Using £1.30 gas overnight when the boiler is switched off at the wall!

karenann76

Hi all....we have a smart meter now and I have noticed that the gas is going up overnight when nothing is being used and the boiler is switched off. 

This isn't the standing charge as it's too much. We are looking at about £35 -£40 a month in gas I don't think we are using. 

Has anyone else had this? Any help or suggestions gratefully received! 

Gerry1

Forget the shiny toy, look at the meter on the wall. Does the boiler have a pilot light?

Grumpy_chap

What is actually "switched off" at the wall?  I assume you mean an electric switch, yet the boiler is gas.
Could the boiler still be powered and fired up by the heating or hot water controls, outside of whatever is "switched off"?
Is it a combination boiler or conventional boiler?

Gerry1

Also look for a small 'b' symbol in the display of the meter on the wall, especially when it's cold.  It means the battery is failing.

karenann76

Hi....the boiler is switched off at the boiler switch. The pilot is off. 

We are on a prepayment meter and the balance is going down on the display. 

Going to switch off at the mains and see what happens over night but £1.30 seems a lot even is the pilot was still on? 

karenann76

I should add...not just switch my heating to zero but shut down the power to the boiler. So no hot water used. Plus I took the measurement overnight when we weren't using anything.

mac.d

Have you tried this just once or have you tried it a few times with the same result? If more than once and you get the same figure, it could maybe be the standing charge plus a debt on the pre-payment meter? You should be able to cycle through the display on the actual meter and see if there is any debt on it.

Gerry1

Forget the ££ balance, look at the volume reading, the one that says m3.  Then turn off the gas using the lever next to the meter and see whether the reading still increases.  Deal with the organ grinder, not the monkey !

The_Fat_Controller

You need to check if there is actually any gas usage overnight, not just a decrease of credit on the meter.
Take actual meter readings of the cubic metres/feet once you switch off all the gas appliances and again before you turn them on, you'll have to find the right menu on the meter.

karenann76

Will check the volume. Thanks 

Gerry1

If you've inherited a card rather than obtained a new one you could be paying off someone else's debt.

With your card in the meter, look at the entry with 'T' or '26' against it.

If it's not zero you're in trouble: that's the amount it will nibble away over the course of a week.