Gas consumption

SoderquestM

Looking to switch energy suppliers and what has become apparent is that our gas usage is very high.  Standard three bedroomed semi (1930s I think), two of us, gas central heating, and we're using 23861 kwh of gas a year.  We're both fairly recently retired, and obviously we've had lockdown, etc. but four years ago (pre-retirement) we were already using 22900.  The boiler is a floor standing Ideal Mexico, which we do have serviced.  Conventional boiler because it's located in a small cellar below the house and, as I understand it, we couldn't replace it with a combi without major work to the system.  Is there some sort of survey we can get done which to check this out and give us an idea of what we could potentially do to  reduce consumption?

[Deleted User]

By the sound of it, the problem isn’t your boiler. I suspect that you need to take a very hard look at the amount of insulation in your loft; wall insulation; windows and doors; hot water cylinder insulation; pipe insulation etc.  There are organisations that will do a survey but at cost.

youravinalarrrf

You could possibly look at the times you've got set for the heating and hot water and possibly turn the heating thermostat down by a couple of degrees?

Some people do like living at greenhouse temperatures which is totally unecessary and very costly.

dogshome

Probably the increase in Gas consumption is due to being retired with the heat on all day in Winter, as against 'Working' when it would only be running in the morning & evening.

Where in the house is the thermostat that controls the boiler - If it's in the hall, (often the way on older systems), get it moved to the room you spend most time in, and in Winter close the all doors and draw all the curtains throughout the house

Beyond this, it's time, effort and money to beef up the insulation in Attic, Walls, Windows & Draft proofing .

Robin9

@SoderquestM  You can do your own survey of your consumption.. Read your meter at the same time every day, keep a diary - note what heating/water heating you used, what the weather was, what the thermostat was set at.

As has been said insulation may well be the key/issue here.  

Your boiler in the cellar won't help - means long pipe runs to kitchen and bathroom.

We are also a pair of OAP's  - 24,000 kWh/year

merchcon55

For the sake of an example, let's assume that doing various improvements like insulation, windows, etc would save your 20% on your gas consumption (and I am not saying it would).  If you are using 24,000 KW now, you would only use 20,000 (20,000 + 20% = 24,000).

Let's assume gas KW rate is 3.5p x 4,000 less KW = £140/year savings.

Yes improving things like new windows can add value to the house - but for this example I am only considering the actual cost savings in Gas measured against the cost of doing the improvements.

You will definitely be spending a lot more doing the improvements than the savings you will realise even over a number of years.

While I like to save money as well as the next guy, I accept the fact that my Glowworm Hideaway Floor Standing Boiler (not too different from the Ideal Mexico the OP has) costs me say £150/year more. It keeps our large home lovely and warm during the winter. 

For completeness I will say that we live in a 1920s detached home with all double glazed windows, insulation in the loft, and try to block any drafts we can - but it's a 100 year old house - not built to today's standards - and is going to lose heat to a greater degree than newer homes. Part of its charm I suppose.

GunJack

PLus, most 20's and 30's houses were built without cavity walls, other than maybe dry-lining the entire house (inside) or external insulation and rendering over it (outside), limited options for insulation..

SoderquestM

Thanks for the responses.

We do have cavity wall insulation and have added more loft insulation in the last 10 years.  We don't actually have a thermostat on the heating - effectively we control it with the boiler temperature and the timer.  That may be part of the problem.

Where we could make improvements is the windows - old double glazing, which probably needs upgrading.

theoretica

SoderquestM said:

Thanks for the responses.

We do have cavity wall insulation and have added more loft insulation in the last 10 years.  We don't actually have a thermostat on the heating - effectively we control it with the boiler temperature and the timer.  That may be part of the problem.

Where we could make improvements is the windows - old double glazing, which probably needs upgrading.

I saved 20% or so on my gas use when I added a thermostat - and the rooms are more often the perfect temperature.   It may be an improvement with decent return for your money - and increased comfort.  Drafts are another thing which are generally cheap and worthwhile to sort out.

FreeBear

SoderquestM said: We do have cavity wall insulation and have added more loft insulation in the last 10 years.  We don't actually have a thermostat on the heating - effectively we control it with the boiler temperature and the timer.  That may be part of the problem.

Fitting a smart thermostat for the heating and hot water tank will make a huge difference to your gas consumption. Fitting a smart control system will allow you to set different temperatures throughout the day (cooler in the daytime, warmer in the evening) which will help to cut gas usage. I've suggested the Drayton Wiser system elsewhere - It might be worth a look.

Sealing draughts, especially around the edges of the rooms at floor/skirting will pay dividends, as will insulating the floor where you have access in the cellar. Internal wall insulation can get expensive and highly disruptive - Having done one small room here so far, it was well worth doing (but I did most of the work myself). External wall insulation can work on most properties, but the detailing around windows/doors and the roof junction has to be done right. On some buildings (with bay windows for example), it can look piggin' !!!!!!.

Start with the low cost improvements (TRVs, smarter heating control, plugging draughts). See what difference they make to comfort levels & heating bills, and then contemplate the more expensive improvements.

BUFF

How old is your boiler & is it a condensing one?

~13 years ago I* went from a balanced flue non-condensing Worcester Highflow>condensing fan-flued Worcester Highflow and I upgraded the controls at the same time. Between the 2 changes I basically halved my annual consumption which pretty much has paid for the replacement by now - I think that the improved controls were responsible for a large chunk of the reduction.
Next change planned (but probably not until this boiler requires replacement) is to upgrade to a smart thermostat/programmer with load/weather compensation. I reckon that the small additional % improvement that would make would also pay for itself over the next boiler's life.

*fyi I live in a 3 bed Edwardian terrace in a Conservation Area in Glasgow so am somewhat limited in what I can do in terms of structural insulation -  loft has been done & a heavy programme of draught proofing. My annual gas usage is ~ 8500KwH for heat/hot water but I do run the system cool to ensure condensing, wear an extra layer instead of increasing the thermostat etc.