Gas Consumption and Bills

[allen_family]

Hi. I am concerned about the gas i use and my bills.

I have my thermostat set to 17C and only on for 7 hours a day (2hrs in morning and 5 hrs in evening), the boiler set to lowest setting and all but 3 radiators switched off, yet my gas bills are still around �90 a month!!!! I live in a 3 bed rented house!

I have kept a log, and basically, i am using 7 units of gas in 24hrs - which basically equates to 1 unit for every hour heating is on - surely this isn't normal?

I kept the heating on overnight last week and checked in the morning and had used 14 units!!!!!

So, is this normal / average?
Is my landlord responsible for the maintenance of the heating system? (I have a current gas safety certificate)

thanks!

[gasman]

Basically it is all down to how efficient the boiler is. The older boilers can cost a fortune to run, and if you're home is not very well insulated all the heat and money just goes out the window, walls and roof and it will have to work twice as hard just to maintain a comfortable temperature. You're Landlord would be responsible for the heatings maintenace and is by law required to have it checked out yearly and a valid certificte.
In winter my gas bill's are around �100 a quarter not a month. I have an energy efficient condensing boiler, K glass double glazing, wall insulation and 12" of loft insulation. The boiler once heated the house up only cliks on a couple of times a day to top up the temperature.

[SteveSxx]

Same here - try curtailing the use of your heating
We use ours for half an hour in the morning and an hour at night - which costs us around �20 per month
Do you have a gas fire to use in the living room ?
much cheaper - and less wasteful - why heat empty rooms ?

[allen_family]

no gas fire, we only heat baby's bedroom, living room and our bedroom.

Are there any legal processes to force landlord to sort heating out? We have a valid gas safety certificate so we know it's safe

[gasman]

No . The landlord is only responsible to provide some form of heating/hot water appliance and have all you're gas appliance's checked for safety annually and to keep them well maintained. Just so long as they are working and safe regardless of how efficeint they are, then they have satisfied the law.

[bubblebubble]

Sounds like the boiler and insulation are dire! we live in a 4 bed victorian, high ceilings,and an ancient floor standing boiler and school -type 3" pipework. We pay �54 a month and its on constant! This also covers water for washing but do mainly all shower rather than bath.