Faulty Gas Meter??? Help please

kbabee84

I've just come off the phone to Scottish Hydro who supply my Gas. I received my 6 monthly statement today stating that I was in £900 debit. I'm so annoyed about this I asked them to increase my payments last July which they duly did, but obviously not enough to cover this cost. I have a 3 bed detached farmhouse. 9 radiators all thermostatically controlled and forever kept at level 2 running from a combination boiler. We are a family of 3 who are out of the house between 9 and 5 therefore have the heating on a timer running between 5am and 9am, then 5pm and 10pm. Bearing in mind the heating is off during the summer months I am at a loss to understand how this bill has become so massive. The boiler was serviced last Feb and is due another at the end of the month. We cook by gas but have an electric shower. They have told me that in order to cover my usage I should be paying out £108 per month. Does that sound excessive to anyone else or have I just lost touch with reality? I would appreciate any suggestions anyone may have. I've asked for the meter to be tested as 1 of the customer service advisors thought the usage sounded excessive based on the information I gave. The meter guy recorded it at 17553 10 days ago, I took the reading this morning and it is at 17752. Thats a difference of 199 units in that time, roughly 19 units per day!!!!! I am really worried now, please help!:(

KimYeovil

You have a detached house (no neighbouring flats insulating you) and appear to be keeping all rooms at a living temperature (rather than just one) so no, it does not sound terribly high. (That is, if it is a metric meter. If it's an imperial meter...)

savemoney

I used last week for 7 days 115 kW a day (71 units over 7 days, 10 units per day), for a 3 bedroom semi on a hill. Double glazing, solid walls and insulation to standards in loft. Also have thermostatically controlled on rads

Have heating on from late morning until around 1 am but I do have it on low late morning and last evening around 17-18c and at 4-10 on 19c

kbabee84

Thanks I appreciate the help, my issue with the whole thing is that given what i'm paying at the moment they are telling me I need to up my payments to £189 per month to get rid of the debt. I was paying £67 per month anyway so the fact it doesn't appear to be covering is so frustrating. My heating was off between April and October last year so only my water to pay really and still the amount is so high.

Premier_2

As Kim hinted at, check you are being billed on the correct type of meter i.e. metric/imperial

http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/consumer_advice/latest_meters_pic.shtml

In 6 months, you appear to have been billed for a total of £1300 (£900 plus 6x£67). That equates to about £50 per week which seems high to me.

Having a metric meter but being billed as though you have an imperial meter would cause a bill about 3 x times what it should be..