Hi there,

I was just wondering if we are using an excessive/normal amount of
gas.

The boiler we have is a Vaillant ecoTEC+ 937 combi boiler.

DHW: 37kw...tank in boiler set at 50C..automatic disinfection if
needed.
CH: 12kw-28kw..the boiler is range rated at 14kw

Two zones, one controlled by a Honeywell CM927 and the other by a
Salus RT500 or similar.

The house is a 4 bed semi detached house, with 5 people living in it,
occasionally my sister and her husband will come to visit.

Our gas meter is a metric type.

January: 393 units
February: 317 units
March: 260 units.
April: 166 units (heating used for nearly half the month)
May: 111 units (heating used for around three days or so)
June: 65 units.

Is this usage classed as excessive?

On 19 July, 18:23, David wrote:
Hi there,

I was just wondering if we are using an excessive/normal amount of
gas.

The boiler we have is a Vaillant ecoTEC+ 937 combi boiler.

DHW: 37kw...tank in boiler set at 50C..automatic disinfection if
needed.
CH: 12kw-28kw..the boiler is range rated at 14kw

Two zones, one controlled by a Honeywell CM927 and the other by a
Salus RT500 or similar.

The house is a 4 bed semi detached house, with 5 people living in it,
occasionally my sister and her husband will come to visit.

Our gas meter is a metric type.

January: 393 units
February: 317 units
March: 260 units.
April: 166 units (heating used for nearly half the month)
May: 111 units (heating used for around three days or so)
June: 65 units.

Is this usage classed as excessive?

Forgot to say that heating was in operation Jan-March also.

On 19 July, 18:23, David wrote:
Hi there,

I was just wondering if we are using an excessive/normal amount of
gas.

The boiler we have is a Vaillant ecoTEC+ 937 combi boiler.

DHW: 37kw...tank in boiler set at 50C..automatic disinfection if
needed.
CH: 12kw-28kw..the boiler is range rated at 14kw

Two zones, one controlled by a Honeywell CM927 and the other by a
Salus RT500 or similar.

The house is a 4 bed semi detached house, with 5 people living in it,
occasionally my sister and her husband will come to visit.

Our gas meter is a metric type.

January: 393 units
February: 317 units
March: 260 units.
April: 166 units (heating used for nearly half the month)
May: 111 units (heating used for around three days or so)
June: 65 units.

Is this usage classed as excessive?

When you say metric, what are the units, do you mean it measures in
cubic metres? If so that is astronomical, so I assume the units are
something else, unless your house has no roof and you like to keep it
at a comfortable 35 deg C at all times. Being embarrassingly obsessive
about this, I keep our readings in a spreadsheet. This is for a three-
bedroom victorian terrace with fairly poor insulation and a 27kw non-
condensing combi boiler. The first column is the meter reading. The
second one is the rate of usage in units per day calculated by the
spreadsheet. The units are cubic feet, so you'd have to multiply by
something-or-other to compare with your metric readings (whatever
units they're in). I'd say we're on the stingey side with heating (as
is consistent with someone who records meter readings in a
spreadsheet).

Cheers!

Martin

02/07/2007 9718 0.96
22/08/2007 9755 0.73
30/08/2007 9761 0.75
16/09/2007 9772 0.65
05/10/2007 9798 1.37
15/10/2007 9812 1.40
22/10/2007 9827 2.14
26/10/2007 9841 3.50
02/11/2007 9860 2.71
14/11/2007 9897 3.08
21/11/2007 9928 4.43
05/12/2007 9971 3.07
15/12/2007 11 4.00
06/01/2008 75 2.91
18/01/2008 102 2.25
26/01/2008 118 2.00
01/02/2008 132 2.33
20/02/2008 190 3.05
03/03/2008 212 1.83
29/03/2008 277 2.50
07/04/2008 290 1.44
23/04/2008 324 2.13
22/07/2008 350 0.29
06/08/2008 352 0.13
15/08/2008 353 0.11
21/09/2008 360 0.19
08/10/2008 371 0.65
28/10/2008 393 1.10
15/11/2008 427 1.89
18/12/2008 507 2.42
30/01/2009 637 3.02
12/03/2009 758 2.95
08/04/2009 796 1.41
02/06/2009 821 0.45
09/07/2009 825 0.11

wrote:
On 19 July, 18:23, David wrote:
Hi there,

I was just wondering if we are using an excessive/normal amount of
gas.

The boiler we have is a Vaillant ecoTEC+ 937 combi boiler.

DHW: 37kw...tank in boiler set at 50C..automatic disinfection if
needed.
CH: 12kw-28kw..the boiler is range rated at 14kw

Two zones, one controlled by a Honeywell CM927 and the other by a
Salus RT500 or similar.

The house is a 4 bed semi detached house, with 5 people living in it,
occasionally my sister and her husband will come to visit.

Our gas meter is a metric type.

January: 393 units
February: 317 units
March: 260 units.
April: 166 units (heating used for nearly half the month)
May: 111 units (heating used for around three days or so)
June: 65 units.

Is this usage classed as excessive?

When you say metric, what are the units, do you mean it measures in
cubic metres? If so that is astronomical, so I assume the units are
something else, unless your house has no roof and you like to keep it
at a comfortable 35 deg C at all times. Being embarrassingly obsessive
about this, I keep our readings in a spreadsheet. This is for a three-
bedroom victorian terrace with fairly poor insulation and a 27kw non-
condensing combi boiler. The first column is the meter reading. The
second one is the rate of usage in units per day calculated by the
spreadsheet. The units are cubic feet, so you'd have to multiply by
something-or-other to compare with your metric readings (whatever
units they're in). I'd say we're on the stingey side with heating (as
is consistent with someone who records meter readings in a
spreadsheet).

Cheers!

Martin

02/07/2007 9718 0.96
22/08/2007 9755 0.73
30/08/2007 9761 0.75
16/09/2007 9772 0.65
05/10/2007 9798 1.37
15/10/2007 9812 1.40
22/10/2007 9827 2.14
26/10/2007 9841 3.50
02/11/2007 9860 2.71
14/11/2007 9897 3.08
21/11/2007 9928 4.43
05/12/2007 9971 3.07
15/12/2007 11 4.00
06/01/2008 75 2.91
18/01/2008 102 2.25
26/01/2008 118 2.00
01/02/2008 132 2.33
20/02/2008 190 3.05
03/03/2008 212 1.83
29/03/2008 277 2.50
07/04/2008 290 1.44
23/04/2008 324 2.13
22/07/2008 350 0.29
06/08/2008 352 0.13
15/08/2008 353 0.11
21/09/2008 360 0.19
08/10/2008 371 0.65
28/10/2008 393 1.10
15/11/2008 427 1.89
18/12/2008 507 2.42
30/01/2009 637 3.02
12/03/2009 758 2.95
08/04/2009 796 1.41
02/06/2009 821 0.45
09/07/2009 825 0.11
Similar usage to above 3 Bed 3 floor Georgian terrace - stone rubble
walls -no DG.
Winter use 2.0 to 2.7 Units = 60-80 kwh approx.
Summer use 0.15- 0.25 units = 4.5 - 7.5 kwh

Total annual use 15,500 kwh for heating, hot- water and hob on gas cooker.

I think OP has a decimal point wrong ( 10 x too much)

On 19 July, 20:26, robert wrote:
wrote:
On 19 July, 18:23, David wrote:
Hi there,

I was just wondering if we are using an excessive/normal amount of
gas.

The boiler we have is a Vaillant ecoTEC+ 937 combi boiler.

DHW: 37kw...tank in boiler set at 50C..automatic disinfection if
needed.
CH: 12kw-28kw..the boiler is range rated at 14kw

Two zones, one controlled by a Honeywell CM927 and the other by a
Salus RT500 or similar.

The house is a 4 bed semi detached house, with 5 people living in it,
occasionally my sister and her husband will come to visit.

Our gas meter is a metric type.

January: 393 units
February: 317 units
March: 260 units.
April: 166 units (heating used for nearly half the month)
May: 111 units (heating used for around three days or so)
June: 65 units.

Is this usage classed as excessive?

When you say metric, what are the units, do you mean it measures in
cubic metres? If so that is astronomical, so I assume the units are
something else, unless your house has no roof and you like to keep it
at a comfortable 35 deg C at all times. Being embarrassingly obsessive
about this, I keep our readings in a spreadsheet. This is for a three-
bedroom victorian terrace with fairly poor insulation and a 27kw non-
condensing combi boiler. The first column is the meter reading. The
second one is the rate of usage in units per day calculated by the
spreadsheet. The units are cubic feet, so you'd have to multiply by
something-or-other to compare with your metric readings (whatever
units they're in). I'd say we're on the stingey side with heating (as
is consistent with someone who records meter readings in a
spreadsheet).

Cheers!

Martin

02/07/2007 9718 * *0.96
22/08/2007 9755 * *0.73
30/08/2007 9761 * *0.75
16/09/2007 9772 * *0.65
05/10/2007 9798 * *1.37
15/10/2007 9812 * *1.40
22/10/2007 9827 * *2.14
26/10/2007 9841 * *3.50
02/11/2007 9860 * *2.71
14/11/2007 9897 * *3.08
21/11/2007 9928 * *4.43
05/12/2007 9971 * *3.07
15/12/2007 11 * * *4.00
06/01/2008 75 * * *2.91
18/01/2008 102 * * 2.25
26/01/2008 118 * * 2.00
01/02/2008 132 * * 2.33
20/02/2008 190 * * 3.05
03/03/2008 212 * * 1.83
29/03/2008 277 * * 2.50
07/04/2008 290 * * 1.44
23/04/2008 324 * * 2.13
22/07/2008 350 * * 0.29
06/08/2008 352 * * 0.13
15/08/2008 353 * * 0.11
21/09/2008 360 * * 0.19
08/10/2008 371 * * 0.65
28/10/2008 393 * * 1.10
15/11/2008 427 * * 1.89
18/12/2008 507 * * 2.42
30/01/2009 637 * * 3.02
12/03/2009 758 * * 2.95
08/04/2009 796 * * 1.41
02/06/2009 821 * * 0.45
09/07/2009 825 * * 0.11

Similar usage to above 3 Bed 3 floor Georgian terrace - stone rubble
walls -no DG.
Winter use 2.0 to 2.7 Units = 60-80 kwh *approx.
Summer use 0.15- 0.25 units = 4.5 - 7.5 kwh

Total annual use 15,500 kwh *for heating, hot- water and hob on gas cooker.

I think OP has a decimal point wrong ( 10 x too much)

The meter is like this:

http://www.manxgas.com/finished-grap...tric_meter.jpg

I record the numbers in black.

Example: Beginning of January the black numbers read 6695, at the end
of the month the numbers read 7088..393 units used?

David wrote:

The meter is like this:

http://www.manxgas.com/finished-grap...tric_meter.jpg

I record the numbers in black.

Example: Beginning of January the black numbers read 6695, at the end
of the month the numbers read 7088..393 units used?

IIRC "Units" are traditionally 100 Cu Feet in size, which would make the
reading about 138 units.


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
John Rumm wrote:

David wrote:

The meter is like this:

http://www.manxgas.com/finished-grap...tric_meter.jpg

I record the numbers in black.

Example: Beginning of January the black numbers read 6695, at the end
of the month the numbers read 7088..393 units used?

IIRC "Units" are traditionally 100 Cu Feet in size, which would make
the reading about 138 units.


Yes, but the 'Unit Price' quoted by energy suppliers is always in kWh - so
the OP really needs to convert the meter readings into kWH (taking account
of the various 'fiddle factors' and calorific value, etc. - as shown on the
gas bill). Only then can we be sure that we're not comparing apples with
pears!
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

David wrote:

The meter is like this:

http://www.manxgas.com/finished-grap...tric_meter.jpg

I record the numbers in black.

We have an almost identical meter and a Vaillant combi boiler are using
similar amounts of gas for a similarly-sized house.

17 Jan to 7 Feb this year we used 338 units as indicated by the meter etc.

The bizarre thing is, we moved from an old house to a newer house.

The old house had a very old Baxi wall-mounted boiler which although had a
lower power output than the Vaillant it seemed to heat the house up much much
quicker.

KWh Last Year This Year
Jan 90 230
Feb 90 235
Mar 70 175
Apr 60 120
May 40 70

I have no idea why our current boiler uses so much more gas than our old
boiler...

I guess most of the heat from the gas is going out of the flue...

On 21 July, 09:39, chunkyoldcortina wrote:
David wrote:

* The meter is like this:
*
*http://www.manxgas.com/finished-grap...tric_meter.jpg
*
* I record the numbers in black.

We have an almost identical meter and a Vaillant combi boiler are using
similar amounts of gas for a similarly-sized house.

17 Jan to 7 Feb this year we used 338 units as indicated by the meter etc..

The bizarre thing is, we moved from an old house to a newer house.

The old house had a very old Baxi wall-mounted boiler which although had a
lower power output than the Vaillant it seemed to heat the house up much much
quicker.

What model do you have?



KWh * *Last Year * *This Year
Jan * *90 * * * *230
Feb * *90 * * * *235
Mar * *70 * * * *175
Apr * *60 * * * *120
May * *40 * * * *70

I have no idea why our current boiler uses so much more gas than our old
boiler...

I guess most of the heat from the gas is going out of the flue...

David wrote:
Hi there,

I was just wondering if we are using an excessive/normal amount of
gas.

The boiler we have is a Vaillant ecoTEC+ 937 combi boiler.

DHW: 37kw...tank in boiler set at 50C..automatic disinfection if
needed.
CH: 12kw-28kw..the boiler is range rated at 14kw

Two zones, one controlled by a Honeywell CM927 and the other by a
Salus RT500 or similar.

The house is a 4 bed semi detached house, with 5 people living in it,
occasionally my sister and her husband will come to visit.

Our gas meter is a metric type.

January: 393 units
February: 317 units
March: 260 units.
April: 166 units (heating used for nearly half the month)
May: 111 units (heating used for around three days or so)
June: 65 units.

Is this usage classed as excessive?

Your meter clearly measures in cubic meters. If you roughly double your
figure to give an annual total it works out at... 2624 m3

To convert that to KW, x by Calorific value x corr factor / 3.6

= approx 29000KW

I would guess that's about double the average consumption with an
efficient boiler, but of course it depends how well your house is
insulated and how you live. Family not whacking up the thermostat all
the time. Water on all the time for constant baths and showers. Windows
and doors left open.
Andy C

On 20 July, 07:10, Andy Cap wrote:
David wrote:
Hi there,

I was just wondering if we are using an excessive/normal amount of
gas.

The boiler we have is a Vaillant ecoTEC+ 937 combi boiler.

DHW: 37kw...tank in boiler set at 50C..automatic disinfection if
needed.
CH: 12kw-28kw..the boiler is range rated at 14kw

Two zones, one controlled by a Honeywell CM927 and the other by a
Salus RT500 or similar.

The house is a 4 bed semi detached house, with 5 people living in it,
occasionally my sister and her husband will come to visit.

Our gas meter is a metric type.

January: 393 units
February: 317 units
March: 260 units.
April: 166 units (heating used for nearly half the month)
May: 111 units (heating used for around three days or so)
June: 65 units.

Is this usage classed as excessive?

Your meter clearly measures in cubic meters. If you roughly double your
figure to give an annual total it works out at... * 2624 m3

To convert that to KW, *x by Calorific value x corr factor / *3.6

= approx 29000KW

I would guess that's about double the average consumption with an
efficient boiler, but of course it depends how well your house is
insulated and how you live. Family not whacking up the thermostat all
the time. Water on all the time for constant baths and showers. Windows
and doors left open.
Andy C

This is what worries me, one zone is kept at 19.5C whilst the other is
kept at just 16.5C, and the heating is not on constantly and the women
generally feel cold!

On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:30:42 -0700 (PDT), David wrote:


I would guess that's about double the average consumption with an
efficient boiler, but of course it depends how well your house is
insulated and how you live. Family not whacking up the thermostat all
the time. Water on all the time for constant baths and showers. Windows
and doors left open.
Andy C

This is what worries me, one zone is kept at 19.5C whilst the other is
kept at just 16.5C, and the heating is not on constantly and the women
generally feel cold!

Ah, but what are they set up when you're not there ? ;-) Have you plenty of
loft and cavity wall insulation ? They make a lot of difference. I think it's
really difficult to compare different properties, because numbers and habits
vary so much. The best thing is to maximise the saving in your own property,
with insulation, controls like TRVs, an efficient boiler, although that will
take years to pay for itself and a big stick, as and when required.

On 20 July, 18:00, Andy Cap wrote:
On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:30:42 -0700 (PDT), David wrote:
I would guess that's about double the average consumption with an
efficient boiler, but of course it depends how well your house is
insulated and how you live. Family not whacking up the thermostat all
the time. Water on all the time for constant baths and showers. Windows
and doors left open.
Andy C

This is what worries me, one zone is kept at 19.5C whilst the other is
kept at just 16.5C, and the heating is not on constantly and the women
generally feel cold!

Ah, but what are they set up when you're not there ? * ;-) * Have you plenty of
loft and cavity wall insulation ? They make a lot of difference.

They can't be setting the thermostat above 21C due to Honeywell
flexibility, my sister usually turns it up to 20C or so but now that
she is gone it shouldn't be much of a problem. And the zone at 16.5C
is my room which is in the loft. The loft is cold as the insulation
was put between the joists rather than the rafters, the hatch is
permanently open because I am going in and out of my room all day.
Unfourtunately the walls are solid so no insulation, however the
extension to the kitchen and living room have cavity wall insulation.

Double glazing is present throughout the house.


*I think it's
really difficult to compare different properties, because numbers and habits
vary so much. The best thing is to maximise the saving in your own property,
with insulation, controls like TRVs, an efficient boiler, although that will
take years to pay for itself and a big stick, as and when required.

There are TRV's on all rads and the boiler is a condensing boiler, it
is 91.5% efficient I believe.

On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 10:17:01 -0700 (PDT), David wrote:

They can't be setting the thermostat above 21C due to Honeywell
flexibility, my sister usually turns it up to 20C or so but now that
she is gone it shouldn't be much of a problem. And the zone at 16.5C
is my room which is in the loft. The loft is cold as the insulation
was put between the joists rather than the rafters, the hatch is
permanently open because I am going in and out of my room all day.
Unfourtunately the walls are solid so no insulation, however the
extension to the kitchen and living room have cavity wall insulation.

Double glazing is present throughout the house.


*I think it's
really difficult to compare different properties, because numbers and habits
vary so much. The best thing is to maximise the saving in your own property,
with insulation, controls like TRVs, an efficient boiler, although that will
take years to pay for itself and a big stick, as and when required.

There are TRV's on all rads and the boiler is a condensing boiler, it
is 91.5% efficient I believe.

Well, there is no way I would contemplate leaving the loft hatch open. That
must represent a pretty substantial loss. I don't know for sure, but I would
have thought solid walls were a bit of a liability heatwise too. Like the other
guy, I use just under 14000KWs in a 3 bed semi and that's with an ancient
boiler, but there is only two of us, so not so much water for sure.

On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:30:42 -0700 (PDT), David wrote:

This is what worries me, one zone is kept at 19.5C whilst the other is
kept at just 16.5C, and the heating is not on constantly and the women
generally feel cold!

Ah - can't remember the last time I felt a hot woman.
Sorry.
But you must be losing a lot of heat up through the loft hatch and the
uninsulated roof.

--
Geo

On 21 July, 17:58, Geo wrote:
On Mon, 20 Jul 2009 09:30:42 -0700 (PDT), David wrote:
This is what worries me, one zone is kept at 19.5C whilst the other is
kept at just 16.5C, and the heating is not on constantly and the women
generally feel cold!

Ah - can't remember the last time I felt a hot woman.
Sorry.
But you must be losing a lot of heat up through the loft hatch and the
uninsulated roof.

--
Geo

I understand what you mean.