Gas and electric

[QueenPaws]

Ok help me out here
I have gas and electric and usually use a bit more electric than gas (GCH, gas hob, power showers)
I'm querying my bill but the energy company are saying it's right
Basically I've gone from using say £25 gas/£35 electric to £70 electric and £12 gas despite no changes in the home

Having looked at my bill, my gas usage is the same but my electric use has gone from 5kwh to 10kwh (from this time last year)
Any bright ideas? I have started a complaint and made it clear I'm not complaining about the actual prices, I'm querying how I'm using £12 of gas with the heating on/cooking etc and my electric is sky high

Here's my bill and use for 3 months

Have you checked your meter readings? Have any bills been estimated? Any new appliances? Spending more time at home?

@Sirrah yup, meter readings checked and given
No new appliances
At home more but when I'm home the only additional thing is a laptop

To put it into perspective
Summer month just gone £12 gas, £28 electric
Now £12 gas, £58 electric

Which seems totally wrong when the heating is on and electric doesn't usually change much for me

That is strange! I can't suggest anything else, hopefully somebody else will!

I know I don't understand
Been with them for years and my use is v v similar as I'm tight conservative with gas and electric! So lights always turned off etc and I'm cautious with gas
But it doesn't make sense my gas hasn't increased when the heating is coming on every day

Check your prices...
We are currently with Bulb, and our bill jumped massively and now we're changing suppliers.

We check every so often, and change to newer cheaper when we need to.

@InvisibleToEveryone checked the prices which yes have gone up but electric use going off kWh has doubled
I'm going to look to change but I need to sort this as I can't compare prices when the use is wrong

Are you working from home op? Mine has more than doubled since I’ve been at home

*actual usage that is

@PerfectlyImperfectx yes but the only change is a laptop and kettle -
I don't have lights on, and the fridge etc would run when I'm at work anyway (I work shifts)
I guess it's more that my gas use is apparently the same as summer but electric doubled which makes no sense
Been WFH since April and it's only changed in the last month

I noticed on your screenshots there has been a price change. While that wouldn’t account for your usage changing it could explain the increase in your bill.

Any chance you/your provider have mixed up your readings? Other than that, I can’t see how your usage could’ve changed so dramatically.

It could be a faulty appliance? One way to be sure is to turn everything off and one person watches mtr, turn everything on one by one and see if mtr really jumps when something goes on? Or -ball ache but if you’re working from home then doable - hourly meter reads to pinpoint the jump in usage?

@PerfectlyImperfectx I double checked them and gave new readings today and they said they all match up
It's just so weird and they're "oh no it's fine"
I did see the price change, and there was a small bill increase when that happened
July was 5kwh per day (WFH)
August was 6kwh per day (WFH)
Sept was 7kwh per day (WFH)
Still the same and now 10kwh

I work shifts so exact same hours every month and only in daylight so I keep one light on when it gets to about 4pm

You could ask for the meter to be checked....its possible its doing wrong readings...??...They will come out and do this....fridges and laptops use negligible amounts....kettles suck a lot of power quickly...2kw etc but its not running all day....!!

Opened a complaint with them to hopefully get it resolved. I usually worry about putting heating on but now I don't want to put lights etc on

A few suggestions: use LED light bulbs if you aren't already. Older cfl and incandescent bulbs use 2x and 10x more electricity respectively. How old are your central heating pumps? Pump failure can occasionally result in increased demand. If you have a power shower I presume the water is heated by gas but the power is provided by electricity, therefore more use = more electricity.

Also what type of tariff are you on? Look for any unexplained charges.

LEDs use so little electricity you wouldn't need to worry about leaving lights on - usually around 9 W, so you'd have to leave one light on for 11 hours to use one kWh.

@Nandakanda all LED bulbs, had a new boiler maybe 4 years ago? showers etc about 12 years old
Place was built 13 years ago, 2 bed apartment
Shower daily, bath 1-2 a week

Looking at what's left on it's the fridge freezer, router, laptop, and a light during the day
TV, phone charger, e cig charger and occasional heated airer use. No tumble dryer

I had this bull through On Thursday.
We have an old meter system and I have to submit pictures
Luckily they admitted they misread them.
But bill was still £165 for a month!

@Somewhereelsewhere oh my lord
Hopefully the complaints team can work out what's going on

Hmm.

Difficult to see what's happening.

Dizzywizz's suggestion is good - turn everything off and see if any consumption is showing on the meter. If that wheel or the dial is still turning with everything off, then something you don't know about is still running (usually CH pumps). Then turn items on one at a time and you can see the impact they are having.

If it was a new flat 13 years ago, the builders/installers may have left a load of manuals for your devices. These may contain useful info on servicing (that most people don't bother with) or expected lifespans. You might at least get a pointer as to what's happening.

BTW did you go on holiday for a time during the comparable month last year? (Seems a long time ago).

That would obviously affect year-on-year consumption.

@Nandakanda nope (I'm very boring and haven't had a holiday for about 15 years!)

No spinning thing, just a blinking light. Popped out to have a look and it's changed by 5 in 8hrs so 23352 to 23357

Is that overnight? That's an awful lot for overnight. Was anything left running?