I think my gas meter is not working correctly - what to do?
Discussion
Every month i input my meter reading online and have noticed that over the last 3 months the usage has gone down dramatically to the point that this month i have supposedly only used 22 kWh. This coincides with me finally getting round to having the expansion vessel replaced on the boiler which has been leaking for about 12 month previous. During the summer i turn the heating off so the boiler (a combi btw) only comes on when i require hot water, usually every morning for a shower and whenever i wash up. Initially i put it down to the being fixed and the heating turned off but im now thinking the meter is turning much slower than it should be as there is no way i can have only used 22 kWh in a month. Now ive had a look on my suppliers website (Ovo Energy) and they want to charge me £90 to have the meter tested! So my question is what should i do? Do i carry on and leave it until they want to test the meter themselves or will i get fined for using a meter i suspect is faulty once they do catch on?
k off! Not sure what it's doing in this thread but are you sure you mean 22kWh?
A gas meter measures cubic feet or metres and these do not equate directly to kWh.
An electricity meter measures in kWh so 22 on the meter is 22kWh.
On a gas meter, check if you have a cubic feet or cubic metres and that 22 is more likely to be in the range of 200-600 kWh for a month which is about typical of hot water only in summer.
To do the call yourself. Measure the consumption, times it by 1.02264 then by the 'calorific value' that will be shown on your bill (use a value of 39.6 if you can't find it), then divide the whole thing by 3.6 and you have your consumption in kWh.
Also, the reason for the charge for testing the meter is that gas accuracy tests are destructive and the removed meter will be sent for lab testing and destroyed as part of the testing. If the meter turns out to be accurate, you just cost them a jolly fine meter, I hence the £90 charge. If the meter is confirmed faulty, I you'd be entitled to that money back.
Note, I not all suppliers would charge upfront for the test if you kicked off a bit but I'd check you are reading it right first (most common fault).
In my experience, the fail rate of accuracy on electricity was about 2% and on gas less than 10%.
If you haven't tampered with the meter in anyway and they feel there's a problem with your consumption they will pick it up at their quarterly meter reads or via billing and you have nothing to worry about.
A gas meter measures cubic feet or metres and these do not equate directly to kWh.
An electricity meter measures in kWh so 22 on the meter is 22kWh.
On a gas meter, check if you have a cubic feet or cubic metres and that 22 is more likely to be in the range of 200-600 kWh for a month which is about typical of hot water only in summer.
To do the call yourself. Measure the consumption, times it by 1.02264 then by the 'calorific value' that will be shown on your bill (use a value of 39.6 if you can't find it), then divide the whole thing by 3.6 and you have your consumption in kWh.
Also, the reason for the charge for testing the meter is that gas accuracy tests are destructive and the removed meter will be sent for lab testing and destroyed as part of the testing. If the meter turns out to be accurate, you just cost them a jolly fine meter, I hence the £90 charge. If the meter is confirmed faulty, I you'd be entitled to that money back.
Note, I not all suppliers would charge upfront for the test if you kicked off a bit but I'd check you are reading it right first (most common fault).
In my experience, the fail rate of accuracy on electricity was about 2% and on gas less than 10%.
If you haven't tampered with the meter in anyway and they feel there's a problem with your consumption they will pick it up at their quarterly meter reads or via billing and you have nothing to worry about.
Gassing Station | Home Cinema & Hi-Fi | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff