High gas usage

Robin9

Oh dear this is going to take some unravelling.

Time for a complaints  letter - snail mail, ignore CS , don't phone.

Roly98

Robin9 said:

Oh dear this is going to take some unravelling.

Time for a complaints  letter - snail mail, ignore CS , don't phone.

I probably don't know what I'm talking about, but can't they work it out from either reading? What shall I do?! 

pochase

Of course they can work it out both ways, but the problem is that you now have a meter reading that is 11 times the one that you should have.

I very much assume that the person who lived there before you might also have used the wrong reading, otherwise they should have questioned why the reading went up from 3000 to over 30000.

The problem will be now to get them to understand that you provided a wrong reading, especially if the final reading for the property was also wrong.

Robin9

You write explaining that the meter has been misread and you enclose a photo   of the wrong reading.


Their system assumes that the reading is in m3  and they apply a conversion factor of approx 11.2.   In giving them a reading in kWh they still apply  the 11.2 and chaos reigns.

Raxiel

BG are definitely wrong about the reading (although they were right when they said it seemed too high). The kWh figure on the meter itself is only an approximate figure for guidance. It's actually impossible for it to be entirely accurate because the meter only actually measures volume (m³) and the supplier bills you on energy (kWh). The number of kWh in a m³ is about 11.2, but it varies depending on the quality of the gas (known as the calorific value). Each day the network takes measurements and the supplier has to take the average of those measurements over the bill period at the time the bill is generated. The meter can't know what the calorific value is in advance, it just has an approx value pre-programmed)

I suspect BG's mistake is that not all gas meters offer both volume and (estimated) energy, and they didn't realise yours was one that did and didn't think to check you were giving them volume readings.

The good news is, your bills to date are probably 11.2 times bigger than they should be and you're due a fat refund.

Another question that needs to be asked is, your gas meter is a smart meter, why aren't they reading it remotely so confusion like this doesn't occur in the first place?

Roly98

Robin9 said:

You write explaining that the meter has been misread and you enclose a photo   of the wrong reading.


Their system assumes that the reading is in m3  and they apply a conversion factor of approx 11.2.   In giving them a reading in kWh they still apply  the 11.2 and chaos reigns.

Ok so I actually have the closing reading of the previous tenant who was with OVO ...it reads 3031.967
My welcome letter from BG states my actual reading is 30330
I spoke to somebody from BG on the phone as I did not understand how to read the meter... you tube info stated they may want one of 2 readings which confused me. 
The first reading I gave them was 34038...I was told this was the right reading. 

Robin9

BG's systems ought to be able to spot such glaring errors.

When they've sorted it expect a £30 gesture

Roly98

Raxiel said:

BG are definitely wrong about the reading (although they were right when they said it seemed too high). The kWh figure on the meter itself is only an approximate figure for guidance. It's actually impossible for it to be entirely accurate because the meter only actually measures volume (m³) and the supplier bills you on energy (kWh). The number of kWh in a m³ is about 11.2, but it varies depending on the quality of the gas (known as the calorific value). Each day the network takes measurements and the supplier has to take the average of those measurements over the bill period at the time the bill is generated. The meter can't know what the calorific value is in advance, it just has an approx value pre-programmed)

I suspect BG's mistake is that not all gas meters offer both volume and (estimated) energy, and they didn't realise yours was one that did and didn't think to check you were giving them volume readings.

The good news is, your bills to date are probably 11.2 times bigger than they should be and you're due a fat refund.

Another question that needs to be asked is, your gas meter is a smart meter, why aren't they reading it remotely so confusion like this doesn't occur in the first place?

Thank you that makes sense:)  It may well be a smart meter but there is no monitor!  I didn't question it because I've not had a smart meter before ...

Raxiel

Roly98 said:

Raxiel said:

BG are definitely wrong about the reading (although they were right when they said it seemed too high). The kWh figure on the meter itself is only an approximate figure for guidance. It's actually impossible for it to be entirely accurate because the meter only actually measures volume (m³) and the supplier bills you on energy (kWh). The number of kWh in a m³ is about 11.2, but it varies depending on the quality of the gas (known as the calorific value). Each day the network takes measurements and the supplier has to take the average of those measurements over the bill period at the time the bill is generated. The meter can't know what the calorific value is in advance, it just has an approx value pre-programmed)

I suspect BG's mistake is that not all gas meters offer both volume and (estimated) energy, and they didn't realise yours was one that did and didn't think to check you were giving them volume readings.

The good news is, your bills to date are probably 11.2 times bigger than they should be and you're due a fat refund.

Another question that needs to be asked is, your gas meter is a smart meter, why aren't they reading it remotely so confusion like this doesn't occur in the first place?

Thank you that makes sense:)  It may well be a smart meter but there is no monitor!  I didn't question it because I've not had a smart meter before ...

I have the same meter. The first time you press 9 it should say 'Volume' and then a figure with no decimal places and m³ in the corner. That's the reading they want. Unfortunately the exact same button pressed again will then say 'IMP kWH' and give you it's guess at the energy usage that value works out to, despite there being plenty of other unused buttons they could have put it on.

One problem at a time, worry about the smart stuff once the bills are sorted, but that particular kind of meter is usually paired with a similar looking electric meter of the same brand that looks like this.

The electric meter is the bit that talks to the supplier, and it talks to the gas meter to pass those readings on as well (it would also talk to the display if you had one). The gas meter can't talk to the supplier by itself. So its possible one or both meters wasn't set up properly (the term is commissioned). These are first generation smart meters so it's also possible they're no longer connected, its possible for them to be re-connected to the new system but it relies on the supplier sorting it out.

Unfortunately British Gas were hopeless when I had my parents call them about their uncomissioned gas meter (different brand meter) and just fobbed them off. They'll be switching to Octopus as soon as their fix deal is up.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

Roly98 said:

Robin9 said:

You write explaining that the meter has been misread and you enclose a photo   of the wrong reading.


Their system assumes that the reading is in m3  and they apply a conversion factor of approx 11.2.   In giving them a reading in kWh they still apply  the 11.2 and chaos reigns.

Ok so I actually have the closing reading of the previous tenant who was with OVO ...it reads 3031.967
My welcome letter from BG states my actual reading is 30330
I spoke to somebody from BG on the phone as I did not understand how to read the meter... you tube info stated they may want one of 2 readings which confused me. 
The first reading I gave them was 34038...I was told this was the right reading. 

so, divide 34699kWh {2nd photie) by 11.2? = 3098 volume reading, which allowing for usage since you moved in, ties in with closing reading of 3031.

Can you try to find volume reading again please. looks like this.