Gas: 10,000 kWh in two months for a 120 m² flat in Tres Cantos, Spain
A 120 m² flat in Tres Cantos, Madrid, used 952 m³ of gas in two months, nearly 10,000 kWh, and the supplier sees no problem. How to audit your boiler.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
A 120 m² flat sees its gas bill soar to 10,000 kWh in two months
Four people, a flat of about 120 square metres in Tres Cantos (Madrid), and a gas bill that eats up more than 400 euros every two months. Consumption spikes in winter to 952 cubic metres over the December-January period, almost 10,000 kWh, and drops back to normal levels in summer at just 75 m³. The supplier checked the meter and found nothing wrong. The problem, therefore, is not where the company is looking.
The first calculation worth making is the one nobody makes: comparing winter with summer in the same home. If seasonal consumption multiplies thirteenfold and in July the boiler is only heating water, a gas leak can be ruled out from the start. A leak knows nothing about thermostats or radiators: it would lose gas in August just as in January. That is not happening here. The spending is concentrated exactly where heating comes into play.
What to check before calling anyone
The most common diagnosis points to three fronts. First, the thermostat: every extra degree on the setting adds 7% to 8% to the bill, and its location or a silent fault can trick the boiler into working overtime. Second, poorly bled radiators, which fail to transfer heat and force the system to compensate. Third, the boiler itself being badly adjusted: if the hot water comes out scalding at the lowest setting, something is out of tune.
There is a fourth factor that is often overlooked and explains a good share of the shocks: insulation. Old windows, doors that do not close properly and walls with no thermal cavity force the boiler to work harder to maintain the temperature. In a large flat in a cold area, the combination really shows.
Who to call, and why the supplier is no help
The underlying complaint is one of jurisdiction. The supply company checks the meter and little else; its interest is billing what the device records, not auditing the installation. The manufacturer's technician or an independent installer with a maintenance contract is the one who can adjust the boiler, measure combustion and detect a fault. With a contract in place, that check should not cost a cent.
The contrast in figures this case provides is what really stuns. A 55 m² penthouse may spend 160 euros plus 20 for a breakdown service every two months in winter. The Tres Cantos flat, with double the floor area, goes over 400. And some recall that heating 250 m² in the mountains costs no less than 1,300 euros a month. Comparing yourself with your neighbour, the more technically minded insist, is a trap: same building, different usage, different insulation, different people.
The matter was left unresolved. The person who peine the case moved away for personal reasons and lost track of their former flatmates. The boiler still has not been audited, the meter still has no explanation, and winter comes around every year. That is the unsettling fact: in Spain you can pay a fortune to heat a home and there is no clear protocol to know whether you are being ripped off or simply living in a thermal sieve.
Four people, a flat of about 120 square metres in Tres Cantos (Madrid), and a gas bill that eats up more than 400 euros every two months. Consumption spikes in winter to 952 cubic metres over the December-January period, almost 10,000 kWh, and drops back to normal levels in summer at just 75 m³. The supplier checked the meter and found nothing wrong. The problem, therefore, is not where the company is looking.
The first calculation worth making is the one nobody makes: comparing winter with summer in the same home. If seasonal consumption multiplies thirteenfold and in July the boiler is only heating water, a gas leak can be ruled out from the start. A leak knows nothing about thermostats or radiators: it would lose gas in August just as in January. That is not happening here. The spending is concentrated exactly where heating comes into play.
What to check before calling anyone
The most common diagnosis points to three fronts. First, the thermostat: every extra degree on the setting adds 7% to 8% to the bill, and its location or a silent fault can trick the boiler into working overtime. Second, poorly bled radiators, which fail to transfer heat and force the system to compensate. Third, the boiler itself being badly adjusted: if the hot water comes out scalding at the lowest setting, something is out of tune.
There is a fourth factor that is often overlooked and explains a good share of the shocks: insulation. Old windows, doors that do not close properly and walls with no thermal cavity force the boiler to work harder to maintain the temperature. In a large flat in a cold area, the combination really shows.
Who to call, and why the supplier is no help
The underlying complaint is one of jurisdiction. The supply company checks the meter and little else; its interest is billing what the device records, not auditing the installation. The manufacturer's technician or an independent installer with a maintenance contract is the one who can adjust the boiler, measure combustion and detect a fault. With a contract in place, that check should not cost a cent.
The contrast in figures this case provides is what really stuns. A 55 m² penthouse may spend 160 euros plus 20 for a breakdown service every two months in winter. The Tres Cantos flat, with double the floor area, goes over 400. And some recall that heating 250 m² in the mountains costs no less than 1,300 euros a month. Comparing yourself with your neighbour, the more technically minded insist, is a trap: same building, different usage, different insulation, different people.
The matter was left unresolved. The person who peine the case moved away for personal reasons and lost track of their former flatmates. The boiler still has not been audited, the meter still has no explanation, and winter comes around every year. That is the unsettling fact: in Spain you can pay a fortune to heat a home and there is no clear protocol to know whether you are being ripped off or simply living in a thermal sieve.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (30 replies).
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