High gas usage - please help

Sebby*

I moved into the a 3 bedroom, semi-detatched house towards the beginning of January. There are 2 of us living in the house, and we both work 'normal' hours.

As such, we have the hot water/central heating set to come on between 5.45 and 7.30, and from 16.30 to 22.30 during the week, and the morning timer a little bit longer at the weekend.

When we moved into the house we read the gas meter as 20016. Just over a month later I read the meter and supplied this reading to British Gas. It was 20285, which gave us a bill of about £100 for just over a month. Seeming expensive, I asked some friends in similar properties and living arrangements what their typical usage was, and found it was about 1/5th of mine.

I just read the meter again, 10 days after the last reading, and it was 20384, so it looks like I'm on track for a similar sort of bill next month.

I realise it's cold at the moment, but hopefully you'll agree that this usage seems high for the the amount we're actually using the gas.

The question is: where do even I start with this?

By the way, we have a Potterton Profile boiler and Heatrae Megaflo tank.

Many thanks in advance. :cool:

KimYeovil

Sorry, your friends are living in cloud cuckoo land if they claim that having the heating on eight hours a day is only costing them £20 per month. :rotfl:

£100 is a perfectly reasonable price for one winter month in a three bedroom house.

but hopefully you'll agree that this usage seems high for the the amount we're actually using the gas.

No, I don't think anyone will. Eight* hours per day and you think that is 'low' or 'not much'?

*Seven and three quarters, even.

ColinFishwick

I agree this time of year £100 is pretty normally not tight but not extravagant either

Sebby*

Thanks a lot.

victor2

Yep, perfectly reasonable usage.
To better understand what you're using, and to more acccurately look at comparison sites, take regular meetings and convert the usage (which it sounds like is in cubic metres in your case) into kWh. There's probably the formula used to do that indicated on your bill.

Sebby*

Many thanks to all who have replied.

I have been doing a lot of reading over the past few weeks, trying to clue myself up.

Something I have read today is that you should not have a TRV on a radiator in the same room as the main thermostat - which we do. Can I just unscrew the TRV, or does the valve need to be replace too (I'm thinking not, because with the TRV removed it would just be fully open, but please correct me if I'm wrong!).

Also, I've read a lot about leaving the hot water on all the time. I'm thinking the answer is no going by the amount I've read that sways towards this answer, though it doesn't seem to be 100% clear cut. Is this the same for a Megaflo?

Lastly, am I right in thinking that the hot water should be on whenever the central heating is on?

Sorry for any stupid questions (probably all of them!).

macman

You should not have a TRV in the same room or zone as a room 'stat. The head can be removed.
The longer you have the hot water on, the more gas you will burn, and the more it will cost. A modern insulated tank will keep the water hot for some hours.
What sort of programmer do you have on this system?

Sebby*

Thanks for the reply!

So if I remove the head (Drayton TRV4) the valve will be fully open, not closed?

It's a Drayton LP522 5 day/2 day programmer we have.

cajef

Sebby* wrote: »

So if I remove the head (Drayton TRV4) the valve will be fully open, not closed?

No need to remove the head unless someone is likely to start playing with it, just leave it in the fully open position all the time.

Sebby*

So I'm talking about just this part:



Are you saying just leave that attached and turn it up to max?

cajef

Sebby* wrote: »

So I'm talking about just this part:



Are you saying just leave that attached and turn it up to max?

Yes, no need to remove it provided no one will alter or change the setting.