4100 KWH of gas in 5 weeks / 1 month

megyork

Heedtheadvice wrote: »

Regarding the energy used for the month away:


Electricity use is very high. You could maybe check totally what is switched on. Is it more than just the fridge freezer? In round figures, with empty property, you are in round figures using 10kWh per day. That is ridiculous. Make sure you are not reading the meter and including a decimal point digit! Our much smaller property background consumption is about 2kWh perday with lots connected. You need to investigate.


Gas being high too, frost protection is valid possibility but it has not been that cold (you currently mention 12degrees but it might have avereged 6 inside the property over the period. Hardly low enough to trigger much frost protection.
You may well have leak or other problem so get the gas system checked. The Landlord should get this done for you but even if you call in a gas safe registered engineer they can very easily do a pressure check to check for leaks or 'unknown' consumption. As renters you should have info from the landlord regarding current safety certification. Search landlord responsibilities or tennants rights to get info.


I agree with what has been posted regarding the learning process and the exeedingly expensive tariff you are on. I concurr with standing charge and energy use figures other have posted.

How about?
Get in touch with Martin Lewis on his current programme (Itv) and pass by him all your financial arrangements as it seem you all have a lot to learn - but at least you have made a start!

as far as I am aware, the only appliance on over the period was the fridge, from looking around the house its the only thing constantly on.
the meter is a Siemens one, an old one which has a few different rates (Siemens 1996 meter, would attach image but not allowed to)

I do know the boiler is old, so not sure if its just running inefficiently. I have asked the landlord today for the gas certificate and the boiler manual to have a look over it and see if anything stands out. This will take them a while tho as at the moment we are also having disagreements about the fridge and its size complying with HMO regulations in Nottingham.

In regards to this being a 'lesson' - very unfair, as students who live with strangers we either get scammed by suppliers, landlord or other students (not paying their part of the bill as not a legal obligation), if we aren't getting robbed of our deposits its by high bills for houses that are falling apart and growing mould! I may 75£ a week for a room with a shared bathroom, in an area that I wouldn't walk alone at night in!

Gerry1

What a sad state of affairs, people living under the same roof being so distrustful of each other that they prefer to line the pockets of a scammer (to the tune of a thousand pounds per year or whatever) rather than set up a kitty system.

Heedtheadvice

Do not take umbridge at the comments about 'lesson'. They are not meant to antagonise but just for you all to take note and put some of the unfortunate experience to part of the !earning process. I sure you will now go in to similar situations with your eyes more open. A pity it will be so costly for you.


You could do a meter 'test' to indicate if your Siemens meter is reading at least in the right ball park. With only the fridge/freezer running take a reading of the meter and another say 10 hours later such as an overnight period. Multiply the unit difference by 100 and that will give you the number of watts being consumed. That is your background use and is likely to be about 200 watts.....or ought to be!
Now connect in addition a heater (1kW or 2 kW). Repeat the before and after reading with tbe heater full on for an hour or two. The units should increase by power (kW of heater) x time of test (in hours) thus a 2kW heater for two hours results in 4 units (4 kWh) that will cost you a pound or two but give you valuable information. The longer the test the more accurate the result but the greater the cost!


Post back your results.


Hope you get the gas test soon. If you see the gas meter clocking up use when all is definately off then suspect a leak and call in British Gas on their emergency number. That should not cost you anything and might just be a life saver!

Smodlet

I cannot believe Ofgem sanction this practice. It might be worth contacting them, OP.

If nothing else, whatever your views on the posts on this thread, life lessons are always valuable if often painful.

Gerry1

Ofgem couldn't care less. They'd just say the the students chose that supplier of their own free will, the prices are clearly displayed, other suppliers are available hence they are free to switch if they find that Glide / Ovo no longer meets their needs.

It's the sort of thing that Student Unions should be warning about during freshers' week, but they're far too busy being snowflakes and No Platforming people with whom they do not agree.

Smodlet

Gerry1 wrote: »

Ofgem couldn't care less. They'd just say the the students chose that supplier of their own free will, the prices are clearly displayed, other suppliers are available hence they are free to switch if they find that Glide / Ovo no longer meets their needs.

It's the sort of thing that Student Unions should be warning about during freshers' week, but they're far too busy being snowflakes and No Platforming people with whom they do not agree.

I don't actually know what that last bit means, Gerry1, but can guess.

I still maintain the parents/guardians are to blame: How can you possibly attain the age of 18 and get into university (however easy that may now be) yet know nothing about the most basic facts of life? By which I mean how much utilities and other basic necessities cost so settle down, y'all. :cool:

... Since when do you have to be an economics student to know how to use a comparison site, fcs?

megyork

Heedtheadvice wrote: »

Do not take umbridge at the comments about 'lesson'. They are not meant to antagonise but just for you all to take note and put some of the unfortunate experience to part of the !earning process. I sure you will now go in to similar situations with your eyes more open. A pity it will be so costly for you.


You could do a meter 'test' to indicate if your Siemens meter is reading at least in the right ball park. With only the fridge/freezer running take a reading of the meter and another say 10 hours later such as an overnight period. Multiply the unit difference by 100 and that will give you the number of watts being consumed. That is your background use and is likely to be about 200 watts.....or ought to be!
Now connect in addition a heater (1kW or 2 kW). Repeat the before and after reading with tbe heater full on for an hour or two. The units should increase by power (kW of heater) x time of test (in hours) thus a 2kW heater for two hours results in 4 units (4 kWh) that will cost you a pound or two but give you valuable information. The longer the test the more accurate the result but the greater the cost!


Post back your results.


Hope you get the gas test soon. If you see the gas meter clocking up use when all is definately off then suspect a leak and call in British Gas on their emergency number. That should not cost you anything and might just be a life saver!

for the heater - does this have to be an electric plug in one to test?

would a gas oven / cooker work then the boiler is off?

I am not currently In the property, but I will do the test overnight when am back and post what I find! thank you

megyork

I called the company and spoke to the billing team, after being on the phone for an HOUR and despite telling us in numerous emails and starting our charges entitle us to a yearly allowance, for which if we are under we revive a refund and for which we are over we have to pay more, that INFACT there is no such thing as an allowance...

That the amount we pay each month just goes towards what the bill COULD be.

in the process of cancelling, but is a joke that they can advertise one thing and do another.
the entire point of using them was to maintain a steady payment and try and keep within what usage the payment entitles us to

all seems like a huge joke to them

Gerry1

So it's working in EXACTLY the same way as a conventional fixed direct debit operated by a conventional energy supplier, except that there are five named direct debitees instead of one.

They're adding hefty management charges, and gullible students are paying them because they don't like talking to each other.

The joke is on you. No wonder Glide are laughing - all the way to the bank !

Heedtheadvice

would a gas oven / cooker work then the boiler is off?

Depends where you switch off the boiler! If you switch of the boiler on it's control unit or programmer you will not affect the oven/cooker. It has separate controls.
If you turn off the gas supply then everything using that supply will be off....but that is not something to do lightly. Not normally done except during maintenance, test or emergency.


Any electric heater, plug in or otherwise is suitable provided it is not too high power (2kW is fine in a 13amp socket.) but make sure it is on (actually heating) all the time of the test. For this you might have to turn it's thermostat (if it has one) up full.