Crazy Gas Consumption

[PlanesNotPlumbing]

If the boiler wasn't pumping the heat round the system, then it would overheat, and cycle down, then when the heat had dissipated, it would switch itself back on again. So does it run normally, or switch on and off. What are the time periods that you use it for (how many hours a day).

Yeah it doesn't "feel" like its on that much!

I've heard it come on three times since getting home at 1800 and each time was for about five minutes with around another five minutes of boiler burn (I assume to top up the thermal store?).

It's not set to the clock (I think that is broken as it does not respond to it or rotate). It's set off the hall stat and advanced if it gets cold and manually shut off. At night it's turned down and rarely comes on!

 

[Dan Robinson]

Am I right in saying then it will use 17.4kw per hour

No.

It will modulate depending on load and will also switch the burner off when the set flow temperature is reached (not the same as the room of Boilermate stat).

 

[PlanesNotPlumbing]

have you got a water meter? just in case it is heating water that is running away?

And a photo of the meter might be interesting.

You're not reading the decimal figure, I'm sure. You seem to be using 20 cu.m/day, where I've used average 5 in that period.

I'd be tempted to turn off the supply for a while and see if the neighbour's swimming pool goes cold.

Nope no water meter.

Nope not reading past the fifth digit. 27844

Agreed using 20m3 a day

 

[Dan Robinson]

We get through a fair chunk of gas in our 4 bed detached. 77kWh yesterday. Over the last 12 months or so it has been 2100 cubes of gas give or take. Just over a third of that is hot water.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

You are 100% certain of your starting reading, if in a doubt, then start taking daily readings for a few days and work out fresh, try and take a reading every 24hrs at about the same time if you can, just in case the starting reading had an error or read in error, was that reading given to you by the seller or did you take it yourself. Your usage if you say the readings are correct is extremely high especially when you say you don't set room temp above 19c, and switch off at night!

Also try to help save yourself mega bucks by shopping around for cheap energy, I am with PFP Energy and I pay 2.5p/kwh for my gas inc vat.

 

[PlanesNotPlumbing]

Yeah GB Energy is charging me 2.5p per unit.

So from 2230 to 0630 it's used 3cuM of Gas.

I've instigated three check reads now.
When I get up, when I get in from work and when I go to bed.
That should give me an idea of the usage around the clock.

I'm getting more and more convinced it's something to do with the boilermate.

 

[PlanesNotPlumbing]

You are 100% certain of your starting reading, if in a doubt, then start taking daily readings for a few days and work out fresh, try and take a reading every 24hrs at about the same time if you can, just in case the starting reading had an error or read in error, was that reading given to you by the seller or did you take it yourself. Your usage if you say the readings are correct is extremely high especially when you say you don't set room temp above 19c, and switch off at night!

Also try to help save yourself mega bucks by shopping around for cheap energy, I am with PFP Energy and I pay 2.5p/kwh for my gas inc vat.

Just to put a little closure on this and admit some Human Factors error on my part.

In short the opening reading on the bill was not what is supplied and in fact 1200 units less than its actual value was photographed by me.

I had supplied the readings myself so incorrectly assumed they were billing me correctly.

Only after going through another phone (with the image) did I discover the error.

The Human factors part is that my wife and I had both assumed we'd be using more gas in this house and her paranoia about the boilermate and it "always being on" meant we kept thinking that somehow this crazy consumption figure was somehow right.

I've had to provide evidence from the previous supplier of the opening reading.

Now the bill is being revised.

Actual usage was 580m3.

Thanks for the sensible replies and sorry for a panic SOS from me on my maiden post.

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Yeah GB Energy is charging me 2.5p per unit.

So from 2230 to 0630 it's used 3cuM of Gas.

I've instigated three check reads now.
When I get up, when I get in from work and when I go to bed.
That should give me an idea of the usage around the clock.

I'm getting more and more convinced it's something to do with the boilermate.

The hours you mentioned above are during the night when you said your heating is off, so it has used 3cuM of gas, that is roughly 33.5Kwh or 85p worth of gas, so for what purpose is this amount of gas being used for during the night when you said your heating is off, is it just to maintain hot water temperature in the cylinder? that is lot if assuming your heating is off, perhaps you do have a hot water leaking somewhere, as someone suggested you to check your water meter but you don't have one, so this would be difficult unless you turn your hot water off at the cylinder, prior to your post I had not come across a Boilermate, and you also mentioned another boiler Ideal FF350, but I googled Boilermate and from a very quick read, it is a type of boiler that heats vented cylinders but at mains pressure, so you have a long coil running mains pressure through it and the cylinder is at atmospheric pressure to avoid risk of explosion, So Ideal FF350 is used for providing your central heating only.

If you were to switch off boilermate for the night, does your hot water becomes cold overnight, that would indicate a leak of some kind.

 

[Agile]

This thread just shows how easy it is for a relatively sane person to get confused over gas consumption.

The best way is always to measure daily consumption.

The reality is that boilers and cookers are unable to use vastly more than their rated power input.

Whatever heat you put in, you get out!

Tony

 

[Mikefromlondon]

Yes but for now his consumption is based on an 8 hour period, so at this rate and it would equate to 3 times more in a 24hr period so that would be 9cuM without the heating on, however overnight topping up heat in that cylinder seems high at 3cuM in 8 hrs which roughly equals 33Kwh or at least 4kw per hour to heat that cylinder when it is not in use.(Not taken boiler's and other heat loses into equation)