What's a normal amount to pay for gas?

Hoddie_2

House is 2 up/2 down small terrace, electric oven and hob, combi-boiler is approx. 3 years old. 1 shower per day and central heating only used in the kid's bedroom during winter. Downstairs is heated by a wood burning fire in the living room. Soft water if that matters, and newly insulated approx. 4 years ago.

Given all this, what should I expect the annual gas charge to be? It's coming in at about £1,600 which seems insanely high considering.

WTFH

How many people, do you heat your water using gas, what temperature is your thermostat set to for room heating, how many hours a day is it on for, what temp is your water thermostat at, does your washing machine/tumble dryer/dishwasher use hot water?

victor2

That does seem very high, but it makes much more sense if you look at what your usage is in kWh (it's on the bill). Ideally you want your annual usage in kWh, which if it isn't given somewhere, your supplier can tell you if you contact them.

daveyjp

We used 700 cubic metres last year which is approx 7500 kWh. All cooking with gas, gas fire and GCH.

Check your meter and bills are both in the same units of volume measurements, either cubic feet or cubic metres.

Hoddie_2

There are only 2 of us, me and my 11-year old daughter. The washing machine has only a cold water intake. The boiler is set at 35°C and the room thermostat is set to about 19°C though only in winter.

On 14/6/2000 they took a reading of 6552. On 4/6/2013 they took a reading of 12266. The difference here is 5714, or 5.261 per day.

For the quarter March to June the bill states "11238 kWh (kilowatt / hour) used = £463.90".

It's just absurd that approx 10 showers per week plus incidental hot water usage can cost so much. I'm trying to see if my usage is typical given the circumstances, if it is then so be it.

My supplier has always admitted that my usage appeared high but they have never offered an explanation. About two years after I moved in I had the pipes checked because I caught a feint smell of gas. Three leaks were found between the meter and the boiler, and though they didn't have to, my supplier generously offered a credit towards the gas I was charged for but didn't actually use (not sure how they calculated this but it was a decent credit so no arguments),

Part of me wonders whether the cowboy who fitted the boiler actually damaged the meter in some way, but how do I go about getting that checked?

victor2

Hoddie wrote: »

On 14/6/2000 they took a reading of 6552. On 4/6/2013 they took a reading of 12266. The difference here is 5714, or 5.261 per day.

For the quarter March to June the bill states "11238 kWh (kilowatt / hour) used = £463.90".

I assume you meant 14/6/2010 above and you have a metric meter (it will say something like m3 on it).
5714 cubic meters over almost 3 years equates to about 21,500 kWh of gas per year. To use 11,000 kWh between March and June is high but not ridiculously so, as you probably had the heating on for a lot of that time. Ofgem's "typical" medium usage is 16,500 kWh per year, so you do appear to be higher than a typical user, especially as there are only 2 of you in a relatively small house. Is the house reasonably well insulated?
If your shower is fed by gas heated water (and not electric), then that is probably the main user of gas in the summer. Read your meter to see what you are using in a week without any heating on. For a metric meter, multiply the units used by 11 to get a rough idea of how many kWh that corresponds to. A more precise formula may be shown on your gas bills for that calculation.

daveyjp

So you have been getting estimated bills? If so it sounds like you may be playing catch up. Take a reading tomorrow, then check on Monday and see how much you have used.

Hoddie_2

@daveyjp - plenty of estimated readings over the years but at least 2 readings were taken by them every year, including the latest one.

@victor2 - yes it should be 2010, been a long day

Can you point me in the direction of where Ofgem offer these figures? They might help me demonstrate that something is wrong, I just can't see how our gas usage can be a 1/3rd more than the typical user given our circumstances. I've just had a chat with my next door neighbour, family of 4 and paying just a little under half of what I am with the same supplier.

This has been bugging me for a long time and it's reached the point where for my own sanity I need to establish once and for all whether an issue exists here or not.

Norman_Castle

The boiler is set at 35°C and the room thermostat is set to about 19°C though only in winter.

Boiler set at 35 C sounds very low. Mine is at 75 C for heating and 60 C (max) for water..

victor2

Hoddie wrote: »

Can you point me in the direction of where Ofgem offer these figures? They might help me demonstrate that something is wrong, I just can't see how our gas usage can be a 1/3rd more than the typical user given our circumstances. I've just had a chat with my next door neighbour, family of 4 and paying just a little under half of what I am with the same supplier.

You can see the figures at
http://www.consumerfocus.org.uk/energy-pricing-information/ofgem-typical-consumption-values

However, these are just a guide and no two properties are the same. It does give you a starting point though.
Do you have a combi boiler and does it supply the shower? i.e. the shower is not electric.
I suspect your main issue is going to be how you use energy, rather than any faults. Getting your boiler running optimised for your demands may well improve things. Understanding what provides what and when may point to unnecessary usage of both gas and electricity. It may highlight a problem that needs sorting, but understanding how everything is used will be a good first step.

Don't think in cost, think in kWh. Only then do you convert it to actual cost of what you are using. Of course it is ultimately the cost you are interested in, but there are many, many additional factors that affect how that is determined.