Large discrepancy in records of lpg used

grassylawn

Our LPG tank was filled in October 2019 and in March 2020. In March 802 litres was put into it. Therefore we consumed 802 litres during that period.

We had a new boiler and tank set up in 2019. It has the bosch easicontrol app with it. I see that it records gas usage. According to the app we used a total of 212 litres during the same period.

We live in a 90 sq m bungalow with a BER rating of E1 or E2. It was rated before we replaced an old boiler with a condensing one. I don't know what our expected uasage would be.

Is it likely that we have a leak somewhere? Or is the app most likely just wrong? Or is there another scenario that I haven't thought of?

I don't smell gas anywhere.

Tom44

Your RGII (Registered gas installer) service man or lady would normally test for leaks and be in a better position to advice while servicing your boiler.
Or ask your installer as the system is newish and they would be familiar with it.
If you don't ask them, they can't answer.

But you need it checked out.

grassylawn

How much LPG would you expect to consume?

Or how much would you expect to pay for heating during the winter? The lpg is about 75c per litre. €600 [our actual cost] probably seems more realistic than €150 [what the app says we used] for heating through the winter, given our ber rating isnt great

grassylawn

Can they test for leaks in the pipe underground?

Darc19

Assuming use for heating and hot water, the 802 figure is a lot more realistic than 212.

I use oil, it's not on during the day, full zone controls, new boiler 2017 and would use about 1,000 litres Oct to March.

John.G

Still quite good even at 802 litres or ~ 5700 kwh which seems very low for a E rated house of 90M2 which could be 25000 kwh/annum or 3,500 litres of LPG/annum.

grassylawn

Actually I think the ber rating is d2.

Calahonda52

Well the first thing to do is call ur gas supplier and ask to have the tank topped up again.

This way you have real intel on usage.
My guess is that its a calibration issue

John.G

Maybe you have a stove as well as that consumption is nothing short of miraculous even with a D2 rating. My hose rating is somewhere around that and I use ~ 1500 litres oil/annum or # 15000 kwh/annum.

shane b

Are you sure the app readout is in litres? It could be in metres cubed.
Apparently there are 3.85 litres of LPG in a metre cubed. 212 X 3.85 = 816 litres which isn't far off the 802 that got delivered.

studdlymurphy

A cubic metre is 1000 litres of volume I was always taught. Is this a gas vs liquid thing?

shane b

studdlymurphy wrote:

Is this a gas vs liquid thing?

Yes.
Also from a Google search it seems that when LPG is delivered it's in liquid form so litres is used however an LPG burns gas so would be measured in metres cubed at that point.

Darc19

It's converting from pressurized volume to un-pressurized volume that gives this calculation for lpg. (so Google tells me )

So looks like app is correct and usage is correct, just different measurements which is handy to know and a great pub quiz question

John.G

If you are receiving LPG from a central tank then your meter shows M3, obviously, if you buy your own, its in litres but one way or the other that consumption is extremely low (good).

grassylawn

Thanks for all the comments and for clarifying what is happening with it.

Good to hear we're fairly efficient. We've done better so far this winter - about 85 cubic metres since October according to the app. We have no stove. There was one in the kitchen but we gave it away and blocked up the fireplace. The kitchen is never cold anyway.

The surveyor was surprised it didn't have a better BER rating when we were buying it. It has external wall insulation, although it stops at the soffits, which are a good foot from the top of the walls. It's possible that they used a BER cert from before the EWI was fitted, given they didn't do anything to prepare the place for sale. We upgraded the boiler and fitted smart TRVs. I've done odd things around the place, like fixing gaps in the attic insulation and insulating the ESB cupboard when I realised it was a big hole in the EWI.

Ber rating is just a guessing game unless on an old house.

listermint

BrownFinger wrote: »

Ber rating is just a guessing game unless on an old house.

Don't you mean unless on a new house.

Yes ,I meant new house!