Gas consumption increased 158%!!!

sally0101

Hi there

I cannot believe my gas consumption increase from 2010 to 2011. I am with E-on and they have an online thing where you can see the increase/decreases in your consumption from year to year.

It shows that for the month of April 2011 I increased a whopping 158.8% and 155.3% for May 2011. I am totally flabbergasted and almost fell off my chair! Had it been showing that for Dec 2010/Jan-Feb 2011, I could have understood because of the harsh winter we had but I am sure that by April & May I would have not had the heating on ... or at least not very much. I work full time and am out from 8am-6pm Mon-Fri. I have the heating on for about 30 mins each morning before work in the cold months and only if I need it on evenings. Even then the thermostat is kept low. Also, was out most nights at my boyfriends house during the spring/summer and wasnt using the heating.

I just dont understand. I only live in a tiny bedsit so I just dont know what to think. I pay £50 all in each month by DD to cover both and to be honest I am always in credit. Its not the paying thats a problem really .. I just cant believe or understand the increase.

Please can someone advise me.

penrhyn

Check if any of the readings were estimated, this could artificially increase or decrease your consumption over a given period, but it should even out over time.

HappyMJ

Do you provide monthly meter readings? It's probably just a statistical error depending on exactly when you provided the meter readings. To be really accurate the meter readings I provide on Imeasure are supposed to be taken at exactly midnight on Sunday night. I actually read them some time on Monday. If I read them in the morning one week and the evening the next week it appears I have used a lot more electricity than the week before as it's really 7 and a half days and the previous week is 6 and half days. Same goes with monthly or quarterly meter readings. My supplier only requires meter readings twice per year. That isn't going to create an accurate chart at all.

sally0101

penrhyn wrote: »

Check if any of the readings were estimated, this could artificially increase or decrease your consumption over a given period, but it should even out over time.

Hi, thanks for your replies. I always ring the readings in. Never estimated.

sally0101

HappyMJ wrote: »

Do you provide monthly meter readings? It's probably just a statistical error depending on exactly when you provided the meter readings. To be really accurate the meter readings I provide on Imeasure are supposed to be taken at exactly midnight on Sunday night. I actually read them some time on Monday. If I read them in the morning one week and the evening the next week it appears I have used a lot more electricity than the week before as it's really 7 and a half days and the previous week is 6 and half days. Same goes with monthly or quarterly meter readings. My supplier only requires meter readings twice per year. That isn't going to create an accurate chart at all.

Hi, thanks for your reply. I dont provide monthly readings ... never really paid much attention to how often I provide them to be honest ... just when I am asked to. However, I think I will pay more attention and read it regularly like you suggest. Do you read yours every week??? I also saw one of the energy monitors and am thinking of getting one.

Ms_Chocaholic

I read my meters every month, usually the last day and then submit them online. I'm with Scottish Power and they show a graph of usage from one year to the next.

HappyMJ

sally0101 wrote: »

Hi, thanks for your reply. I dont provide monthly readings ... never really paid much attention to how often I provide them to be honest ... just when I am asked to. However, I think I will pay more attention and read it regularly like you suggest. Do you read yours every week??? I also saw one of the energy monitors and am thinking of getting one.

Every week. Yes and it makes quite a nice chart too. Much more accurate the quarterly meter reading. The two big peaks are January 2010 and December 2010. They were very cold months. If the meter readings were quarterly they would be straight lines for 13 weeks and wouldn't really compare properly at all to the same time last year.

Kitte

I do mine too, I have a whole heap of different analysis graphs but I do my monthly spend too.



Blue = Electricity
Red = Gas

I'm pleased my usage this year has been low - 4800kwh for Gas and 2100kwh for Electric. :cool:

DVardysShadow

sally0101 wrote: »

I just dont understand. I only live in a tiny bedsit so I just dont know what to think. I pay £50 all in each month by DD to cover both and to be honest I am always in credit. Its not the paying thats a problem really .. I just cant believe or understand the increase.

Please can someone advise me.

Bedsit? Meter supplies another bedsit which has come into use this year? Meter been changed from imperial to metric?

sally0101

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Bedsit? Meter supplies another bedsit which has come into use this year? Meter been changed from imperial to metric?

Hi ... the bedsit is the same layout as semi-detatched houses ... the 2 flats downstairs are one bed and the two upstairs are bedsits. All council properties. Me and the lady below have been here a while (well me 3 years and her for 30+ years) but the people next door just moved in this year.

Meter had not been changed in any way since I lived here but not really sure about the whole metric/imperial thing. Sorry ... blonde moment

Derivative

HappyMJ wrote: »

Every week. Yes and it makes quite a nice chart too. Much more accurate the quarterly meter reading. The two big peaks are January 2010 and December 2010. They were very cold months. If the meter readings were quarterly they would be straight lines for 13 weeks and wouldn't really compare properly at all to the same time last year.

This is excellent. Genius idea. Will be doing the same when I'm off inclusive billing.