£72 gas per month for one bed?

cla666

Hey Guys,

I was just wondering what your average gas bills are like?

I am in a one bedroom tenement in Aberdeen and my gas direct debits have just been increased form £60 per month to £72 per month as they werent being covered. This is in addition to £40 electric and its only a one bedrrom top floor flat. Seems quite steep to me?

Now....im not very technically minded The boiler is possibly a combi boiler (large white box in the loft that heats both the water and heaters). I dont have the heating on to much, possibly about 2 hours per day. The only other thing the gas is used for is the oven.

Im asking as I was going to speak to the landlord cos the bills do seem very very high but I thought I would check with you helpful bunch if I was paying well over the odds?? Could it be a problem with the boiler or is she simply going to tell me to switch off the heaters?!?!

jd87

Before getting onto the landlord you need to look at the bills themselves and speak to your supplier. Are the bills accurate or are they based on estimated readings? Could you be on a cheaper tariff?

cla666

jd87 wrote: »

Before getting onto the landlord you need to look at the bills themselves and speak to your supplier. Are the bills accurate or are they based on estimated readings? Could you be on a cheaper tariff?

Yeah i spoke to the supplier when i got the letter saying my direct debit was going up. They discussed them for quite a while with me and they were based on actual readings. They didnt offer any solution at all.

jd87

What tariff are you on? It should say on your bill. If you are on a standard tariff then the bill is not surprising.

cla666

I will check when i get in frmm work this evening.

So they have other tarriffs I can change to? I know i sound quite dim just now, I have lived alone for 10 years but this is the first property with a gas supply! :rotfl:

jd87

Yep it sounds like you need to read up on switching generally: http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/you-switch-gas-electricity

It may even be that you should consider switching to a different supplier completely.

dogshome

Hi cla666 - It seems that £60 a month does not cover your use, so your supplier is asking for £72 to pay for what you do use, plus a bit to collect debt, however even £60 a month seems a lot for a 1 bed flat - You say you are on the top floor so it's worth checking just how well the loft above you is insulated.

It is just possible that your supplier has a mix up with your meter type
Look at your meter to see if it's marked m3 on the front which denotes it as a Metric model - If it is marked ft3 it is an Imperial model

Next look at a bill and divide the number of meter units used into the number of Kwh charged - If the answer is appx. 11 you are being charged for a Metric meter - If it appx. 31 you are being charged for an Imperial meter
If the meters mark does not match the billing, GET ONTO YOUR SUPPLIER IMMEDIATELY