Yes, a leaking hot water heater on the hot side can increase your gas
bill. If the landlord knew about it ahead of time and did nothing then
you might have something to stand on, else you'll just have to eat it.
I would periodically check things like that and unnecessary lights being
left on. Also, heat/cooling ducts properly wrapped.

J



CPreksta wrote:
I live in an apartment building. There are three other apartments.
All the windows were just replaced. In the month of DecemberI got a
$300 gas bill. I assumed that the heat was too high (the thermostat
was at 65 degrees) so I turned the heat OFF and resorted to a single
space heater which heats the apartment just fine. My January bill just
came and it was...

$300!

When I asked my neighbors what their bills were, they were all roughly
around $70. My bill alone was more than all three of theirs combined
and the heater wasn't even running.

When I inspected the meter in the basement I found that my hot water
heater was leaking a good bit of water. It's being replaced tomorrow.

My question is: could a leaking hot water heater cause a $300 gas bill?
And if it can is this something I can dispute with the gas company, or
should I with the landlord?