Meter clicking up though no gas used

ripple34

Took ownership of new property on 12 May, stayed for six nights, took entry reading and exit reading to see how much was used due to awareness there was an inefficient back-boiler which will have to be replaced. Noted rather more use than expected even in those circs. Left for ten days and took gas meter reading on arrival last night. To my horror I note that nearly 10 units have clocked up while the place was empty. 
I had not yet contacted British Gas the current supplier as had intended researching what is left in terms of options. 
This is crazy - no wonder the sellers were so desperate to leave, they probably had no idea they were paying for unused energy. 

Obviously am now on to BG to ask them to investigate and they're trying to force me into a direct debit before they'll look into it. NEVER sign up to a DD. I'd rather pay a fraction more to keep them out of my bank account and accruing credit for their own ends. 

What on earth can explain this?
Who will pay for unused energy in this situation? I'm not going to. 

The_Fat_Controller

Pilot light and boiler heating a tank of hot water on a timer ?

Edit.

You are liable for any gas used.

Are the "units" on the meter 100's of Cubic Feet or Cubic Metres ?

markin

The back-boiler could have a pilot light, if you shut it down then you must have a leak, is it a house or flat?

Archie_Duke

A pilot light will use some of the boiler is switched on. See this old thread : https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/2746166/pilot-light-gas-usage

When you say “a unit” what units is the meter calibrated with?

theoretica

Is your meter metric or imperial?  It makes a difference how much gas 10 units is! Does the boiler have a pilot light? If your meter is metric then it isn't miles out for an inefficient/large pilot light.  If it is 'just' the pilot light then BG have nothing to investigate and of course you need to pay for that energy.    If it may be a leak then investigation is urgent.

[Deleted User]

ripple34 said:

Took ownership of new property on 12 May, stayed for six nights, took entry reading and exit reading to see how much was used due to awareness there was an inefficient back-boiler which will have to be replaced. Noted rather more use than expected even in those circs. Left for ten days and took gas meter reading on arrival last night. To my horror I note that nearly 10 units have clocked up while the place was empty. 
I had not yet contacted British Gas the current supplier as had intended researching what is left in terms of options. 
This is crazy - no wonder the sellers were so desperate to leave, they probably had no idea they were paying for unused energy. 

Obviously am now on to BG to ask them to investigate and they're trying to force me into a direct debit before they'll look into it. NEVER sign up to a DD. I'd rather pay a fraction more to keep them out of my bank account and accruing credit for their own ends. 

What on earth can explain this?
Who will pay for unused energy in this situation? I'm not going to. 

Energy used on the consumer’s side of the meter is the responsibility of the consumer unless you agree to have the meter tested. It could, of course, be a leak on your side of the meter. Again the cost of fixing this would fall to you. 

What are you expecting BG to investigate? Gas leaks are usually the  responsibility of the gas transporter (Cadent). Has your back boiler got a pilot light: this is often one of the reasons why gas is used. When you say units, do you mean cubic metres; cubic feet or kWh?

In sum, you need to do your own checks before you start contacting anybody. A good start would be to turn off the main gas valve and check whether your meter is still increasing. Check joints; connections etc for leaks by using a mix of soapy water.

All suppliers will agree to a meter check with the caveat that you have to pay for it if the meter is found to be OK. Given it is a new home then you could rule out the meter by agreeing to the supplier fitting a smart meter.

ripple34

Thanks for all these responses. 

Hot water on manual control right now. Has been used twice since 12 May to heat up 2 tanks of hot water.
Does an old ie 20+ years old back-boiler have a pilot light? But would that use almost half a click per day? [calculating ownership of 17 days, but here for only 8 of those]
Gas Meter is in cubic metres. 
Called the Emergency Line for leaks and she said if you dont' smell gas indoors it isn't a leak. 
When I say 'new' home I mean new to me. Built 1890. 

I'm comparing with my old home where I've used 2 units of gas in a month with all cooking, showering and hot water taps use - though was at new address some of that time so not a typical month. 

ripple34

Further edit - also used for gas-stove cooking in last visit, but nothing has been used since arriving back last night and it's still clicking round. 

The_Fat_Controller

What you actually need to do is turn off all gas appliances in your home using the valves.

If the meter still records a flow of gas then you have a leak somewhere in your home and then you should turn off the main gas valve and get someone to find the leak and fix it.

Turning off the main valve will prove nothing as there can then be no flow through the meter.

ripple34

Thanks TFC. As I'm unfamiliar with any of the valves - and a single home-owner - It's cooker/stove, back-boiler and gas flame-effect fire. Who can I ask to verify this?

QrizB

ripple34 said:

Thanks TFC. As I'm unfamiliar with any of the valves - and a single home-owner - It's cooker/stove, back-boiler and gas flame-effect fire. Who can I ask to verify this?

You could get a Gas Safe engineer out, at your expense, to service all your appliances and at the same time check for leaks etc. That could be a good idea anyway, given the age of the appliances. You don't want to find a gasd leak (or, worse, a CO problem) after you move in.

Did the vendors give you any sort of Gas Safety Certificate or service record for your appliances? Did you get them checked before you completed the purchase?