Shared Heating supply in a flat - HAVE HAD NO HELP with capping prices or financial

samantha08

Morning

I wonder if you can help? I’ve tried looking everywhere but cannot find anything on communal heating, when living in a flat. I’ve asked the landlord, but he doesn’t know. 

I live in a flat and the heating is run from an external gas boiler, filtering hot water into the flats to heat the radiators/shower. It’s on a meter, but even when I’m away the meter still shows a usage? Also, electric is separate, and have been receiving the reduced costs, and the financial help. But nothing for the heating/hot water supplied by the flats management, as described. I assume it is a commercial company, supplying a domestic setting? Not sure as unable to get anything concrete regarding meter readings and pricing, seems to be a thing where you wait for the bill and they then decide how much per unit etc, depending on overall bill and usage for the whole complex. 

Are you able to advise please if are due any financial help/or a price cap due to heating being on a different supplier? 

Regards

pochase

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry but there is no cap or financial help for the described scenario.

What are the rates that you are charged? Much will depend if the company providing the service still has a good fixed tariff for their gas supply.

Mstty

What does your contract say about the gas supply or previous bills, they might provide some clues.

Is gas hot water and heating supplied as part of a monthly management fee?

Gerry1

Unfortunately, heat networks are a bit like the Wild West and you're pretty much on your own when it comes to regulation and price capping.  There have been many threads on the forum.

Qyburn

Will he be eligible for the £200, or is it excluded because the shared system uses gas?

razord

Qyburn said:

Will he be eligible for the £200, or is it excluded because the shared system uses gas?

District heat networks are excluded.

E.on wrote to me to explain that whilst heat networks are covered by the energy price guarantee system, because E.on set their pricing once a year (and e.on have purchased their gas for the year at that rate), the rates are lower than what they would be covered by the price guarantee, so there is nothing additional available for me; although this may change on 1st April when their prices are going to go up significantly.

samantha08

pochase said:

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry but there is no cap or financial help for the described scenario.

What are the rates that you are charged? Much will depend if the company providing the service still has a good fixed tariff for their gas supply.

Thank you for your reply. Never know prices till bill arrives! Was last set at 34p unit plus standing charges. It’s ridiculous, working a
out at about £4.45 a shower!

pochase

How long are the showers you take to be £4.45?

Even for an electric shower it would need to be more than an hour.

A 12KW electric shower that is used for 10 minutes works out to 2KWh, that is 2x34p or 68p.

MattMattMattUK

samantha08 said:

pochase said:

Welcome to the forum.

Sorry but there is no cap or financial help for the described scenario.

What are the rates that you are charged? Much will depend if the company providing the service still has a good fixed tariff for their gas supply.

Thank you for your reply. Never know prices till bill arrives! Was last set at 34p unit plus standing charges. It’s ridiculous, working a
out at about £4.45 a shower!

34p per kWh sounds perfectly reasonable, that is what anyone who uses electricity will be paying. If a shower is costing you £4.35, based on 34p per kWh that would indicate a problem with your sub-meter, a problem with your calculations, or something very weird. Can you post a copy of your last bill with personal information redacted?

ariarnia

samantha08 said:

Also, electric is separate, and have been receiving the reduced costs, and the financial help. 

hi there.

as matt has said 34p a unit plus standing charge is the cap price that everyone on the standard tarrif is paying right now for electric.

just checking by this do you mean the £400 rebates (that everyone with an electric account is getting)? if you do then you have had the same help with your heating bill that everyone else got (its paid on the electric because not everyone has gas).

so the only thing you might be down is the discounted unit price of your gas (the cap price is about 10p a kwh plus standing charge but you havent said what you pay so i dont know how this compares).

i agree with the others that you need to check whats happening with your meter ticking over when your away. it could be your system is set to a low level frost protection or it could be a problem with the meter. how many units does it add in a day do you know?

samantha08

MattMattMattUK I have asked about the meter, but told it’s fine, and recently had a new one fitted. Apparently I killed the battery by taking readings too often, was told to do it once a month now! I originally queried that meter was clicking up units used when I was away from property. They didn’t seem phased by that. Said can have it checked for a few hundred pound! Asked landlord to look into it, But he’s not much help, just backed down as they were getting shirty! I have kept record detailing time of shower, how long (always under 10 mins) I’ve attached a spreadsheet I have done to keep track at bottom. Only been here since Feb 2022 so not much information.