp......versus..

fire up and boil away to raise the temp

We are, of course, under the current circumstances, reviewing the control timings.

KimYeovil

Did you have the heating on today?

macabc

yep.

My main point, initially. was....

Previous house, almost twice size of current house, high ceilings etc.. Annual gas cost approx £1300.

This house, almost half the size, lower ceilings, cavity wall and loft ins (as the old home had), approx annual gas useage/cost £2000-£2400 (est on past 3 qtrs bills).

Our useage habits have not changed between homes, and there are still 4 of us.

So, to factor this logically, based upon known similarities........If our current home was same size as last home, then we could reasonable expect our current useage/costs to be triple/almost quadruple the cost of our previous home (not double the cost and half the size, as is current) based upon our current readings. Even allowing for seasonal weather variances and periods of severe weather, how can this be?

Cardew

40,000kWh in 9 months is huge consumption.

The imbalance between the quarters could be caused by estimated meter readings.

You are being charged for an Imperial gas meter(cubic feet) are you sure you don't have a Metric meter(cubic metres)?

macabc

yep, exactly!!!!

no, its imperial meter.

readings based upon actuals, not estimates.

on my bill they c onvert imperial to metric by:

units used x factor 100 x correction factor 1.02264

the result of this x conversion factor 0.0283

then the result of the above (now cuMtrs) x calorific value 39.6, divided by conversion factor 3.6.

This gives my KWH unit

So, useage of 386 units equates to 12288 Kwh, equates to £426 (3.37p each KW plus standing charge 13.36 per day).

A protracted method of calculation hey.

Anyway, the fact remains, huge consumption for a small house. Double the cost of similar habits in a house twice the size.

Magentasue

I think your gas bills are high because you keep the heating on for longer than average. It's 'huge consumption for a small house' because you heat it so much and gas prices have increased so much over the last year.