Very high gas usage!

nadine12

Hi there
I wonder if there are any experts here on gas usage who may be able to help! I am with Swalec and have been since I moved in to the house in Feb 2009. I had a brand new meter put in (changed from pre-pay to normal meter) so was obviously set to zero. My gas usage has been extremely high and I have queried it a few times, getting the usual 'oh we have had a bad winter' etc. Well my most recent bill shows my usage for the last 12 months - a whopping 31333.61kWh. My house is a three bedroom semi, build in around the 1950s (well I say 3 bed, technically a two bed but the master bedroom has been split into two). Now I know that gas usage can vary dramatically for different families, but from what I have researched it that is extremely high to use that much!! We have a condensing boiler and use gas obviously for water, heating and other than that the gas hob. There is a thermostat on the heating and also even during the winter, heating is turned off at night.

I have checked my bill and the conversion appears to be right, meter states m3 and the calculation on bill is:
units x correction factor 1.02264 = cu mtrs
x calorific value 39.3
/ conversion factor 3.6

The only thing I noticed yesterday is that the meter number is not correct! Similar (so could be a typo?) but not correct.

My question is really, could I be getting charged for imperial units (ie if the old meter was imperial?) even though the bill has the correct calculation?

Also, am I right in thinking this usage seems extremely high???

dogshome

Hi nadine12 - Quick check to see that you are being correctly charged for a Metric meter:
Divide the Kwh charged by the meter units used, the answer should be appx 11.2

If the answer is around 31.5, you are being wrongly charged on the basis of it being an Imperial meter, which results in an overcharge of 181%

nadine12

Hi - thanks tried that and it did indeed work out as 11. something so the calculation appears correct (last bill - 15149.27kWh divided by 1357 units). Think I have been thrown by the fact that the meter number is incorrect and I have only recently noticed? Just wondering (hoping!) really whether that could be some kind of explanation!

jalexa

nadine12 wrote: »

My gas usage has been extremely high and I have queried it a few times, getting the usual 'oh we have had a bad winter' etc. Well my most recent bill shows my usage for the last 12 months - a whopping 31333.61kWh.

Well FWIW it is twice "average". To have your concern diss'ed by a "customer service adviser" is a disgrace. An incompetent disgrace. You should have been offered a range of energy saving advice. I would have no hesition about raising a formal complaint about the quality of the advice received.

OK, its good that you seem reasonably clued-up - a good start. Next step I recommend you try to get a handle on your summer consumption by taking daily readings for a week and then weekly readings for a month. Post the first readings in a couple of days. You will need to repeat the excercise come winter.

From your post and others it doesn't appear to be the metric/imperial problem, however I don't see specific reference in your post to the readings (and dates of readings) as stated on the current bill and bills going back a year.

Post *exactly* as stated and you may get more meaningful advice.

macman

Since the meter nos don't match up, do the actual meter readings bear any relation to the readings shown on the bill? If you're being billed against the wrong meter, they won't.
By this I don't mean the unit consumption, but the actual readings.

nadine12

Well the bill I have in front of me is for 8th January 2011 until 11th July 2011, last reading 5718 then in July 7075.So 15149.27 kWh.

The meter is currently on 7112. So using their calculation have used 413 kWh since 11th July (obviously no heating on during this period).

It tells me on the bottom of the bill that I am using 81.88kWh per day on average, in the 6 month period before that this was 107.88kWh per day.
I will start taking meter readings but am worried about leaving this til winter as my gas & electric prices are going up, and its already beyond manageable!

They did say I could get the meter checked if I wished but I would have to pay for this.

Does anyone know if there may be any signifcance to having the wrong meter number on bill? I need to report this to them but am dreading ringing as I just know they will want to increase my direct debit!!

nadine12

Hi - yes the meter readings on the bill do tally with what is on the bills. It just seems that they are really high!!

jalexa

nadine12 wrote: »

The meter is currently on 7112.

Please, it wasn't a trick question when I said post the *exact* readings. Is the reading 7112 or 07112?

And on the bill are the opening and closing readings marked Actual, Customer or Estimated?

cepheus

nadine

You don't say what insulation measures you have. Full loft thickness, cavity wall insulation, Double Glazing, draughtproofing.

What were your familes use in the previous house, and what precisely was that spec?

macman

You will only have to pay for a meter check if it proves to be accurate.
Is the heating on all day during the winter months? What temp do you have the CH stat set at? A 1C degree variation can add/subtract 10% to your bills.

nadine12

That is the format swalec use on their bills for the readings - actual meter reads 07112 (and then the numbers in red 511).

House is fully double glazed, we don't have cavity wall as far as I know but am looking into this. Loft is insulated as we have a small attic room.

I can't recall exactly what the usage was in previous house which was a fairly large circa 1900 end of terrace, but certainly under 20000 kWh a year.

Any advice would be appreciated!