British Gas Electricity Bill

ljs2000

I wonder if you could give me some advice, I'm not sure how the billing system works and I have to admit I have never really questioned my bills before bit I am quite surprised by my latest bill.

I have received a bill today that says that between 27 Feb 2010 and 8 April 2010 we have managed to use 3646 metric units. Over this period 88 units a day seems excessive and I cannot see how this has be right. Maybe it is right and I am being niave?!

Maybe I should mention this is a new detached 3 bed house, there are three of us (two adults one child) we have tv's, laptop, all the normal stuff, gas central heating that is a combi boiler.

I have been giving the readings so far apart from this one. The reading on 27 Feb was 344 metric units. The most between bills we have used is 96 metric units.

Thanks.

SwanJon

are either of the reads estimated (start/end)?
How does the end read compare with the read on the meter today?

I'd start with these two questions.

ljs2000

SwanJon wrote: »

are either of the reads estimated (start/end)?
How does the end read compare with the read on the meter today?

I'd start with these two questions.

Hello , these were not estimates.

The reading today is 4060 = maybe we are just eating it for fun?!

Toomuchdebt

That's a lot!We use between 8 and 13 a day, and before we started cutting down it was between 18 and 21 a day.Either your meter is faulty or something is using a LOT of electricity or someone has tapped into your supply?

laurence_2

88 M3 units a day is almost 1000 kWh per day. Are you sure the readings are correct?

Have you maybe misplaced a decimal point?

What are the actual meter readings for these dates?

And are we talking about gas or electricity?

Laurence

kjsmith7

laurence - I believe the OP is talking about the electricity.

OP - the average consumption over a year in the United Kingdom is 3,300kWh for electricity, which averages out to 9 or 10kWh (units) a day. This figure changes if you have any electric heating. I know you have a gas boiler, but do you have any electric heating (even if you believe it's turned off - check it!) such as immersion heater, storage heaters, plug-in radiators/panels/heaters, underfloor heating or electricity-guzzling appliances such as hot tubs, swimming pools, etc. etc. (believe me, a lot of people that get hot tubs don't realise how much electricity they'll use). Any of those? HTH!

macman

Curious that you say 'metric units'. Electricity is billed in kWh. 1kWh = 1 unit. Therefore an electricity unit is always metric, and all the bills I've seen just say 'unit'.
Gas is measured in either cubic feet or cubic metres, depending on your meter. Since this is a new build, your meter will be metric. Which leads me to think that your bill is for gas not electricity? In which case it's even worse, as you are (apparently) burning a huge amount per day-about 15 times what one would expect.
Can you post more details from your bill?
I'm guessing you also get your gas from BG?

PNPSUKNET

american fridge? ,arga? , under floor heating?

kjsmith7

macman wrote: »

Curious that you say 'metric units'. Electricity is billed in kWh. 1kWh = 1 unit. Therefore an electricity unit is always metric, and all the bills I've seen just say 'unit'.
Gas is measured in either cubic feet or cubic metres, depending on your meter. Since this is a new build, your meter will be metric. Which leads me to think that your bill is for gas not electricity? In which case it's even worse, as you are (apparently) burning a huge amount per day-about 15 times what one would expect.
Can you post more details from your bill?
I'm guessing you also get your gas from BG?

It's most likely electricity, as on my BG electric bill it says "metric units" even though it could be nothing else.

macman

Must be a BG quirk then. But assuming it is electric, it is still horrifically high-around £275 a month in a house with gas CH?
I would suspect a meter fault given the past consumption, and assuming that the readings are all correct.

mattcanary

Just a thought ljs, did you phone in the meter reading to your supplier. If you did, did you give the 00s before the actual numbers in your meter.

As you have stated this is a new house, I'm assuming the start reading was very low so BG could quite easily have billed you based upon their being no 00s in front of the reading - meaning they have calculated that you have used a huge amount of electric.

Just a thought...