Can someone please help re electricity usage?

Steph998

Hi, hope someone can help with advice on how to find out why we are using so much electricity.

My son has moved into his own flat for university. It has a key (pay as you go) meter. When he first moved in alone, we put forty pounds on the meter, and after a month, he still had about twenty pounds left. It is a two bed flat with a gas fire in the living room which virtually heats the whole house when it is on, and gas cooking.

There are three storage heaters, set to come on off peak. The water is set to heat up off peak. The shower is electric. There is a washing machine he never uses (what? he's a student) he has two telly's, a notebook/laptop, mobile phone charger, ipod charger, kettle etc...
His mate moved in at the beginning of October, and since then the electricity usage has suddenly shot through the roof.

The mate only brought the latest edition X Box, and something that looks lke a computer that plugs into the main TV to give it surround sound. He did not bring a fan heater, (which was my first thought) or anything like that.

They do play the X Box constantly, but would this be doing it?

They are using about four pounds of electricity in a 24 hour period. I am not sure how many units this is, not sure how to work it out - will have a look at the meter.

Can anyone offer any advice?

I am going to phone Scottish Hydro Electric to ask them if they can tell me what is going on.

Many thanks

Magentasue

My sons play the xbox far more than you'd think possible and I reckon that it can be responsible for a couple of units a day (with TV, of course).

I'd be more worried about the electric shower and storage heater.

Steph998

Thanks. The storage heaters were switched on (for what they are worth, hardly give out any heat at all) and he was having one shower a day before the mate moved in, and the meter hardly moved. Surely one extra 'showerer' a day wouldn't put the usage up so much?

I am not sure what we use in the house - our bills are all paid through our business and my husband deals with that (lol) so I haven't actually seen our electricity bill for years...but....thirty quid a week ....??

KimYeovil

Double the showers, double the tvs, amplifiers for the speakers, xbox.

One computer by itself can easily use £10 or £15 per month on electricity - you have an x-box + TV + amplifier + speakers - so that's two or three computers in one (I presume an x-box has very power-hungry graphics chips)

And then there are the storage heaters.

jd87

The shower will be the main thing using electricity, and this has basically doubled. I hope his mate is now paying his half of the electric.

Magentasue

Steph998 wrote: »

Thanks. The storage heaters were switched on (for what they are worth, hardly give out any heat at all) They probably only provide bacground heat but still use massive amounts of electricity and he was having one shower according to another poster, his electric shower costs more than a bath if run for more than 10 mins a day before the mate moved in, and the meter hardly moved. Surely one extra 'showerer' a day wouldn't put the usage up so much?

Also, on a prepay meter, they're probably not getting many kwh to the pound. I assume it's Economy 7 if there are storage heaters?

Steph998

Thanks all. Yes, the Mate is paying his share.

Gawd, I really didn't realise storage heaters and showers use so much. Yes, it is Economy 7, the flat was previously owned by students, they put in the pay meter. It supposed to all be geared to economizing and heating water off peak but they still have to use the electric shower.

It still doesn't really add up that the usage has gone up so much though because of one other person...I mean, its not as if it has doubled, its quadrupled and more.

Dan does not have internet in the flat so he doesn't use the laptop much, but they are genuinely never off the X Box.

I wonder if they would be better to switch off the storage heaters and just use the gas fire? At the moment they are not using it at all, they don't seem to feel the cold, and as I say the storage heaters seem to be pretty pathetic for the amount of electric they are using.

Can anyone direct me to a website that shows the amount of elecricity different appliances use?

Thanks again

KimYeovil

That's a very significant point MagentaSue has mentioned - the Economy 7 tariff. Remember, all their daytime showers* and tvs and games playing will be at significantly higher than standard rates. Particularly if you are in a part of the country or with a company that doesn't like Economy 7 - the penalty for peak Economy 7 varies widely.

* they are students so I doubt they'll be up showering during off peak times

Magentasue

Steph998 wrote: »

Can anyone direct me to a website that shows the amount of elecricity different appliances use?

Thanks again

http://www.sust-it.net/energy_saving.php?id=69&electricity=30
http://www.ukpower.co.uk/running-costs-elec.asp

If you google, you can find lots more. Storage heater running costs vary - newer ones more efficient. All expensive to run.

KimYeovil

If they are normal healthy lads there is no point having the storage heaters - an hour or so with the gas fire to take the nip off the air occasionally when it is very cold is probably a more sensible idea - especially if they spend most of their time in the one room.

I suspect switching to a standard online electricity tariff and using the gas fire is probably more sensible.

Steph998

Thanks again all.

I quite liked the idea of the pay as you go meters. Both are chemical engineering students.... without one ounce of common sense between them. Having to pay bills jointly every quarter would just cause problems, especially if it had to come out of my sons bank account first, as it would be in his name. Not to mention the fact he never HAS any money in his account!! At least this way they have to decide whether they want fags and beer, or electricity and gas . (Gas is pay as you go too.)

I am sorry to sound to nieve about this...but basically I am!! I didnt have a clue about Economy 7, and am off to find out as much as I can.