Gas Usage

skint12

We have bought a house and we aren't living there yet but we are using loads of Gas! We left the thermostat at 10'c because we daren't leave it any higher due to it using so much but it 3 days, we havent used any water in this time and it has used 20 units.We have phoned British Gas and they are saying that they have nothing to compare it to so won't check it out. We have homecare with them and the boiler has been serviced and a new thermostat has been fitted. We have re-lagged all the pipes. We just can't understand it and don't want to move in because we can't afford to and are already thinking of selling.

HappyMJ

That's not that much... Set the thermostat much lower than 10 if you are not in the house and it will be cheaper.

jalexa

skint12 wrote: »

we havent used any water in this time and it has used 20 units.

What *exactly* do you mean by "units"? What were the *exact* meter readings when you started and 3 days later?

dogshome

20 Meter Units over 3 days ? Depends what sort of gas meter you have as to what 20 units costs

If the meter is marked m3 on the front it's a Metric model and each meter unit equals close to 11.2 chargeable Kwh, so 20 x 11.2 = 224Kwk @ 4p? = £8.96 - £2.98 a day
If the meter is marked ft3 it's an Imperial model and each unit equals close to 31.5 Kwh, so 20 x 31.5 = 630 Kwh @ 4p = £25.20 - £8.40 a day !

Pont

To echo the above:-
1) If my house was empty I would not leave the thermostat on at 10 degrees (I assume 24 hours a day). Although you haven't mentioned what size property you have, potentially you could have loads of radiators which are kicking in (and off) for several hours every night when the temperature drops. Have you got TRVs? If so set them to frost setting and turn that stat down.
2) Huge difference between m3 and ft3 as dogshome states - check which you have.
3) When you next go to the house run the heating for an hour (maybe at circa 20 degrees) and check each radiator is hot from bottom to top - you may need to bleed them to ensure efficiency.
4) As above but record useage at the start, then at the finish of test period. What does your unit useage read over 1 hour?
5) As an afterthought (I don't mean to be cheeky!) but you are recording the black numbers rather than the red (parts of each unit) ones?

skint12

It's M3. We had it plastered and had the heating off but it wasn't drying out so we put heating in to dry and then once was dried we turned off. But we got cold spots everywhere once painted and it was bubbling so that why we put on 10. Yes numbers in black.

So when we move in you don't think would be as high?! It's a 2 bed terrace with attic. It is just my family with the same meter as us have their heating on all the time, using showers, washing machine etc and are using between 3 and 6 units a day.

skint12

What is a TVR ?

Also our thermostat won't go lower than 7'c

On the boiler the numbers between 1-5 we put the water and the radiators both on 1. Is this the right thing to do?

Thanks

jalexa

skint12 wrote: »

We left the thermostat at 10'c.

OK. Which room is the themostat in? Is the radiator in the "themostat room" less powerful than the radiators in other rooms?

Or to put it another way, the thermostat only senses the temperature in the room it is installed in.

And the meter readings before and after the 3 days were?

macman

skint12 wrote: »

It's M3. We had it plastered and had the heating off but it wasn't drying out so we put heating in to dry and then once was dried we turned off. But we got cold spots everywhere once painted and it was bubbling so that why we put on 10. Yes numbers in black.

So when we move in you don't think would be as high?! It's a 2 bed terrace with attic. It is just my family with the same meter as us have their heating on all the time, using showers, washing machine etc and are using between 3 and 6 units a day.

You are supposed to let the plaster dry out reasonably naturally, you can't paint it for a few weeks if it's been completely replastered. Didn't your plasterer tell you this?
And you appear to have a water leak if the meter is moving and no water is being drawn off.
Set the CH and DHW temps at midway to start with and see how you get on. 1 is too low.
Thermostatic Radiator Valve

HappyMJ

skint12 wrote: »

What is a TVR ?

Also our thermostat won't go lower than 7'c

On the boiler the numbers between 1-5 we put the water and the radiators both on 1. Is this the right thing to do?

Thanks

7 is all that is required at night.

TRV. Thermostatic radiator valves. They should be on * in any unused rooms. They should be put up to 1 or 2 in bedrooms when required and 3 or 4 in bathrooms and living rooms when required. When you go to bed you should turn the lounge ones down to 1 overnight and when you are out.

The boiler temperature setting is up to you. If you use a timer or use heating only when required then it really should be on 5 so the house gets up to temperature quickly. If you leave heating on 24/7 then setting it on low would be OK.

penrhyn

20 metric units in 3 days, thats 200 kwh ish, or 60 Kwh /day, sounds reasonable for a damp house. You also need some ventilation to let the damp air out.
The CH boiler temperature should be set to get the radiators up to around 60 degrees, say at a mid position. Running low will be inefficient.

TRV knobby thing on the radiators with numbers on.