cost of running a fan heater?
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I have been trying to work out without much success how much it costs to run a fan heater.
I have a lodger at the moment who has one of these going constantly - probably about 10-12 hours a day. When she moved in it was my understanding that she would be at work/studying all day and only around at nights and weekends but she failed her exams so has spent the 3 weeks in the house 24/7 with the fan heater running.
I am with Scottish power and have taken a meter reading but can't work it out. I should have taken a reading when she came back after the summer holidays 3 weeks ago but didn't think she would be driving me round the bend with this heater. To add insult to injury she wanders around in shorts and t-shirt when in my mind the heater could go off and a jumper could go on.
Over a period of 42 days since my last meter reading the usage has been 353kw which averages at 8 per day in comparison to 6 per day at the same time last year (had a different lodger then). given that over the 42 days the reading covers, she has been here for half of them and that the usage is significantly higher than the previous year, is it fair to assume I will get a big bill due to her use of the fan heater.
I think I pay about 17ppkw according to this link
http://www.scottishpower.co.uk/PDF/olesaver4.pdf
Maths has never been my strong point but if I pay 17pph per kw on a 2kw heater for 12 hours over 30 days it will cost me an extra £122 a month in electricity? Surely that can't be right?? :eek:
If it is the lodger has to go as she will cost me more overall than I get in rent. Not very MSE.
I have a lodger at the moment who has one of these going constantly - probably about 10-12 hours a day. When she moved in it was my understanding that she would be at work/studying all day and only around at nights and weekends but she failed her exams so has spent the 3 weeks in the house 24/7 with the fan heater running.
I am with Scottish power and have taken a meter reading but can't work it out. I should have taken a reading when she came back after the summer holidays 3 weeks ago but didn't think she would be driving me round the bend with this heater. To add insult to injury she wanders around in shorts and t-shirt when in my mind the heater could go off and a jumper could go on.
Over a period of 42 days since my last meter reading the usage has been 353kw which averages at 8 per day in comparison to 6 per day at the same time last year (had a different lodger then). given that over the 42 days the reading covers, she has been here for half of them and that the usage is significantly higher than the previous year, is it fair to assume I will get a big bill due to her use of the fan heater.
I think I pay about 17ppkw according to this link
http://www.scottishpower.co.uk/PDF/olesaver4.pdf
Maths has never been my strong point but if I pay 17pph per kw on a 2kw heater for 12 hours over 30 days it will cost me an extra £122 a month in electricity? Surely that can't be right?? :eek:
If it is the lodger has to go as she will cost me more overall than I get in rent. Not very MSE.
If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got!
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Maths has never been my strong point but if I pay 17pph per kw on a 2kw heater for 12 hours over 30 days it will cost me an extra £122 a month in electricity? Surely that can't be right??
Your maths are correct. 2kw x 12 hours = 24kwh (or "units") and 24 units per day for 30 days is 24 x 30 = 720 units, which at 17p per unit in indeed £122.
However, I'm sure the heater must have a thermostat which will be kicking in and out, so the actual average usage will be less than 2kw.
If this is really driving you mad, see if you can sneak one on these plug in energy meters into the socket when she's not looking...0 -
(According to that pricelist you are paying 9p or 10p per kWh for heating - the 17p tier 1 units are eaten with light-bulbs and kettles and stuff you invariably use regardless of how frugal or angelic your lodger is. The maximum is 75 kWh per month at 17p - so a difference of only 5 or £6 per month. So your estimate is nearly double it should be.)0
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If this is really driving you mad, see if you can sneak one on these plug in energy meters into the socket when she's not looking...
I would but she never leaves the bloody house :mad:
Kim, I don't understand your post. Do you mean I have underestimated the cost, over estimated the cost or it will only cost me an extra £5-6 per month for her to have that on all the time?so a difference of only 5 or £6 per month. So your estimate is nearly double it should be.)If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got!0 -
Kim, I don't understand your post. Do you mean I have underestimated the cost, over estimated the cost or it will only cost me an extra £5-6 per month for her to have that on all the time?
What Kim means is that above a certain number of units, you actually pay a lower amount, as shown by the link you gave. Your lodger's use is at the lower rate, because you would use 225 kWh in a quarter at the higher rate, even without the lodger.Hi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure - MSE ForumTeam0 -
aaah, gotcha. My revised calculations show that using the fan heater at that level is still costing over £70 a month more than average electricity use for the household. I would be cheaper putting the central heating on and heating the whole house all day every day.If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got!0
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Yes, it could be cheaper. With a lodger you have to remember that they do tend to be expensive, you should just set the rent accordingly and not grudge what they use.Hi, we’ve had to remove your signature. If you’re not sure why please read the forum rules or email the forum team if you’re still unsure - MSE ForumTeam0
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Shorts and t shirt! She really has to go purely because she is taking the p. Have you tried the obvious though? You know, having a word? If that fails tell her she has to cover up because you can't control your urges or something. That'll teach her!"fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." (Bertrand Russell)0
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I have had 4 lodgers over the last 5 years I have lived here and never had a problem with them but this one is driving me nuts.
I have had always had opposite sex lodgers and they have been of a similar age to myself but this one is around 10 years younger than me, the same sex and like having a foster child rather than a tenant. I really should have taken note when she came to visit the house originally and said her current landlord had asked her to leave as she was using too much electricity.
This isn't the place to rant about how annoying she is but things like using the tumble dryer in the height of summer when it would be quicker to dry the washing outside, leaving the gas ring burning for hours as she forgot to switch it off, leaving lights on overnight when she goes to bed etc are driving me nuts. Jeez, I said I wouldn't rant but it just slipped out lol
For every other tenant I have had, the rent charged has been more than adequate to cover costs and leave some to pay off some debt.
Flashnazia, I think it is time to have a chat with her, god knows what she will be like when there is 2' of snow on the ground like last year. I just wanted to check out whether my calculations had any basis in reality or if I was totally off beam with them.If you always do what you have always done, you will always get what you always got!0 -
Yes lodgers can be very expensive! Mine used to leave his tv, pc and light on most nights and if he got up in the night he'd leave the landing light on too! Oh and then there were the half hour showers, leaving the freezer door open on more than one occasion, using over half a toilet roll over night - he used to use toilet roll like it was going out of fashion! And the blocking of the sink - he didn't believe in scraping leftovers into the bin, they went into the sink and was washed down the plughole!
Guess who's never having another lodger again?! lol
Give me Council Tax Single Occupancy Discount over a lodger anytime!
PooOne of Mike's Mob, Street Found Money £1.66, Non Sealed Pot (5p,2p,1p)£6.82? (£0 banked), Online Opinions 5/50pts, Piggy points 15, Ipsos 3930pts (£25+), Valued Opinions £12.85, MutualPoints 1786, Slicethepie £0.12, Toluna 7870pts, DFD Computer says NO!0 -
...Over a period of 42 days since my last meter reading the usage has been 353kw which averages at 8 per day in comparison to 6 per day at the same time last year (had a different lodger then). given that over the 42 days the reading covers, she has been here for half of them and that the usage is significantly higher than the previous year, is it fair to assume I will get a big bill due to her use of the fan heater....
For the reasons given above, probably not much to worry about.
It appears the lodger is only using about 2kWh per day or about 20p.
Ok so they've only been there half the 42 days, so lets call it 4 units per day, about 40p or less than £3 a week.
Ok, that's £3 more than you may have expected, but that's the risk you take with taking in lodgers. Change the rent if you really can't afford it."Now to trolling as a concept. .... Personally, I've always found it a little sad that people choose to spend such a large proportion of their lives in this way but they do, and we have to deal with it." - MSE Forum Manager 6th July 20100
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