Fischer heating - please help

QrizB

OP slow down.

The 92015 reading is KVARH - reactive power. That reading isn't used for domestic metering in the UK.

Go back to the video and watch carefully.

What reading do you get for IMP KWH when you press "9"?

And what readings for R01 and R02 when you press "6"?

Reed_Richards

hrm1987 said:

I’ll be honest, I’m extremely naive with this stuff so please do pardon my stupidity. The reading we originally supplied to the previous owner was 91724 on the day after we moved in. That said we were left no instructions how to read this meter and there are lots of different readings as it’s quite hard to see - so in our naivety we assumed Octopus were getting direct readings (they told us this when we called).

I’ve attached a picture in case that helps decipher but to me the closest to anything looks like 92015. But I’m not sure if I’m reading the right figure (just going off common sense being the nearest like figure).

I agree that the display in the photograph reads 92015 and if your original reading of the same energy consumption was 91724 then that reading has increased by 291 kWh.  If 291 kWh was really the amount of electricity you have used in a month that would be perfectly reasonable.  Are you sure that Octopus are not using an estimate for their second reading?    

hrm1987

I’ve literally taken a picture of everything it shows so not sure what else I’m meant to be looking for. Am I being incredibly dense?!

Absolutely understand we need to change them soon, but in the meantime I don’t want to be paying extortionate amounts if we shouldn’t be / can be on a better tariff or just are doing something stupid at the moment we can change. 

Also any advice on what to change then to is welcome. Gas is not an option (quoted 50k to get it installed!). But first and foremost, get bills under control so we can afford not to eat just beans on toast!!

Netexporter

Get an air-source heat pump. You'll get a £7500 grant towards it.

hrm1987

matelodave said:

As others have said, £250 means nothing without the supporting information of your tariff (charge per kwh), actual meter readings (take some yourself from the meter, you dont need the IHD to do that).  You were warned that Fischer heating was the spawn of the devil, so you;ve either got to live with them or do something about them.

The only way to get a handle on what you are consuming is to monitor it yourself rather than waiting for a bill and then getting a nasty shock.

If you do have a smart meter then try using something like the Bright app which allows you to download meter data (even  without having the IHD) in half hourly chunks (I can read data going back over several years). If you dont have a smart meter then you'd have to do it yourself by reading your own meter. 

Ideally do it daily for a couple of weeks, once before you go to bed and again when you get up but before you turn anything on.

That should give you some idea of what is being used overnight when you are asleep and using the least as well as during the day when your consumption increases. Keep a spreadsheet (or even a notebook to record it all together with all the stuff thats been turned on).

It’s a bit of a pain but it’s the only way to find out what you are using and when. If you dont monitor it you cant understand what is going on and you therefore cant control it.

Thank you. Happy to monitor. Tried the loop app and says it wasn’t compatible but will try this too. Appreciate the help!

QrizB

hrm1987 said:

I’ve literally taken a picture of everything it shows so not sure what else I’m meant to be looking for. Am I being incredibly dense?!

You've not provided IMP KWH from button 9.

The photos you have provided are incomplete and/or out of sequence.

It's possible that 0073006.1 and 0019009.0 are IMP-R01 and IMP-R02 but it's not clear from your photos which is which.

If those two are R01 and R02, then the total is 0092015.1 which is the reading you previously provided as the total.

That's less than the 92538 that Octopus used for billing on the 19th. You've not yet said whether that bill was based on Smart meter readings or in Estimates.

It's bedtime for me but I'll catch up with this thread tomorrow.

hrm1987

QrizB said:

OP slow down.

The 92015 reading is KVARH - reactive power. That reading isn't used for domestic metering in the UK.

Go back to the video and watch carefully.

What reading do you get for IMP KWH when you press "9"?

And what readings for R01 and R02 when you press "6"?

Sorry, super stressed out. 

Readings as follows:
The one starting 009 is after pressing 9 once.
The one starting 007 is the R01 reading.
The one starting 0014 is the R02 reading.

Let me check on the bill - not on my account but my partner’s who has kindly gone to bed…!

Scot_39

hrm1987 said:

I’ve literally taken a picture of everything it shows so not sure what else I’m meant to be looking for. Am I being incredibly dense?!

Absolutely understand we need to change them soon, but in the meantime I don’t want to be paying extortionate amounts if we shouldn’t be / can be on a better tariff or just are doing something stupid at the moment we can change. 

Also any advice on what to change then to is welcome. Gas is not an option (quoted 50k to get it installed!). But first and foremost, get bills under control so we can afford not to eat just beans on toast!!

Try slowing down - in case your jumping across settings - you need to select the display item by the text when pressing say the 6 or 9 ? - then wait for the reading - for that metric - then select the next metric and wait for it to change to the number.

In the above your second photo shows IMP kVARh - which isn't the reading you require.  it Might just have cycled to that menu - but check again.

hrm1987

So looks like an estimated reading (the app says it’s a reading, but the bill download says estimate) but the opening reading isn’t what was supplied. Essentially am I panicking for no reason?!

Thanks for your help so far. Any advice on what to do going forward would be appreciated too - go for an economy 7 etc (and also, leave the water and hot water on for how long or just turn the stuff off until you need it), until I can afford to replace this god awful system?

hrm1987

Scot_39 said:

hrm1987 said:

I’ve literally taken a picture of everything it shows so not sure what else I’m meant to be looking for. Am I being incredibly dense?!

Absolutely understand we need to change them soon, but in the meantime I don’t want to be paying extortionate amounts if we shouldn’t be / can be on a better tariff or just are doing something stupid at the moment we can change. 

Also any advice on what to change then to is welcome. Gas is not an option (quoted 50k to get it installed!). But first and foremost, get bills under control so we can afford not to eat just beans on toast!!

Try slowing down - in case your jumping across settings - you need to select the display item by the text when pressing say the 6 or 9 ? - then wait for the reading - for that metric - then select the next metric and wait for it to change to the number.

In the above your second photo shows IMP kVARh - which isn't the reading you require.  it Might just have cycled to that menu - but check again.

This is the first number that comes up. The IMP one kVARh is 00029