Please Help!

[EmilyBlack90]

I'm aware this may sound very stupid, but we need some help on our heating system!

We've recently moved into a new place..renting and we just received a heating bill for 2 months, and it was £250, which is incredibly high and there is no way we are spending that as we live in a two bedroom flat, and one bedroom isn't even used.

Our boiler is apparently electric (although it is a new build, around three years old.. is this normal?) but we have TRV's on each radiator to control our heating, this is why i'm confused.. I though TRV's were gas, but our boiler is electric? Even when nobody was living in our flat, 120 units of electricity were used in two days! Why would this be? Can anybody shed some light on why our meter is running so high, and what heating system we seem to have? Any help is appreciated. Thanks

 

[ianmcd]

TRVs can be used on any wet central heating system, it sounds as though you have an electric wet system and unfortunately they are extortionate to use that price sounds about right to me

 

[EmilyBlack90]

Thank you for replying. When we moved in the lady said the building was very energy efficient.... The people who lived there before us were paying 30-40 a month on electricity, so I can't understand why ours would be so much higher? Whats the most efficient setting to have an electric boiler?

 

[ianmcd]

you get two types of wet electric boiler is yours a boiler with a seperate HW cylinder or is everything incorporated into the one cylinder ? is there a make and model on the boiler ?

 

[kidgreen61]

Whats the most efficient setting to have an electric boiler?

OFF!!

I've inherited a leccy boiler, £460 for 10 weeks

 

[Agile]

Can you tell us honestly how deep you fill your bath or how long you shower for?

Energy is very expensive now and people just dont want to accept that.

Its easy to see whats still consuming power when you are not living there by going back and seeing whats on. I expect you have a thermal store which is being heated as you dont seem to understand your system at all.

I am sure the lady who told you £40 a month was "selling" you something!

Tony

 

[jj4091]

Thank you for replying. When we moved in the lady said the building was very energy efficient.... The people who lived there before us were paying 30-40 a month on electricity, so I can't understand why ours would be so much higher? Whats the most efficient setting to have an electric boiler?

Sue for misrepresentation

 

[FiremanT]

? Even when nobody was living in our flat, 120 units of electricity were used in two days! Why would this be?

As Tony (sort of) suggested, turn EVERYTHING off and check the meter.

Check if you have any outside or shed powerpoints, and make sure nothing is runing, say a heater.

Rather more of a long shot, but if everythong else draws a blank....

A few years ago we revamped a shop unit that we had been renting for a couple of years. We found a plug socket, into which was plogged a wire leading to the above flats garage! This was an earlier conversion into seperate units, and wouldn't (probably)occur in a built for purpose unit.

 

[Agile]

Its difficult to sue for something you were told verbally.

They could deny it or you may have misheard it.

In any case as everyone else in the block is paying the costs involved that leaves you as the odd one out!

You do need to be on the best tarrif. I suppose you dont know which one you are on either!

Those systems are usually best on an off peak ( Economy 7 ) type of tarrif but that depends partly on your useage pattern and if its set up for an off peak.

You need to talk to the other residents.

Tony

 

[Charnwood]

You say it's a £250 bill for heating. Do you get a separate bill for all other leccy used?

If not:
Is your heating programmed and controlled properly?
Do you leave appliances on standby?
Do you leave chargers plugged in and switched on? They still use power in that state
Do you use: washing machine/tumble drier/dishwasher often?
Do you have energy saving bulbs? My place is almost completely kitted out with LED bulbs. Do you leave lights on in unoccupied rooms?

 

[EmilyBlack90]

Thanks for the help. I've just found out it's ground source heating! Which therefore should be much cheaper. Any ideas on why this could have caused such a large bill and is causing the meter to go up and up very quickly?