Regretting getting a smart meter already...

[CinnamonSwirl82]

Has gas and electric really gone up this much? ☹️ Just moved house and got a smart meter installed, lost my fixed tariff as I couldn't bring it with me and nowhere offers fixed anymore.

We've been out most of the day, no heating on and all plugs are switched off bar the fridge freezer, oven, sky box and router. Currently it's sat at £10.30. Bloke had to install new meters as our old ones were prehistoric.

£300+ a month for barely using any gas or electric? Is this right and has it really gone up this much?! I only used to pay £100 a month and I'd not be minimising any of my useage. I'm hoping it's faulty meters because I'm never gonna be able to afford to put heating on and I'm on a pretty good salary!

I hate this smart meter already.

@CinnamonSwirl82 is the app showing the same kwh usage as your IHD for yesterday? Ignore the pricing for know, concentrate on the usage. And if the total is the same, can you work out when the usage was?

Both your gas and electric seem high for being out all day. For your electric, I would switch everything off, then switch one thing on and see what the IHD shows for current usage - it updates every 10 seconds and it's easier if one person stays with the IHD writing usage down and the other goes round the house. Don't forget things like outside sensor lights, electric showers, any Christmas lights?

Gas is harder because the IHD doesn't update as frequently, so I use the app retrospectively to see how much is used.

If you don't have a hot water tank, you won't have an immersion.

Once you've got your usage under control, I would submit two lots of meter readings a week apart and compare the cost on your bill vs your IHD. Then you'll see if your tariff is wrong.

@greenacrylicpaint I think one of the cables does go up in to the loft!! I'll have to get DH up there tomorrow to see if there's a hidden water tank. To my knowledge we don't have one but we've only been here a month so still making discoveries.

@TheWomanTheyCallJayne great name 🤣

This might sound a little lazy but all of our appliances are built in so it's going to be hassle turning them off. Not sure I have the motivation in me for such a task ☹️

We've been in all day today, using both TVs & the PC, multiple lights, few hours of heating and we're at £6.40 so something is definitely not right about yesterday.

Will double check the app tomorrow (it seems to update a day behind) and compare the usage 🤞

So I have this feeling you aren't sure how you get hot water in the house?

If you turn off your boiler and then turn on the hot water, what do you think will happen?

How very dare you! No I haven't 😂

But some old white goods use a lot more power than newer models, especially if large capacity. A lot more than 400kwh a year.

Our appliances are all reasonably new 🙂 oven, microwave within the last three years and fridge is about 6 months.

I'd have thought we wouldn't have hot water if we switched the boiler off. The boiler does have a tap icon on it so I assume it's definitely feeding our water.

Will be interesting to see if there is a back up tank in our loft...

Do you have a homebuyers report that details your heating/ hot water system?

I have the same result, after they insulted my smart meter, I have been paying top up £10 extra every two weeks so I know it's the meter that's faulty so requesting it off. The worst part is I have been waiting for an engineer for months to come look at it and give me a monitor which they didn't in the first place so it's all seems dodgy so now just requesting it off. British Gas is the worst, it's hard to get them on the phone and speaking in chat with them and they saying an engineer will come are just lies. Better to get them on the phone. I really hating British Gas smart meter.