Gas bill challenge - Winter 2008

Magentasue

I have to admit that although I've always been pretty good about shopping around, switching to cheapest suppliers and other aspects of home economics, the energy bills has always been my downfall. I've just accepted that our annual usage is what is is and we have to budget for it. Last winter I went from full-time to part-time and realised cutting the gas and elec DD was essential.

Since then, I've cut our electricity usage and feel my work is done there for a bit. Generally, it's the rest of the family that were being wasteful, extravagant or whatever. With gas, I'm as guilty as they are.

Whichever way I look at it, I like to be warm. Warmer than you, I bet. OH swoons when he walks in for no other reason than the temperature within. I have four offspring who are as bad as me. Well, worse because they don't dress for the weather.

So my challenge for this winter is to reduce my gas usage but still stay warm. We moved this year and have installed a new gas CH system with a combi boiler. We have fewer radiators than before and no power shower (sons used to spend ages under that). We should use fewer units than last year. Should.

I have got my head round units. I realise now that my old meter was metric and this house has an imperial one. So, instead of multiplying by 11 to get approx kwh, I have to multiply by 33. I am no longer reassured by how few units I am using.

Confession time. Last year, we used a staggering 33,000 kwh which I know is way above the national average. Even allowing for us being a larger than average household, I'm sure we shouldn't be using that much. Not sure how much we can reduce this. We cook by gas now so maybe that will cancel the benefits of a more efficient boiler?

This summer, we have averaged 25kwh a day or 2390 a quarter. Last year it was 3949 for the quarter, 44 kwh a day. Now, that's almost half - but can I hope for similar savings now we have the heating on? Last year, from Aug-Nov, we used 6140 which is about 67kwh a day. Thing is, we're using about 75 a day now.

So, at the end of this ramble, I'm still not sure what my target should be for October but I'm aiming to make that 75 a day or 525kwh a week my maximum.