Over use of energy - system fault?

danco

I live in a block of flats with a communal heating system. Unfortunately the metering is virtual (as it is a VRF system) and we only get meter readings once a month, which makes it difficult to see what effect various settings on the programmer have on usage.

We know that there have been faults in the system leading to excessive heating costs for all of us - the freeholders have agreed that we are due compensation, but the figure has not been agreed yet. They claim (probably correctly) that this problem has now been solved.

But for my flat, the energy usage claimed still seems high, and I strongly suspect there is another fault in my system. I am wondering what I can do to prove this, and what advice people can give.

More details. The energy performance certificate for my flat indicates 2200 kWh for the whole year. My bill for December shows 750kWh usage. The size of the flat is just over 100 square metres. The temperature I have set for the heating in sittingroom/kitchen/hall is only 21 degrees, and I do not heat the bedrooms. An independent room thermometer (which may not be all that accurate) never gets as high as 21. I don't have the heating on all the time, but switch it on and off (partly because at present I do not trust the thermostat control). I check the room temperature as shown on the programmer for the system from time to time and have never seen it go above 19.5, except for the few occasions when I try setting a temperature of 23 or so. From what I can make out in the complicated instructions, I suspect that there is a setting that can only be adjusted by an engineer that causes the room temperature to be taken in the wrong place, but this may well be only part of the problem.

The flats were built in 2019 with double-glazed windows and an MVHR system in addition to the heating.