High Gas bills after new boiler

bigbadbri

hi, does anyone have any hints why after getting a brand new combi-boiler fitted my gas bills have almost doubled (i thought i'd save an arm and leg), the old one was about 15 years old and almost took that long to heat the house up.

I don't have a thermostat, but so far this month have spent £60 and have almost three weeks till payday. plus the boiler is never on when no-one is in the house and i never leave it on long enough to overheat the house cos i just can't afford it. I'd appreciate if anyone has any advice p.s don't have loft insullation or cavity.

Tallymanjohn

A (room) thermostat is a necessity and should have been fitted as part of any new/replacement boiler system. Also, thermostatic radiator valves are highly recommended. Without one or both of these the boiler just keeps on heating the radiator water until you turn it off manually as the return water is always cooler than the heated water so it doesn't know when to stop.

Additionally, as you probably realise, having no insulation is costing you a fortune. Depending on your circumstances you may be eligible for free/subsidised roof insulation - even more so if you haven't got cavity wall insulation.

Jonesya

Has it got a higher rating than the old boiler?

Have you got TRVs on the radiators?

Avoriaz

Did you heat your hot water with electricity before you installed the combi boiler? That could explain the higher gas usage.

What temperature is the boiler set at? If you do not have a main thermostat, maybe turning down the temperature on the boiler will help provided it is still warming the house sufficiently.

Fitting TRVs will be relatively inexpensive and should help. Make sure at least one radiator or a towel rail does not have a TRV fitted, or there is a bypass circuit, so that there is always somewhere for the circulating water to go.

Don't heat rooms that you don't use, or at least don't heat them too much.

Wear warmer clothes indoors and use the heating less.

Getting your loft and cavity properly insulated should make a big difference and will pay for itself in a few years especially if you qualify for a grant.

flang

if you have a combi boiler also check the preheat for the hot water is set to low otherwise it will constantly keeping warm.

bigbadbri

Hi, thanks for all the advice.

A thermostat wasn't fitted because at the a mate fitted for me for free (he's working as gas engineer and corgi reg) and as it was a huge favour i didn't want to ask too much of him. it was replaced after the old one packed in after the house was re-wired.

I'm definately gonna get a thermostat fitted this year and after hearing from your posts it sounds wise to also get some TRV's fitted. As for the loft insulation i've applied on-line for a grant but have not heard anything back yet and that was just after christmas. I'll also turn the water temp down but I must admit i thought that with a combi it only heated the water when you use it.

Thanks once again

flang

a combi boiler only heats up what you use however some boilers have a preheat function where the pipework that the water flows through is kept constantly warm meaning the water will get hotter quicker

MRSTITTLEMOUSE

I had a combi boiler in my first house ,we moved to a non combi house and my gas bill halved despite cooking by gas which we didnt do when we had a combi,we have moved again and this house has a combi,our gas bills are astronomical.I dont think combis are very economical.We have room stats and rad valves,but the bills are still high.

PhilDS

bigbadbri wrote:

Hi, thanks for all the advice.

A thermostat wasn't fitted because at the a mate fitted for me for free (he's working as gas engineer and corgi reg) and as it was a huge favour i didn't want to ask too much of him. it was replaced after the old one packed in after the house was re-wired.

I'm definately gonna get a thermostat fitted this year and after hearing from your posts it sounds wise to also get some TRV's fitted. As for the loft insulation i've applied on-line for a grant but have not heard anything back yet and that was just after christmas. I'll also turn the water temp down but I must admit i thought that with a combi it only heated the water when you use it.

Thanks once again

The cavity wall people do take their time, but it happens eventually. It took 3 weeks for a surveyor to come round our place.

I've just installed a thermostat in our heating system as we have had the same high bills. I didn't want to run wires all over the house though so I went for a wireless thermostat. It was £40 from ebay and relatively easy to fit. The receiver goes next to your heating timer and the transmitter goes wherever you are so you heat the room you're in to your desired temperature, and not necessarily the whole house. :T Plus, it's great if you like gadgets!:p