Am I using too much gas?

MistyBlueVelvet

Hi, I'm hoping someone can advise me. I've lived in a small 2-bed bungalow for the last three years. I only had gas installed in the summer of 2013, so am not too sure if my usage is about right for the size of the property. I have 3 full size radiators and 3 small ones. I also have a gas cooker (which I hardly ever use). I checked my bill today as it looks like I've used quite a bit of gas. The supplier (Scottish Power) say I am using approximately 39 units per day right now. I have the thermostat at around 17/18c during the day and turn it down to 13c when I go to bed. Is the usage about right please?

StuC75

You need to be looking at your usage in terms of KWH, as units could be metric or imperial so we wouldn't even know..

Usage will be higher this time of the year, so you need to check the £'s its costing against what your source of heating cost last year to determine..

then it depends on size of property, how well constructed and insulated this is and whether what you are using this year makes it as comfortable as before..

Where is the thermostat based in the house? mine is wireless so can put it in the room to control based on what I like.. but other rooms may vary from this..

Mine can be set to 18, and because theres no drafts its nice and comfortable, but I go to my parents and that seems cold when the thermostat can be showing 20..

dogshome

"The supplier (Scottish Power) say I am using approximately 39 units per day right now."

Suppliers usually work in Kwh not Gas Meter units, so if this 39 is actually Kwh, the cost will be roughly £1.85 a day, ( plus standing charge & VAT) which though not good, isn't too bad for Winter.

Depending on which part of the country you live in, running the heating overnight could be an expensive luxury - If the system has a timer control it can be set to OFF overnight with a start-up an hour before you get up

The cost of Gas heating is directly related to how good or bad the house is insulated -
Checking the level of insulation in the loft is No. 1, and cheap to fix

MistyBlueVelvet

Thanks for the info. My thermostat is in the small hall, unfortunately it's wired. This is a small bungalow, council owned, and the loft seems to be very well insulated and the windows are all double glazed. I'm in Cornwall, so not sure how the property is constructed so not sure about wall insulation...I'm not getting any drafts from the relentless gales though. The 39 units are in fact Kwh, so I guess that it's not too bad as I'm home all day with the heating on. It's got to be cheaper in the long run than the awful storage heaters that were in the place up until last July.
I'm switching to another supplier though as SP have messed up my billing, switching the two figures of the electricity meters, not taking out the direct debit payment for last month, and putting my monthly bill up by £11 even though the account is always in credit!!

DragonQ

I'm using 40-45 units per day right now and I don't even have the heating on during the day or at night (morning & evening only). Shows how inefficient my flat is! Fortunately we're getting cavity wall insulation soon.

scaredofdebt

http://www.home-save.co.uk/energy/why_switch_supplier/average_energy_usage/