Heating costing £150 per month - what's wrong?

[doitall]

Most important pipes in the building, as its a well ventilated space, colder under there than in the loft, so the thicker the lagging the better.

 

[Agile]

I dont see why you cannot realise that your gas consumption is only whats expected in a badly insulated house.

The annnual gas bill for a well insulated house is now averaging about £1300 pa and most of that is during the winter months! So £170 per month is normal during the winter.

Your system needs balancing. In theory you can do that yuourself. Instructions are on this site.

Are all the bedrooms occupied? Are you heating an empty dining room? Turn off ALL unoccupied rooms. What do you expect?

You say you called 11 plumbers all to copme round to give you free quotations! Thats wasting 11 hours of people's time when only one MIGHT get a job to do. Its no wonder that I dont give free visits. I have learnt that people are just fishing for advice on how to do things properly and then get a cheap installer to do the work.

Instead I ask all the questions on the phone and give a budgetary quote on that basis.

Tony

 

[doitall]

Perhaps he phoned 11 before he found a couple to turn up. Tony

I think you're assuming again.

 

[dormermike]

You say you called 11 plumbers all to copme round to give you free quotations! Thats wasting 11 hours of people's time when only one MIGHT get a job to do.

I dont see the problem with this. Most industries compete for biz. I regularly put proposals together which may be a request for a quote competing against 10 other companies. Its a cost of business and fair game.

 

[Agile]

I think you are missing the point !

You are probably talking about big jobs with a value over £15,000.

This will have been a small job ( £200 ? ) and most professsionals can come and quote and get on with the job immediately.

I dont expect to be the cheapest. We all know the East Europeans will be cheaper. The problem I find is that for boiler replacements, boiler £940 and installation £840, people expect me to come for free and recommend a system and then they get an East European to fit it for £300.

Some even have the cheek to call me when its installed badly and does not work! Thats OK because they have to pay for me to correct it.

Tony

 

[kentmonkey]

I dont see why you cannot realise that your gas consumption is only whats expected in a badly insulated house.

The annnual gas bill for a well insulated house is now averaging about £1300 pa and most of that is during the winter months! So £170 per month is normal during the winter.

Your system needs balancing. In theory you can do that yuourself. Instructions are on this site.

Are all the bedrooms occupied? Are you heating an empty dining room? Turn off ALL unoccupied rooms. What do you expect?

You say you called 11 plumbers all to copme round to give you free quotations! Thats wasting 11 hours of people's time when only one MIGHT get a job to do. Its no wonder that I dont give free visits. I have learnt that people are just fishing for advice on how to do things properly and then get a cheap installer to do the work.

Instead I ask all the questions on the phone and give a budgetary quote on that basis.

Tony

What a confrontational chap you are.

Only just moved into the house. We don't 'know' it is badly insulated. We're assuming it's not insulated. We've been here two months.

My gas bill at my last property was less than half this. Please do therefore excuse me for not knowing what the national average consumption and bill is. Funny how you state £1300 by the way, when the national average appears to be around £800 from a quick Google.

If you read the thread, you'd see that the system had been balanced. Twice. By a Gas Safe registered plumber.

All rooms are occupied. So I expect them to be warm. It's not as though I live in a 20 room mansion.

I phoned 11 plumbers, yes. I phoned 11, again as you may have read, because only three of them turned up. So you phone one 'I'll be round Friday', they don't turn up. You phone someone else. The same happens. You phone someone else, etc.

I always go for at least three quotes before I have any work done, that way you can be sure that you're not just having one person to pull the wool over your eyes, and funnily enough I didn't choose the cheapest quote either, another massive assumption you were making.

Amazing really that so many people have contributed in the thread and been constructive and pleasant with it, and you just decide to wade in, make some wild assumptions and chip a bit of your shoulder off.

 

[libby lou lou]

Does it matter how many quotes you get tony? are they not allowed to get twenty quotes? if not why not, because they waste peoples time trying to get the best quote?so fukin what!!!If we had british people working instead of so many immigrants, then maybe we wouldn't have to go down that road, just like the old days.

 

[doitall]

£800 is way too low for your property, especially with poor insulation.

Talking of insulation, keep an eye on the utility companys, they have specials for a few quid a roll, throughout the year.

 

[kentmonkey]

Does it matter how many quotes you get tony? are they not allowed to get twenty quotes? if not why not, because they waste peoples time trying to get the best quote?so ***** what!!!If we had british people working instead of so many immigrants, then maybe we wouldn't have to go down that road, just like the old days.

I had three quotes (from British people, actually), all for the same work:

Quote 1: £1890
Quote 2: £940
Quote 3: £1180

Can you imagine if I'd just taken the first quote I had!

I also can't imagine how Tony thought this was a £200 job considering what I'd spelled out that I'd had done. Two new radiators, a power flush, a new wireless thermostat, a MaxiFlush or whatever it's called (the thing that collects sludge in the system), rebalancing, etc. etc. The guy was here all day and had all the parts to purchase. £200 indeed.

 

[kentmonkey]

£800 is way too low for your property, especially with poor insulation.

Talking of insulation, keep an eye on the utility companys, they have specials for a few quid a roll, throughout the year.

At the last place it was about £500 for the year. Three less rooms and terraced instead of semi, but no better insulation I must admit. It was an early 60's house, so it perhaps wasn't quite as drafty (not that we notice drafts here much anyway, not really), but it had no cavity wall insulation and the most minimal loft insulation.

I was expecting maybe a third extra on the heating bills, but not double.

Having checked the bill for last year in the old house, it was £162 for Dec - Feb. It was £170 for November-Dec in the new house.

I will investigate the insulation further though, and I am doing the loft in the next few weeks. I can get it done for £125 via a insulation company, but I can do it for £70 myself I think, having measured up and costed the rolls.

 

[doitall]

if you can get it done for £125.00 I would say go for it, better than scrabbling around in the loft yourself.

Don't forget if you insulate the loft properly it will be colder, so you'll need to look at the pipe lagging again, where they are above the insulation.

 

[gaswizzard]

Kentucky , how dare you question Agile.

 

[Agile]

I also can't imagine how Tony thought this was a £200 job considering what I'd spelled out that I'd had done. Two new radiators, a power flush, a new wireless thermostat, a MaxiFlush or whatever it's called (the thing that collects sludge in the system), rebalancing, etc. etc. The guy was here all day and had all the parts to purchase. £200 indeed.

I would have quoted over the phone!

Power flush £350

Balancing £000 as thats included with power flush.

RF stat £130 for Drayton etc.

Fit stat £65

Magnaclean £185 inc fitting

Two new rads £200 ??? Thats difficult to price without sizes!

___________________________

Total £ 930

So why is my quote cheaper that your lowest ???

Firstly because I dont waste my time at my customner's expense making free visits.

Secondy because I dont need to earn £560 for a day's work as your lowest quote would. More for the next highest! I see those prices as inflated. But I realise they might have to make 10 free visits to get just one job at those prices!

Tony

 

[HH1]

Does sound a bit much money that’s getting forked out there.
As has been mentioned before, by dormermike, (and others) add insulation where you can and make sure you have no draughts from places that there shouldn’t be any.
Round the windows are a favourite place for draughts, badly fitted windows can contribute to it.
Window seals ok? Checked at the top of the windows for draughts?
(round the interior trim and the wall)
Have you checked for draughts down low at skirting level?
Pipes under the floorboards on the ground floor should be insulated, it’s a ventilated space so lots of heat can disappear outside. Draughts can come from here too. There should be a purpose built hatch to get under the floor assuming that there is a crawl space. These can be anywhere but favourite places are understairs cupboard or hallway.
Nice thick carpet underlay can help. Carpet better than laminate. Laminate always feels cold (unless there’s underfloor heating)
Checked the loft hatch?, badly sealing ones letting all the heat escape, consider insulating the hatch too.
Bet the “little” room has two outside walls? Got similar and it’s more difficult to heat.
Insulating lining paper any good? I put some on but can’t give before and after figures/impressions as it was a new house for me.

Might just get back on subject with this post

 

[oph]

...............

Are all the bedrooms occupied? Are you heating an empty dining room? Turn off ALL unoccupied rooms. What do you expect?..............



Tony

Agile, since when is it a good idea to turn off unoccupied rooms

Turn down, not off. That will create cold spots within a property otherwise thus dragging warmer convection air in from the rooms you DO want heated