Is this even possible???

[MamaDuckling]

In short;

Moved into semi detached Victorian property in November. 3 bed, decent size but not huge.

Have just had a gas & electric bill for £1000 from Nov 2013 - Feb 2014.

I have a newborn so washing machine/tumble dryer is on a lot and have had the heating on a bit as we're at home a lot.

Is it me or is this BONKERS???

Sounds bonkers. Did you give them a meter reading when you moved in?

is it from estimates or actual readings? Do you have the heating on a timer? Do you have a thermostat and what is it set to?

Yep, gave them readings when we moved in and someone came to check the current readings about 10 days ago.

Also yes the heating is on a timer (but I do have it on some days, say 50% of the time at present) as I'm in a lot with baby.

Thermostat yep, set to 21 I think...

I'd get the thermostat turned down for a start - even a few degrees can make a difference. Ours is set to 18/19 degrees and is on between 6 and 10am and 5 and 10pm and then is off overnight. I will boost it during the day if i feel cold.

What about your hot water? Do you have a combi boiler where it heats the water instantly or do you have a hot water tank? Do you have that on a timer too? Mine is only on for a couple of hours a day and that gives plenty hot water especially as our shower heats the water itself so doesn't run off the hot water tank.

Have you checked that the readings they have used are correct and that you are not being charged for the previous persons usage?

If the readings all look ok then I would ask them to come and look at the meters as the consumption looks very high.

looking at the actual (not any estimated) meter readings, how many cubic metres of gas did you use between which two dates; and how many kWh of electricity?

Amounts paid are no use because they often include past under- or over-payments, and estimates, and figures calculated to boost the cashflow of the energy companies, as well as price changes.

Does the bill correspond to the meter readings or is it based on estimated readings?

They can really take the piss with their estimates sometimes, and the fact that they take a reading doesn't necessarily mean that they use it in the bill.

If the house is poorly insulated, you've got an old, inefficient boiler and you've had the heating on a lot, you can use an awful lot of gas during winter. Id take daily meter reads at the same time each day for a week or so to get an idea of actual
consumption. Do check the meter readings on your bills though as it's possible that an error has been made.

Thanks folks, silly EDF error... Panic over!