I don't understand how we are consuming so much energy

Gerry1

On-the-coast said:

We also use about 17KWH of gas (almost all of which is in the 6 months from Nov-April.

That's remarkably frugal !  Most people would use that in just one day.

theoretica

I see a solax box - do you also have solar panels?  High electricity *and* some of it coming from solar?  I remember a poster on here who had something wired up backwards so their solar power was appearing as a debt not a positive - but it might have just been in an app not the actual bill.

Petriix

There's a lot going on here which will be impossible for us to unpick without physically having access to your house. It looks like you have a combination of gas, electric and even some solar. Your hot water might be heated by either and your heating is unclear.

One thing that might help is a closeup photo of the gas meter change card showing the date it was replaced. That will clarify how much gas you are actually using.

To understand your heating more can you confirm what temperature you set the thermostat to? 

blue_hector

Gerry1 said:

Check that the Megaflo's two immersion heaters are switched off.  You could have a 'belt and braces' situation with large amounts of electricity being used needlessly, especially if its thermostat is set higher and/or its timer is set for longer hours that the gas boiler.

Thank you, Gerry1. I don't really know how to check this, however, I will find a way to get my hands on the instruction manuals and find out. I wouldn't put it past us doing something stupid like this given we have so little understanding of the appliances in that cupboard.

In the meantime I've taken some close ups of some of the control panels in case it is obvious to someone what it is we are doing wrong.

Petriix

Looks like your heating and hot water are set to be continuously on rather than operating to any kind of schedule. Tell me: is it particularly warm in that cupboard? 

blue_hector

Petriix said:

Looks like your heating and hot water are set to be continuously on rather than operating to any kind of schedule. Tell me: is it particularly warm in that cupboard? 

Yes! Super warm. Is that not normal…? (My husband and I are not from the UK)

Reed_Richards

The time was when the hot water tank was inside the "airing cupboard" where you would store clothes to dry out after washing and line-drying, and the inside of this cupboard was very warm.  Nowadays hot water cylinders are much better insulated so there may not be the warmth around them that there once was.  My cylinder has a large number of connecting pipes and despite my best efforts to insulate these, it's still pretty warm in the cupboard where it lives.  Unfortunately there is so much plumbing in there that there is no room left to air clothes.  And fortunately it's in the middle of the house so the only wasted heat is what finds its way up into the loft.   

QrizB

On-the-coast said:

...but  the gas meter itself says 5297.6 M^3
which doesn't correspond at all to any of your "gas meter readings".... so are you reading the right meter?

Yes it does, it's the October 2019 reading.

Netexporter said:

I notice another gas meter. I assume this is an apartment. I suspect there may be a mix up of meters, a not infrequent occurrence. Have you checked the meter serial numbers on the bills against the, meters you think are yours?

Yes, the gas and electricity meters are both numbered "5", so is this an apartment or multiplex development? Are you sure these are your meters?
As well as an energy audit this weekend, maybe carry out Gerry1's Meter Sanity Test?

Netexporter

the gas and electricity meters are both numbered "5"

What is written on meter banks can't be taken as gospel, The truest identifier is the meter number, but even that is not infallible. As QrizB says, do the meter sanity test.

A classic mix up is with new developments where the plot number gets written on the meter but the actual numbering of the houses/flats doesn't follow the same sequence.

theoretica

Yes - you have both heat and water on for the full 24 hours, whether it needs it or not.  You want them both on auto and will need to work out how to set the thermostat and timer system, and work out what to set them to to combine your reasonable comfort with lower usage and costs.  And then when the weather warms up remember to switch the heating to off.

But that will be gas - and not the high electricity use.  As suggested, make sure the immersion heaters are off.  Look for electric cables going directly to the water tank, not to the pipework.