Help - Costly NIBE heating system

DomRidd

Dear All,

On the 27th October I signed up and moved in to a new flat in Poundbury, Dorset.

When I viewed the flat I was shown the kitchen and in the corner cupboard was a big boiler. Told it was a eco-friendly boiler. The EPC certificate showed it was going to cost £327 per year for lighting, heating and hot water. When I signed up with British Gas they set my direct debit as £29/month based on previous usages and me living there on my own, working full time so out the flat from 7:30am to 6:00pm, and away most weekends at my partners place...

I submitted my first meter readings last night and the bill was £90.27!!

Turns out it's a NIBE Heat exchanger system, basically an electric boiler... The letting agent have supposedly had someone out to check it over... it's not even been using the Extra Hot Water function which heats the water by way of an immersion heater...

I have never paid over £50/month for gas/electricity...

So feel I have been stitched up with this heating system, costing me loads more than I was led to expect.

What are my rights to cut the tenancy short and get out this flat?

Any help much appreciated.

Dominic

G_M

No rightsI'm afraid. the time to check the typeof boiler was before signing the tenancy agreement.


EPCs are pointless and tell you almost nothing. What they do tell you is often erroneous or based on 'assumpions'.


You can ask if the landlord will acept an Early Surrender of the tenancy. He may agree, but if somay impose conditions(eg covering his re-marketing costs etc).


How long is your fixed term?

davidmcn

DomRidd wrote: »

I submitted my first meter readings last night and the bill was £90.27!!

Eh? You only moved in yesterday. Are you saying the readings from beginning to end of yesterday amounted to £90.27?

AdrianC

davidmcn wrote: »

Eh? You only moved in yesterday. Are you saying the readings from beginning to end of yesterday amounted to £90.27?

The OP has edited the post - it now reads 27th October.

xylophone

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19511637

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5601868/air-source-heat-pump-costing-loads-in-electricity

ComicGeek

It's an exhaust air heat pump - supposed to use upgraded waste heat from kitchens and bathrooms to feed underfloor heating and a hot water cylinder. Really poor design (kind of like robbing peter to pay paul) but made a lot worse by not being set up or operated correctly.

Utility bills will always be higher in the winter, balanced out over the year by lower bills in the summer. So you can't compare an average DD amount to a single months usage.

It may possibly be cheaper to run the electric immersion for hot water as and when you need it. Look at current heating times, hot water times, hot water storage temperatures etc to see if you can reduce usage.

Doozergirl

We got our smart metre this time last year and I was having palpitations at how fast that thing was ticking up the pennies.

It does even out over the year because your heating usage will drop to zero. It won't be £90 every month.

If you have a new supplier, you'll probably be in credit with your old one as the aim is to build up a bit of a slush fund over summer to subsidise the winter payments.

Your direct debit probably will be higher over the next year as you've moved in right at the beginning of the heating season and will want to build that slush fund up as well, but it will even out.

Make sure you are with the cheapest supplier too!

D_M_E

You supplied a reading, but who supplied the opening reading when you moved in, and what was it?

As it's a flat, have you checked that the meter which you think is yours actually is the correct one supplying the property?

molerat

I thought everyone realised that the terms eco-friendly and cheap never belong together and the best thing to do with an EPC certificate is burn it, at least you will get some heat from it

xylophone

We got our smart metre

Easy to run?:)

Doozergirl

xylophone wrote: »

Easy to run?:)

That's autocarrot!