Help please gas usage through the roof!!

lil_me

Ok this year we've reduced our timer so heating is on lower and less due to a new addition (Alaskan malamute puppy) who can't cope with heat

Last winter in January which was FREEZING and we had heating on at least 16 degrees 24/7 we uses an average of 23 units per day

November - December we used an average of 49, in the last week we've used an average of 53 per DAY

This seems ridiculous, I can't afford it and don't know what to do. Timers are 1.5 hours morning and 2 hours evening at 17.5 morning and 17 evening. I mean for instance last year my DP had it on 21-22 and it caused more arguements than anything else

We did have an issue with the boiler loosing pressure but it's done that since we moved in and was fixed the week before Christmas by tightening a nut inside the boiler he said

Gas is use for heating and hot water, showers included as it's a combiforce shower, cooking is electric
Any ideas what I should do

Thanks in advance for any help/advice

Dustykitten

Hi Lil_me

I'm no expert but I'll try to help.

Hot water, is that on timer the same as the the heating?
Does it feel cooler, ie is the thermo working?
You're no fool I know but you are reading the meter correctly aren't you ie not reading the 5 digit as a whole number (well that is how my gas meter works)

I do my readings monthly so I'm not sure of our daily figure but it is not that high and we have the AGA on 24/7

ETA how old is the meter? I wonder if they can go wrong?

jalexa

lil_me wrote: »

Last winter in January ....we uses an average of 23 units per day

November - December we used an average of 49, in the last week we've used an average of 53 per DAY

What *exactly* do you mean by "units" and how is the figure obtained?

lil_me

Thanks for the replies

Combi boiler so water comes on as/when needed

Measurements of unit is kwh as I enter my readings for online billing. I've used it for a year now as Scottish power has remained the cheapest. I enter the readings, it uses those and converts them

Example this morning, house is at 17 degrees so heating hadn't come on at all so we've used no gas (reading is the same)

jalexa

lil_me wrote: »

Measurements of unit is kwh as I enter my readings for online billing.

While I can't explain the previous very low usage, your current usage is still very reasonable:). My guess is that because your usage is so low your consumption is sensitive to small changes in time and temperature.

And well done for regularly monitoring your actual usage:T.

brewerdave

53 kwh per day in the Winter is very reasonable - well below average - last Winter in the coldest spell I was using ~ 130 kwh per day for heating/hot water!!!

lil_me

Thanks for the replies

The issue for me is how different the averages are, we used 23 on average over the same time last year when we were home more and the heating was on continuously. I monitored it every week then. We've had a very mild winter, heating now on timed twice a day and our usage has doubled. That's what I don't quite get. Also that's nearly £4 per day, not an amount I can afford

jalexa

lil_me wrote: »

.. that's nearly £4 per day, not an amount I can afford

No.... less than £2 surely. Are you on a NSC tariff but using the primary unit cost? If so you need to consider the secondary unit cost.

lil_me

No the most recent bill before I added this week is a week and it's £22 for 7 days, sorry closer to £3 per day not 4, still something I can't afford

I'm more concerned over it doubling when we are using the heating less, that's the bit that doesn't make sense

Scottish power online billing takes both into account and bills as a normal quarterly bill would

It's actually an efficient billing system for those who like to meter read regularly and make sure the direct debits etc are right. I can enter the readings weekly if I remember

We always have, always will be very high electricity users as we run several vivariums with lizards in and my partner does a lot of welding so we need to keep gas usage down if possible

Meter is on about 9000 cubics, been in since we moved in. We had a leak under the floor (before the meter) when we moved in but that wasn't noticeable on meter as it was before where the meter was in the system

macman

53kWh per day at approx 3.5p per kWh is about £1.85-where do you get £3/£4 a day from? Even if that level were maintained right through the year (i.e. in the summer too, which it obviously will not), your annual usage would only be 19,345kwH-little more than the UK average.
Obviously the SC has to be added, but you'll be paying that anyway regardless of consumption.
You cannot expect to heat a house for much less than £80 a month during the coldest months-and over Christmas holiday your consumption will have been much higher.

lil_me

From my online bill

What the bill says isn't a concern really as much as that our usage has doubled when the heating etc is on less In comparison to last year when the temperatures were about 10 degrees lower

I've left a message with the council to request a pressure check as suggested by a friend who is a gas engineer

Prices before vat for mine

3.457 per kwh secondary
7.541 per kwh primary

They split it on each bill so I don't just pay the primary first then secondary. Last bill was £21.86 for a weeks usage including the VAT. Average is 53 units per day recently but sometimes more and sometimes less hence over that week it was £21.86. Takes a couple of days to generate the bill so I can't see how many primary and secondary units were billed yet for that one. Previous bills it's usually 1/6th or so in primary units