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Gas Prices- How can i lower them?

laurenzo99
laurenzo99 Posts: 135 Forumite
Hi everyone,

Hoping for some advice on gas bills.

Firstly can someone please confirm whether having the radiator dial switched down (i.e on 2 instead of 5). I thought it did but was recently told it doesnt.

Also i wondered if im paying too much for my bills. Last quarter (Dec-Mar) has cost us about £80 BUT we only have heating on for 2 hours a day (with two radiators at setting 2 and 2 at setting 5).

Thank you
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Comments

  • Ken68
    Ken68 Posts: 6,825 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Energy Saving Champion Home Insurance Hacker!
    Hi, welcome to the board.

    Don't know your setup...but the boiler here is set at 5 (out of 6), the room thermostat in the hall is at 20 and the Radiator Valve is at 3...Warm enough with plenty of de-draughters and lots of insulation.
    £80 for that period sounds good. Knowing your exact consumption is always good. Take regular readings and you will soon build up a picture. Then you will be able to compare year on month on week on.
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,048 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Rampant Recycler
    £80 for a Dec-Mar quarter is very low!

    The 'radiator settings' I assume are the TRVs (Thermostatic Radiator Valves)
    The lower the setting(1 is lowest) the cooler the room and you will use less gas.

    All these TRVs do is cut off the supply of water to the radiator when the room has reached a pre-set temperature - the pre-set temperature is set by the setting(1 to 5) on the TRV.
  • Farway
    Farway Posts: 13,877 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Homepage Hero Name Dropper
    Where is your room thermostat?

    No point in reducing heat in a room via rad stat if room stat is in same room calling for heat

    If room stat is in say living room and set at say 25C then this is the critical setting, not the rad valves

    What is your room stat set at? 20 is OK, 25 too much [put jumper on]
    Eight out of ten owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred other peoples gardens
  • laurenzo99
    laurenzo99 Posts: 135 Forumite
    What is a room thermostat?

    I have a thermostat on the immersion tank (set low) and one on the boiler where the piolet light is (also ste low)
  • Farway
    Farway Posts: 13,877 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Homepage Hero Name Dropper
    Somewhere, normally in hall or living room, there should be a thermostat on the wall to control the temperature for the house

    How many radiators do you have?

    Any in rooms without rad stats fitted? This is maybe where your room stat is [not bathroom]
    Eight out of ten owners who expressed a preference said their cats preferred other peoples gardens
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,048 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Rampant Recycler
    Farway wrote: »
    Where is your room thermostat?

    No point in reducing heat in a room via rad stat if room stat is in same room calling for heat

    If room stat is in say living room and set at say 25C then this is the critical setting, not the rad valves

    What is your room stat set at? 20 is OK, 25 too much [put jumper on]

    Lots of CH systems don't have room thermostats(wall thermostats as they are sometimes called) if you have TRVs.

    The trouble with room thermostats is where to situate them.

    You don't want the heating turned on and off in the whole house by having the room thermostat in a cold hall.

    Conversely, to have it in a warm sitting room might mean that you can't get the correct temperature in the bedrooms.

    Although I have a room thermostat in the hall, in practice I set it really high(so the set temp is never reached) and control the temperature of every room(including hall) by the TRV
  • laurenzo99
    laurenzo99 Posts: 135 Forumite
    I havent seen a room thermostat anywhere in my flat (and ive lived in it for 18 months) i know what one looks like after askign a friend if they had one.

    We have four radiators in all (two bedrooms, hall and living room) and all have the TRVs to change the heat from 1-5.
  • Cardew wrote: »
    Lots of CH systems don't have room thermostats(wall thermostats as they are sometimes called) if you have TRVs.

    The trouble with room thermostats is where to situate them.

    You don't want the heating turned on and off in the whole house by having the room thermostat in a cold hall.

    Mine is in the hall and its stupid. There is a draft from the front door and also its a big open hall o never gets really hot. Stupid place to put the thermostat if you ask me. There is no middle ground in my house you are freezing or boiling. I have radiator controls and use em in rooms i dont use often like the two spare ones.

    I pay £40 a month for gas and it only justcoveres it so it sounds about right to me
  • laurenzo99
    laurenzo99 Posts: 135 Forumite
    Would one of these thermostats be in areally obious place on a wall?

    Maybe have a look in my boiler cupboard tonight although is there aNY chanceit would be there?!
  • your gas sounds about right,it's what i pay on a prepayment meter and my heating is only on for two hours a day and i use if for cooking approx 20 mins daily.
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