Since having my gas meter changed, consumption seems to have increased by 50%

amistupid

I've got a two year old boiler. Last November my utility company npower, changed my gas meter. I have the boiler on the same settings, times on/ times off, as I did last winter. The thermostat setting is also unchanged. By comparing bills, it seems to me that my gas consumption has increased about 50% since the meter was changed, which surprised me because this winter has been much milder.

I reported my concerns to npower who merely palmed me off, saying my usage was still below average.

Apart from the meter leaking could the increase be due to the new meter somehow allowing the boiler to use more gas?

For information, my old meter read units in feet cubed (X100) my new one reads in metres cubed. I have used conversion tables to convert the units from both meters to kHw to ensure I'm making a true comparison.

lstar337

Do Npower know the meter units have changed from feet cubed to metres cubed?

It's likely they haven't noted the change. What does it say the units are on your new and old bills?

amistupid

lstar337 wrote: »

Do Npower know the meter units have changed from feet cubed to metres cubed?

It's likely they haven't noted the change. What does it say the units are on your new and old bills?

They do know about the meter change, but because of it, my bill due in January will be put back another three months! So I'm working out my own 'new' bill.

CashStrapped

I think you have misunderstood what istar 337 was saying.

It it was an old meter it may have measured gas in ft3 (foot cubed), whereas the new meter will measure gas in m3 (meters cubed).

While npower are aware of the new meter, they may have forgoton to change the billing to m3.

So you are using gas in m3 nd npower are charging you in ft3.

This will triple your bill!

Check your mter , it should say m3.

Then check your bill, it should have calculation information on there and it may say it was converted from ft3

Hope that helps!

amistupid

No, I understand what istar337 was saying, and I have informed npower that my old meter read in ft3 and that my new meter reads in m3. As I said the meter change has delayed the bill I was due about now, by 3 months.

I'm working on my own calculations, from the new meter being installed I have used 368 units (in metres cubed) about 4150 kHw, which is 50% more than I used last year during roughly the same period of time last year when the weather was worse..

EssexExile

As your usage is still below average there is always the possibility that the old meter was under-reading.

If you suspect a leak any gas engineer could check with a manometer, although if you really suspect a gas leak you should be calling the emergency number for your supplier.

CashStrapped

Post the dates and the meter readings you took (ignore estimates).

I assume you have a confirmed reading when they installed the new meter.

Post them here and we can double check the figures.

Depending on the age of you system, size of house, living habits etc. The KWH calculation of 4150 over 3 months (if that is what you are saying) is not beyond the relms of possibility.

Like I said, post all your confirmed meter reading and the dates, so we have more information.

Thanks

footyguy

amistupid wrote: »

I've got a two year old boiler. Last November my utility company npower, changed my gas meter. I have the boiler on the same settings, times on/ times off, as I did last winter. The thermostat setting is also unchanged. By comparing bills, it seems to me that my gas consumption has increased about 50% since the meter was changed, which surprised me because this winter has been much milder.

I reported my concerns to npower who merely palmed me off, saying my usage was still below average.

Apart from the meter leaking could the increase be due to the new meter somehow allowing the boiler to use more gas?

For information, my old meter read units in feet cubed (X100) my new one reads in metres cubed. I have used conversion tables to convert the units from both meters to kHw to ensure I'm making a true comparison.

Why were you given a new meter?
Was it because of the possibilty the old one had become innaccurate?

If you think the new meter is innacurate you can probably get it tested for which a charge will apply (about £70-£100 usually), but you'll get this back if testing proves the new meter to be innaccurate.
(plus you should be able to negotiate a revised price on the usage over the period the faulty meter was installed)

amistupid

Last years bills

11 July 2015 to 6 Jan 2016 (180 days)
Total units used (100s of cubic feet) 133.
Converted to 4202 kWh.

7 Jan 2015 to 29 June 2015 (174 days)
Total units used (100s of cubic feet) 197
Converted to kWh 6240


Haven't received a bill since but can confirm the following readings.

30 June 2015 to 23 Nov 2015 (147 days)
60 units used (100s of cubic feet)
Converted to about 1900 kWh.

23 Nov 2015 (date new meter was fitted) to 27 Jan 2016 (66 days)
368 units used (metres cubed)
Converted to about 4150 kWh

So in the last 66 days, since the new meter was fitted, I've almost used as many kWh as I did in the 6 months from July to January last year.

amistupid

EssexExile wrote: »

As your usage is still below average there is always the possibility that the old meter was under-reading.

I suppose that's as likely as the new one over-reading.

footyguy wrote: »

Why were you given a new meter?
Was it because of the possibilty the old one had become innaccurate?

If you think the new meter is innacurate you can probably get it tested for which a charge will apply (about £70-£100 usually), but you'll get this back if testing proves the new meter to be innaccurate.
(plus you should be able to negotiate a revised price on the usage over the period the faulty meter was installed)

There was no suggestion that the old meter had become inaccurate, just that it was time to renew it. The new one they fitted is reconditioned. Npower informed me of the cost I'd have to pay if an engineer examined the meter and found it had no faults. They've also asked me to take a meter reading for the next 5 days and pass those details to them.

footyguy

amistupid wrote: »

...
There was no suggestion that the old meter had become inaccurate, just that it was time to renew it. ....

So it was getting old ... nothing works accurately forever.

Reconditioning a unit makes it as good as new ... as far as safety & reliability is concerned.