Ever wondered what makes your gas bill so high? Let’s uncover the reasons behind this common issue and explore the best solutions.
Many homeowners and businesses are surprised by unexpectedly high energy bills. Those facing this issue often wonder what makes gas bill high.
In this post, you will learn about various factors that contribute to high gas bills. It could be energy usage estimation errors, price hikes from suppliers, the need to compare gas and energy suppliers, or metre issues. Understanding these causes is the first step towards finding solutions to reduce your energy costs.
Most Common Causes Make Gas Bill High
Most properties have found a rise in their gas bills because of the following causes, often linked to inadequate energy contract management:
1. Could a gas leak be the reason behind the increase in my gas bill?
A sudden spike in your gas bill, especially in the summer, might be due to a natural gas leak. This could result from poor maintenance, low-quality pipe fittings, a faulty new gas appliance, or a line break.
In this case, it goes beyond the high bills, you must immediately open your utility’s doors and windows, evacuate people, and call 911, as you notice a strong smell of rotten eggs or hissing near gas appliances. In addition, it is important to report the problem to your gas utility who will help you identify and address it.
2. Why is my gas bill so high during the summer and winter months?
During the summer and winter months when the temperatures get too high or too low, there is a hiking demand for energy usage to balance the inconvenient heat conditions, making gas supply rates increase. These weather conditions also make it easy for heat to get lost through the attic or chimney.
What makes gas bill high also could be old inefficient appliances that often consume more energy, especially when they have to run continuously during summers and winters. Therefore, they must be maintained regularly with the attention to the window and door drafts, as well as the thermostate.
3. Is my gas bill so high because of increased gas supply rates?
If your current gas supplier is your local utility, you might be paying on a variable rate gas plan. It means the gas prices get higher when you use more gas in the winter and summer months.
4. Is it time for some maintenance?
Not all maintenance activities are complicated, but some are so simple that you can do it in minutes. The proper maintenance not only helps extend the appliances’ life, but also minimises safety risks in heat sources and gas consumption. You can:
- Frequently take dryer lint out of filters and vents.
- Get a new fibreglass furnace filter after 1-2 months of usage.
- Replace pleated filters every 3-6 months
- Get annual maintenance by a professional, typically in early falls, to have your air conditioner and furnace maintained before the season changes.
Checklist 8 Reasons Why Your Gas Bill Might Be High
What makes my gas bill so high? Below are the top reasons that might explain for your gas bill getting higher:
1. Are your bills based on accurate, up-to-date metre readings?
As your bills are often calculated with estimated readings, you must ensure they are correct. It is often possible to submit your metre readings online or over the phone.
With a smart metre, you can check if the amount of the supplier is communicating with the reading you have taken by yourself. Inform them if it is not.
When you change supplier, the closing and opening metre readings might be estimated. When the new gas supplier gets an accurate reading, they will send you the actual usage that might be higher than your expectation, especially if you did not submit a correct metre reading for a while.
2. Have there been any recent changes at home?
- Recently moved home: After moving home, you could work with another supplier or tariff with a more expensive rate. In addition, the new property could be not as properly insulated, or it is larger, requiring more heating, or its boiler or shower is not as efficient as the ones you are used to. Some detective work is necessary to figure out the causes as soon as possible to avoid things adding up over the months.
- Faulty appliances: Old washing machines or a fridge on the blink could lead to more running cost. Even dodgy old wiring can sap gas and electricity. Then, it is best to have a professional check the issue.
- New appliances: Though newer appliances are often more efficient than old ones, if it is a tumble drier, hot tub or plug-in heater that you did not have previously, they can become what makes gas bill higher more than expected.
3. Has your consumption changed?
A metre can help you check if your energy usage has increased or decreased. Firstly, you need to take a metre reading at a time on a day, then another at the same time the next day. Then, compare the results between the two to find the difference and the consumption amount in the last 24 hours. Finally, compare it with your average daily use shown on our bill.
If that amount is less than the average usage on your bill, the rise in your bill might be because of an increase in your energy usage for the billing period. Meanwhile, if the usage on your bill and your readings are quite equal and consistent, your usage amount is stable.
If your usage fluctuates daily, doing the same test again over several days together will help you get a better indication. Then, you just need to divide the energy usage record between metre reads by the number of days to find the average daily usage.
4. Is your home on an Economy 7 electricity tariff?
Economy 7 tariff is a special contract that charges you less at night and more expensive during daytime hours. It might be more suitable for properties that are out of the main gas network and use cheap-rate electricity at night time for night storage heaters and to heat tank water.
If there are night storage heaters with your property, make sure to check if you are on the Economy 7 tariff, which will be on your bill. In addition, check if the metres are on the right way round, as the daytime usage could be charged at the night rate, and vice versa.
5. Does your bill include debt repayment?
When it comes to what makes gas bill high? If you owe energy money, you might be charged for repayment instalments that make your monthly bills much higher. Also, the money that you top up might not last long enough.
6. Does your direct debit accurately reflect your usage?
Sometimes, what makes gas bill high is the incorrect energy amount that your supplier asks for payment that is more than that you used. Then, it is time to ask for a review to not overpay and accrue large amounts of credit.
7. Could your metre be faulty?
Take the following actions to check if your metre is faulty:
- Switch off all appliances in your properties, including the heating, lights, and hot water.
- After 15 minutes, check all metres and take the reading from the metre, not from your in-home display.
- Take another metre reading after an hour (then you can turn things back on).
- Compare the two readings. If you are not the same, your metre might be faulty.
8. Are your solar panels set up correctly?
Sometimes, solar panels could make the energy bills higher when the owner’s accounts are not set up properly. Talk to your energy supplier to make sure this does not happen to you.
What Else Could Lead to Expensive Bills?
What makes gas bill high? There are some other common reasons behind your high energy usage. For example, some appliances and equipment consume more energy than others. Moreover, how and when you use them can also influence your monthly bills.
- Excessive use of heating and cooling appliances during hot and cold months, including electric wall heater or fan heater, an oil column heater, underfloor heating or an air conditioner
- Frequent use of energy-intensive appliances such as clothes dryers and washing machines
- Operating outdated or malfunctioning major appliances, like a refrigerator with a faulty seal
- Issues with your hot water system, including defects or excessively high temperature settings
- Overuse of hot water boosters or day/night switches during peak consumption periods
- Malfunctioning thermostats on water heaters or home heating systems
- Potential gas leaks, identifiable by a running metre when appliances are off or a noticeable gas odour
- Poor home insulation, including lack of window coverings, inadequate wall insulation, or air drafts
If you’re wondering what makes your gas bill high, our guide on energy bills explained will help you identify the key factors impacting your costs.
What Should I Do If My Energy Bill Is Inaccurate?
You need to contact the supplier to ask for a review immediately if your energy bill gets considerably higher than usual. If it is their errors, you can claim a refund.
If you did not submit regular metre readings, your supplier can estimate your usage based on the previous bills. Therefore, you should often submit your metre reading for several days and have it recalculated. Regularly submitting metre readings will help you minimise the risk of inaccurate bills.
On the other hand, consider if you have a faulty metre that makes your energy bills higher than normal. Try turning off your power for a while, if the numbers keep moving, there must be a fault.
Light Up Energy is Here to Help!
Struggling with high energy bills or inaccurate charges? Light Up Energy can help. We specialise in helping businesses like yours slash energy costs, obtain a competitive business gas quote, and gain control over consumption.
Through our comprehensive approach—including detailed site audits, advanced data analysis, insightful reporting, and strategic guidance from a business energy consultant—we empower you to significantly reduce your energy usage.
But we are more than just consultants. We are hospitality industry veterans with a proven track record of success. Our team’s extensive hands-on experience means we understand the unique challenges your business faces.
Still wondering about what makes gas bill high? Contact Light Up Energy today to learn how we can help your business with energy efficiency and cost savings.
FAQs
Some other common questions are often asked when it comes to what makes gas bill high:
What can I do if I can’t afford my energy bills?
In this case, your energy supplier should provide you with fair support depending on your situation. You can:
- Build a payment plan – You can ask your supplier to give you a more affordable payment plan for which you can pay the instalments. You might get more suitable terms, like paying for your current usage and you will get an affordable contribution towards the debit.
- Check if you can obtain Fuel Direct – If you are on benefits, you can be allowed to make the payment through the Fuel Direct Scheme, which takes money directly from your benefits to handle your debt.
- Ask for more time to finish the payment, or access to hardship funds.
Does installing a smart metre help me reduce my energy bills?
Yes. In detail, a smart energy metre can measure and record the energy amount usage every 30 minutes. Then, it will inform you how much you have spent on energy via an In-Home-Display (IHD). The consumption data is also automatically replied to your supplier.
The UK is placing traditional gas and energy metres by smart metres to make the energy system more efficient. This advance contributes to more renewable energy usage and net zero in the country. In March 2023, Great Britain had 32.4 million smart metres, accounting for 57% of all metres.
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