M-Erdgas gas bills from SWM

Just got my first year bill for the gas heating and electricity. I was always told that gas heating was cheap, but the electric and gas heating bills together are €654.41 for 01.12.2003 - 01.7.2004. - €172.17 for electric and a whopping €482,24 for the gas.

Another weird thing is that in the column 'Verbrauch', they have 917m3 next to the Erdgas. My apartment is 61m² - could that possibly be 917 cubic meters? I don't know how to calculate it. 917 seems like a lot. Could it be that they are charging me for the entire building? Also, they mention changing the meter (Zählerwechsel) in July - I was unaware of this - how could that be?

Help! Could this possibly be right?

HOW MUCH???

I'd get it checked out Kat - sounds extortionate. Did you have the gas on the whole summer?

Do you have the piece of paper with the meter reading for the day you moved in?

I'd check that Eddie and Richie aren't living next door and syphoning it off too

Actually, it doesn't sound so extortionate to me. We also got a surprise when they took the actual measurement of the gas used, rather than estimating it previously. The 917 is the number of cubic meters of gas you used up, nothing to do with the size of your flat directly.

So, advice:
1. Yes, make sure that they are measuring it from when you moved in and not from some point earlier.

2. Make sure it's an actual measurement, not just an estimate of your usage. They usually only measure it once a year to get the true numbers.

3. Turn down the heat. My old place was warm and cosy and trying to heat our new place to the same temperature when it was a lot bigger and draftier was a mistake. As your parents used to tell you "If you are cold, put on a sweater, don't touch the thermostat!"

4. Turn off heat in rooms that aren't in use and keep the doors closed.

5. Take fewer or shorter showers. Heating water costs a lot.

6. Make sure that your taps don't drip - obviously the hot water tap is the concern here.

You can find a lot more advice for reducing your gas bill with a quick google. I did the same last year and am expecting a fairly good return this year on our bill.

Okay, I've only got two gas heaters. The hot water and and the other 3 rooms are heated with electricity. Yes, I do use the gas heaters quite a lot, but still, it does seem like a lot. Show'em, are you saying you have actually had a gas bill this high?

We paid two quarters already, then when they did a true reading in the spring, we paid an additional 350 or so. On top of what we had already paid. So, yes, I've had a bill that high.

Wow. This is bad news. Thanks Show'em. I've got to go put on a sweater...

I just got my SWM bill and also have a VERY high gas part of it. The electric for 1 year is only 261, but the gas is 887. I only have the gas water heater in the bathroom and the gas stove. I shower at the gym a lot so dont use that everyday and I dont cook so often. But can this 887 be right??? I know the numbers are correct from the meter reading as I write them and turn them in myself. This is the first full year bill I have in this flat so nothing to compare to.

I only pay 40 a month to SWM so now they expect me to pay 700 euro, that is a whole months salary for me and there is no way I can do this.

Can anyone tell me if this seems reasonable???

I have a great landlord, but he is out of the country for a few months, but will contact SWM on Monday, but hoping maybe someone here had an idea if it was reasonable or not.

My heating is included in my nebenkosten and not part of my SWM gas bill. My flat is only a 1 room flat and they have 1200m3 which seems way way too hight for only 1 large water heater and old stove???

Thanks

Take a look here: www.verivox.de/gas

But did you take into account the Gas, Fuel Oil and Power Price hike they had a few months back or the increase in MwSt?

I still think there has to be something wrong. Does the usage sound right (I have no idea about what the numbers actually mean??) for a single person who is hardly ever home and the ONLY gas that is included in this being the shower water heater and an old gas stove that is rarely used.

Is 1.184m3 sound right??? They now want me to pay them 110 euro a month from next month for my monthly payment - again - single person - 1 room flat???

It just seems too high.

If you don't know how to ead the meter or what it means then why not post a picture of it now... then post one next month? That way, all of TTs wannabe meter readers get a buzz and you get to learn how much gas you use a month!

There is the other option where you call M-gas and ask them.

I know how to read the meter - It is not about how to read a meter but if the usage seems right. What I meant by not understanding what the numbers mean is just that- what they mean. I am used to seeing it as kWh, I have never seen it as m3.

I am not looking for a math lesson, only a simple question - Does 1.183m3 gas usage seem right for a single person in a 1 room flat with only the shower water heater and gas cooking stove seem reasonable. It just seems high to me. I can not call them until Monday (which I stated in my post above).

I have ask a couple of friends but they have only electric so dont know anyone perosnally that has gas to ask.

That's it - simple question!

You could ask SWM to come in and check the meter out if you're not happy. It might be useful to see what happens if you don't use the gas for a week too. If the meter reading changes then there's a leak or you're paying for someone else's gas.

There are a couple of websites if you google “Erdgas +verbrauch� that include a calculator to work out what your average gas usage would be depending on the size of your apartment.

For example, this calculator suggests that a 40m2 flat would approximately use 5.152,00 kWh p.a. (560,00 m3) in a 5-10 family building in the old Bundeslaender, or 5.112,00 kWh p.a. (roughly 555,65 m3) in a building for more than 11 families.

@ wheel and deco - thank you very much for the helpful info.

I will just wait until Monday and call SWM and in the mean time send an email to my landlord. Maybe he is checking it while on his long winter holiday. Will see if maybe he can switch my water heater to electric this summer - not sure if that is a realistic request, but will ask anyway.

Will also be gone over easter so will make a note to look at the meter before I leave and when I get back and see what it says - is a great idea -thanks.

Hi there, I'm hoping I'm very very wrong with this but our bill said that we have to pay 732 euros for gas and elec every month! (we live in a one bedroom 35m2 apartment). the bill says somthing about "jeweils" and lists the months until march next year, so is that saying we have to pay 732 each month, this seems very very wrong as we rarely use the gas for heating! on the same bill this month we also got money back.

this can't be right surely?

haha turns out the 730 euros a month was a mistake in the bill (you don't say...), the woman at the SWM centre in Marienplatz has laughing at it. All sorted now though.

But remember folks, double check your bills