New Gas Boiler sends bill through the roof

capwell

Having had to replace my aged Gas boiler with new "efficient" condensing boiler my bill has more than doubled. I have had it serviced and checked to no avail. This is during the mildest winter for years. The thermostats remain on the same 19 degrees and we have woodburner which keeps us warm with the gas for backup and for the water.
We are both pensioners and live frugally so cannot afford such a huge hike in cost of heating.
The parting comment from the installer was advising us to look forward to dramatic reduction in bills but we are experiencing the opposite and all he can suggest is that we turn it down more.
Any suggestions or similar experience.

footyguy

capwell wrote: »

Having had to replace my aged Gas boiler with new "efficient" condensing boiler my bill has more than doubled. I have had it serviced and checked to no avail. This is during the mildest winter for years. The thermostats remain on the same 19 degrees and we have woodburner which keeps us warm with the gas for backup and for the water.
We are both pensioners and live frugally so cannot afford such a huge hike in cost of heating.
The parting comment from the installer was advising us to look forward to dramatic reduction in bills but we are experiencing the opposite and all he can suggest is that we turn it down more.
Any suggestions or similar experience.

Are you actually consuming more gas?

Or has your tariff price drastically increased recently? (e.g. because you came off a cheap fixed deal and are now on an expensive variable tariff)?

Arthurian

Are your bills based on estimated readings? I suggest taking your own meter readings once a week, and converting the readings to KWh via online conversion calculators, to keep a check. Maybe ask a different installer or British Gas to check for a leak.

Robin9

Has your meter been changed recently ?

LadyDee

Does anybody think this might be a case of the readings being in the wrong units? Seem to remember reading something about this type of error causing huge increase in power bills - this was a long time ago and I can't really be sure what it was.

Robin9

LadyDee wrote: »

Does anybody think this might be a case of the readings being in the wrong units? Seem to remember reading something about this type of error causing huge increase in power bills - this was a long time ago and I can't really be sure what it was.

I am sure this has nothing to do with the boiler and is an wrong or estimated reading issue but we need the OP to give us some answers.

teddysmum

is the OP basing an increase in cost on increased direct debit charges, as they are raised to cover any deficit but providers do overestimate the required charge, in their own favour.

capwell

Thanks for reply. I have read my meter every month for 10 years so have all monthly usage for the last decade.
It is true the meter was changed 2 months after the boiler but the independent engineer tested the meter reading as showing the same usage as the boiler itself. He did think it possible the old meter was never reading correctly but I don't think it would have been misreading by more than 50%

unclebulgaria

Can I ask what you had taken out and what you've had installed? Make and models?

Robin9

The new meter will be a metric one replacing imperial - is the new meter shown on your bills ?

dogshome

As posted by Robin9, it's likely that your old meter was an 'Imperial' model measuring in cubic feet, on which each meter unit delivers close to 31.5 Kwh of gas.

The new meter will be 'Metric' which measures in cubic metres, on which one meter unit delivers close to 11.2 Kwh of gas.

If your supplier has not been notified or failed to recognise the meter change, and have kept on billing you on an Imperial meter basis your bills will be 183% higher than they should be.

Check that the new meter is marked cm3, and if so, on a bill since the meter was changed divide the number of Kwh charged by the number of units used