Is my electric bill expensive or have prices just rocketed!!!

Wywth · 12 April 2013 at 1:03PM

DarceyBear wrote: »

Wywth wrote: »

What is normal for an all electric property? :huh:

Your meter records your consumnption, and you are charged that consumption in line with the tariff you agreed to.

If you are struggling to pay the bill, talk the matter over with your supplier.

Edit:
You said back in December you were worried about using extra heating and the costs that would involve, so why, having decided to obtain an extra heater, have you not been keeping a closer eye on your consumption?

There are many reasons I have had to buy the extra heater, as you know the weather has been extremely cold, I do not want my daughter to have to be freezing cold, she should be able to be comfortable in her own home, especially when bathing. I keep a very close eye on my consumption, as mentioned I turn everything off when not using it, I take advantage of the cheaper night time rates and I input my meter readings weekly on the providers website to see what I am using.

This is what my bill says to be more specific:

17th November - 30th January

day units - 1207 @ 15.21p = £183.58
night units - 2354 @ 6.73p = £158.42

Basically I just want some advice to see what else I can do to reduce my bill and keep my home warm enough for my daughter to be comfortable. If anyone has any useful suggestions I would appreciate it.

Many Thanks.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/you-switch-gas-electricity

(but you won't be able to switch supplier if you owe over £200)

HappyMJ · 12 April 2013 at 1:13PM

DarceyBear wrote: »

Thank you to all who have replied. I think it is time to think about moving, I seem to have a lot more problems here than I have ever had anywhere else and last night just discovered that due to all the condensation in the bathroom I now have an infestation of silverfish. not pleasant! and add that with all the mould I keep constantly battling I'm going to look for somewhere with gas central heating!!

Thanks again.

Moving won't help. Your bill for 3 of the coldest month of the year is quite reasonable. You really need to consider turning the heating down and controlling how much is used. Turn the output of each storage heater down whenever you go to bed and try not to turn it up until the next evening. Turn off any pointless storage heaters such as ones in hallways or bedrooms. Having a cold hallway doesn't matter as you only walk through the space very quickly into the warmer lounge.

Open the window a little whenever you shower. If that's really too cold then open it for half an hour after you shower. Always use the extractor fan to remove humid air even if it's after you shower.

lstar337 · 12 April 2013 at 2:39PM

HappyMJ wrote: »

Open the window a little whenever you shower. If that's really too cold then open it for half an hour after you shower. Always use the extractor fan to remove humid air even if it's after you shower.

Yeah, give this a go.

It was too cold to open windows when we showered, so we just left it open for about an hour after. Feeling the walls to see if they are still damp, and then leaving it open longer if needed. Since doing this, all mould problems are gone, and havent come back.

We also treated the walls before we started doing this, can't remember what the stuff was called, but you just spray on, leave for 30mins, then wipe away. All mould gone!

lstar337 · 12 April 2013 at 3:00PM

DarceyBear wrote: »

Well I shall try and feel grateful for it then! I think I may just be slightly out of touch with the costs of electricity these days.... :eek:

How many heaters do you have and where are they?

We managed to drop 10units overnight by switching to an electric blanket and turning the bedroom heater to less than half way. Best thing is that we are warmer now too.

Thermal blinds on windows have helped us a lot too, and they were only £8 each from Argos.

Make sure your hot water tank is properly insulated, ours looked like this a few weeks ago:

Then I taped it all up like this:

Then I stitched a new jacket made from an old 10tog quilt folded into 4 layers:

Saved us about 5 Units a night, but more importantly, the water stays hot until the next night! It used to be luke warm by about 6pm.

Check all your lightbulbs, if they are all old incandescents, they will be using more than needed. Switching all to CFL's will help.

I would suggest against leaving a TV on in the background, it's a little wasteful for somebody struggling with fuel bills.

macman · 12 April 2013 at 3:37PM

Are you already on the cheapest E7 tariff? You're clearly making good use of E7 itself, as evidenced by the ratio of night units to day in the winter.
All you can otherwise do is use fewer units and improve the insulation (loft, cavity walls, double glazing)?

[Deleted User] · 12 April 2013 at 7:45PM

I think maybe youve under estimated how much electric you are using. Im in a 2bed flat with a north facing wall running along it and its been very cold. Im also on E7, but i now use an electric blanket to heat the bed before i get in it rather than using the storage heater in the room. My tarriff rates are different from yours but you should be able to gauge how much it costs to run one storage heater. One of mine costs around £9 to £10 per 7days, if i had say 3 running that could be around £30 per week just on heating!! I dont use my emersion heater to have washes, wash dishes, etc i boil the kettle and use some of that when im having a cuppa (the rest i use to re heat my hot water bottle). I have short showers and dont use my tumble drier. I do use a dehumidifer though, invaluable in cold weather as it does raise the temperature of the room, and i dont have any condensation at all. I also batch cook to save on electric whilst cooking. Now ive braved the cold weather over the last week and turned the storage heater off in the lounge on 2nd April, and the clocks have gone forward. I make sure i shower, dry hair, make a cuppa, use microwave for breakfast, iron, charge up my laptop and mobile all before 7.57am!! This week my electric usage is now only £5. Its all about getting the most out of the cheapest 7 hours. Although during winter, i dont do this as its too early. Edited just to say so far since 25/09/12 to this monday ive used £419.00 worth of electric, which is higher than last year due to the weather.

Is my electric bill expensive or have prices just rocketed!!!

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