Scary gas bill - can it be right?
Scary gas bill - can it be right?
Author
Discussion

Emeye

Original Poster:

9,780 posts

247 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
I've just nipped home at dinner and opened my gas bill.

It's OVER £1400 for just over 4 month!!! This is 1160 units from 22nd August to 6th January.

I live in a largish 2 bed flat in the top of an old (1880s) house but I'm a single guy and I only use the gas for central heating and water. I do most of my cooking in the microwave and have an electric shower.

From the 6th Jan until today, 23rd Feb I have used 540 units according to the meter.

I'm in shock - the place only costs me £450 a month to rent.

So does this seem to be right? Could the meter have a fault?

Have I just had the heating on too much??? I rented a large 3 bed detached with my ex before this and the gas bill was never anywhere neat this high and she liked to cook herself.

Help. frown

Edited by Emeye on Monday 23 February 16:35


Edited by Emeye on Monday 23 February 16:36

metro lover

553 posts

211 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
Complain

SpydieNut

5,938 posts

247 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
what Emeye should have said:
I've just nipped home at dinner and opened my gas bill.

It's OVER £1400 for just over 4 month!!! This is 1160 units from 22nd August to 6th January.

I live in a largish 2 bed flat in the top of an old (1880s) house but I'm a single guy and I only use the gas for central heating and water. I do most of my cooking in the microwave and have an electric shower.

From the 6th Jan until today, 23rd Feb I have used 540 units according to the meter.

i'm going to call the provider and query it
Edited by SpydieNut on Monday 23 February 16:35

Papoo

3,918 posts

222 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
Emeye said:
I've just nipped home at dinner and opened my gas bill.

It's OVER £1400 for just over 4 month!!! This is 1160 units from 22nd August to 6th January.

I live in a largish 2 bed flat in the top of an old (1880s) house but I'm a single guy and I only use the gas for central heating and water. I do most of my cooking in the microwave and have an electric shower.

From the 6th Jan until today, 23rd Feb I have used 540 units according to the meter.

I'm in shock - the place only costs me £450 a month to rent.

So does this be seem right? Could the meter have a fault?

Have I just had the heating on too much??? I rented a large 3 bed detached with my ex before this and the gas bill was never anywhere neat this high and see liked to cook herself.

Help. frown
Perhaps you did a lot of cooking this quarter?

oobster

7,583 posts

235 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
I seen something on Watchdog recently about meters being metric and the bill was imperial or something.

Emeye

Original Poster:

9,780 posts

247 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
SpydieNut said:
what Emeye should have said:
I've just nipped home at dinner and opened my gas bill.

It's OVER £1400 for just over 4 month!!! This is 1160 units from 22nd August to 6th January.

I live in a largish 2 bed flat in the top of an old (1880s) house but I'm a single guy and I only use the gas for central heating and water. I do most of my cooking in the microwave and have an electric shower.

From the 6th Jan until today, 23rd Feb I have used 540 units according to the meter.

i'm going to call the provider and query it
Edited by SpydieNut on Monday 23 February 16:35
Sorry I have called British Gas and the idiot suggested estimating the whole term off their Jan 6th reading and the one today!!! irked

MK4 Slowride

10,028 posts

232 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
Oh dear Emeye, you've been listening to the PH crew too much leaving your heating on all day @ 20 degrees.

nono

hehe




eek

So have I actually, I'm checking my bill tonight.

ALawson

8,023 posts

275 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
I paid £180 for the gas between September to December for 77m^2 flat heating and cooking. I think your bill is way off, I will check to see how many units I have used.

Does another flat have a meter in the same place, they could have misread the meters.

tamore

9,706 posts

308 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
maybe it's the first time for a while a proper reading has been taken from the meter, and the previous estimates have been low?

Poledriver

29,326 posts

218 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
Check the reading on the meter and compare this one, and the one you checked last month (you did keep a record, right?) with that shown on the bill, then carry on from there.
Also make sure that they have read your personal meter, not some meter which supplies the whole building, I've seen that done before!

Edited by Poledriver on Monday 23 February 16:39

brum

5,892 posts

230 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
Check that your neighbours aren't stealing your gas. Have you seen Bottom?

ALawson

8,023 posts

275 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
brum said:
Check that your neighbours aren't stealing your gas. Have you seen Bottom?
Bus surfing hehe

Rude-boy

22,227 posts

257 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
British Gas, 3 bed detached house heating on at 20 all the time. That would cover our gas bill for 2 1/2 years.

hairykrishna

14,365 posts

227 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
Emeye said:
I've just nipped home at dinner and opened my gas bill.

It's OVER £1400 for just over 4 month!!! This is 1160 units from 22nd August to 6th January.

I live in a largish 2 bed flat in the top of an old (1880s) house but I'm a single guy and I only use the gas for central heating and water. I do most of my cooking in the microwave and have an electric shower.

From the 6th Jan until today, 23rd Feb I have used 540 units according to the meter.

I'm in shock - the place only costs me £450 a month to rent.

So does this seem to be right? Could the meter have a fault?

Have I just had the heating on too much??? I rented a large 3 bed detached with my ex before this and the gas bill was never anywhere neat this high and she liked to cook herself.

Help. frown

Edited by Emeye on Monday 23 February 16:35


Edited by Emeye on Monday 23 February 16:36
Is it estimated? Are they estimating based on the entire house as opposed to just your flat?

SpydieNut

5,938 posts

247 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
Emeye said:
what SpydieNut should have said:
what Emeye should have said:
I've just nipped home at dinner and opened my gas bill.

It's OVER £1400 for just over 4 month!!! This is 1160 units from 22nd August to 6th January.

I live in a largish 2 bed flat in the top of an old (1880s) house but I'm a single guy and I only use the gas for central heating and water. I do most of my cooking in the microwave and have an electric shower.

From the 6th Jan until today, 23rd Feb I have used 540 units according to the meter.

i'm going to call the provider and query it
>>>>>>>>>>> wink <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

>>>>>>>>>>> beer <<<<<<<<<<<<<[/
Sorry I have called British Gas and the idiot suggested estimating the whole term off their Jan 6th reading and the one today!!! irked
Edited by SpydieNut on Monday 23 February 16:46

ZR1cliff

17,999 posts

273 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
Somethings not right, have you previously been on estimated and they have just read your meter ?

I am a single bloke in a two bedroom semi and have used 117 units between readings, taken on 15th November 08 - 17th February 09, total bill £151.67. Because of the cold weather I have had mine on a lot and use gas for heating and water heating, I actually thought it was going to be a higher bill.

Emeye

Original Poster:

9,780 posts

247 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
oobster said:
I seen something on Watchdog recently about meters being metric and the bill was imperial or something.
Sir, I think you may have the answer!

The meter looks pretty new, but the bill shows an Imperial to metric conversion of x2.83.

This could explain things

I found this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/consumer_advice/late...

Doing a quick calculation based on this link, I've used 12986 kWh, NOT the 36758 they claim!!!

And to think the British gas guy was getting arsey with me! irked

Cheers! smile

Piersman2

6,675 posts

223 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
My GF's bill was very , very high a couple of months ago, she checked into it, cross checked it against all her old bilss and found out that they were charging her in foot rather than metres or something like that.

I think it made the bill about 3 times what it should have been.

Check what units your meter is measuring in, and then what units they are charging on your bill, I think they convert one to the other somewhere in the billing process, so make sure they are factoring that change in when they do their calcs.


ALawson

8,023 posts

275 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
Emeye said:
oobster said:
I seen something on Watchdog recently about meters being metric and the bill was imperial or something.
Sir, I think you may have the answer!

The meter looks pretty new, but the bill shows an Imperial to metric conversion of x2.83.

This could explain things

I found this link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/watchdog/consumer_advice/late...

Doing a quick calculation based on this link, I've used 12986 kWh, NOT the 36758 they claim!!!

And to think the British gas guy was getting arsey with me! irked

Cheers! smile
Thats still £495!!!!

GTIR

24,741 posts

290 months

Monday 23rd February 2009
quotequote all
www.utilitywarehouse.co.ukthumbup

Very good and cheaper than most, I have my phone, gas, elec with them.

I am in no way affiliated with the above company, just like their service!