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D
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Darroch
Rank 1
March 13, 2023
Solved

Gas usage seems high in an unoccupied house

  • March 13, 2023
  • 18 replies
  • 1533 views

Dear All 

 

Please help/advise us.

 

We are executors of our late mother’s house which was badly damaged by a broken pipe in December.

 

Our insurers have declined our claim stating they ‘do not consider’ we have adhered to the conditions of an unoccupied house on the renewed policy that we keep the heating on to maintain a min temp of 10 degrees.

 

The meter readings between 1st Oct and 17th Dec amount to 11 units.

 

The system was set at a temperature of 12.5 degrees to ensure it would kick in and keep the heat above 10 degrees required.

 

We cannot explain why the record shows 11 units - nor do we know if this is reasonable given the system, we are sure, would only kick in when the temp dropped below 12.5.

 

As I read through some of the comments on this forum, i wonder,(and if 11 units are too low) was the meter reading correctly recorded ? -  if not how can we correct these figures?

 

Ovo are unable to supply accurate details as there is no smart meter.

 

Any explanation or assurance would be greatly appreciated as we are also very stressed at the appalling treatment and customer service of the insurance company and the deterioration of the house.

 

Please help if you can 

 

Kind Regards 

 

Best answer by BPLightlog

Updated on 20/07/26 by Ben_OVO

Just reviewing your timeline @Darroch , I take it that the 11 units of gas consumed would be between the end of July and 18th December if supply was turned off at that point. 


Although a very low usage for that timeframe, given the 12.5 deg setting and presuming that the boiler didn’t turn on until perhaps December - I have a recorded average outdoor temperature of 9.5 deg in November and 4 deg in December - then 340 kWh might look reasonable.

 

What I’m not sure of is the boiler operation at that point given the usual need to top up pressure or the settings on the control as mentioned earlier. 

18 replies

Blastoise186
Super User
Blastoise186Super User
Super User
March 13, 2023

Good afternoon @Darroch ,

Firstly, please accept my condolences for your loss. I will inform the Forum Moderators of this thread and your situation as soon as I have posted this reply.

Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Blastoise186 and I’m one of the trusted Forum Volunteers who helps out on the OVO Forum. We act in a personal capacity and don’t work for OVO.

To make things a bit easier, we could do with seeing photos of the meter and heating system if it is safe to do so. Forum volunteers such as myself are pretty good at figuring out puzzles, but we could do with this extra information to understand how that setup works.

If there’s anything else we can do to help, please let us know. We can’t access the account from here, but we’ll certainly be happy to offer advice.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
    BPLightlog
    Super User
    BPLightlogSuper User
    Super User
    March 13, 2023

    Hi @Darroch. Hope everything gets sorted. 
    If you think about temperatures during part of December (and then also part of January), I would think that a frost setting would indeed kick in during the - degrees overnight. 
    Ours certainly did although that was with a 12 degree low setting. It will depend on the specifics of the situation of course. 
    Looking back at the data, the heating did come on when minus outside to the tune of approx 4 kWh per day. Don’t forget that the readings would be in either cubic metres or cubic feet and so are not directly kWh 

    Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      Jeffus
      Rank 20
      March 13, 2023

      Hi @Darroch 

      You say the meter readings amount to 11. Is this based on estimated readings or did someone supply a reading to OVO on 1st Oct and 17th Dec? 

       

        D
        Rank 1
        DarrochAuthor
        Rank 1
        March 13, 2023

        these were actual reading taken by my husband at the time of the policy renewal -( and to update OVO that the house was unoccupied) and again by the underwriters when they came to inspect the property 

         

          Blastoise186
          Super User
          Blastoise186Super User
          Super User
          March 13, 2023

          Thanks for confirming.

          If that’s 11 based on the meter display then it converts to about 120kWh. Does that sound right to you? Or was it 11kWh?

          Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
          Jeffus
          Rank 20
          Jeffus
          Rank 20
          March 13, 2023

          @Darroch Do you have any historical bills for November/December for previous years? 

          D
          Rank 1
          DarrochAuthor
          Rank 1
          March 13, 2023

          Thank you for all your feedback - i will post a time line of events with readings and pictures of the meter as requested 

           

          We very much appreciate your support at this stage 

           

          regards

           

            Jeffus
            Rank 20
            Jeffus
            Rank 20
            March 13, 2023

            @Darroch Are the underwriters saying the damaged pipe is due to frozen water?

            Is there anything unusual about the damaged pipe, for example particularly old, in a colder part of the house etc.?

            Does the house have a gas combi boiler or a gas boiler with a hot water tank?

            Did you have a timer on the heating or was it on permanently at 12.5 degrees? 

             

              BPLightlog
              Super User
              BPLightlogSuper User
              Super User
              March 13, 2023

              This is obviously just a personal opinion but if the 11 units relate to around 120kwh as suggested, I would consider that reasonable considering my own overnight use over a similar period. 
              I wonder if the underwriter has considered the conversion to kWh in their calculations?

              Bring me Sunshine ~ E&E {Solar PV, Battery Storage, Hybrid EV, ASHP and Home Assistant automation}
                Blastoise186
                Super User
                Blastoise186Super User
                Super User
                March 13, 2023

                Thank you for all your feedback - i will post a time line of events with readings and pictures of the meter as requested 

                 

                We very much appreciate your support at this stage 

                 

                regards

                 

                You are, of course, most welcome. We will be happy to offer you as much advice as we can so please do feel free to ask us any questions you might have.

                We’ll be here for as long as you need our help.

                Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
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