The cost to run a 4 bed detached house!

Fire_Fox

kezibell wrote: »

the CH comes on at around 6.45 am until 9.30 am and then is back on for when my kids come home from school at 3.00 pm until 10 pm. I've turned off radiators in all bedrooms and only have them on in the 2 bathrooms, landing, living area and kitchen. Thermostate in hall is set between 20 and 21.
I'm with Scottish Power but can't find any record of what product or tariff I am on, but will ring them tomorrow to check. ....

You haven't said how well insulated your house is. Does it have a really thick layer in the loft? Do you have double glazing?

20-21C is pretty warm. 18C is plenty if you wear appropriate winter clothing - i.e. one thick or two thinner jumpers, two pairs of socks or socks and slippers. If you want your house to feel like summer you will be charged through the nose.

If you have a modern house with decent insulation and central heating you can heat the place for an hour or a bit more in the morning, and it will just be getting too cool for comfort by 9.30 when, I assume, you are going out.

Similarly in the evening you don't need the heating on constantly. An hour in the afternoon and an hour in the evening, up this to an hour and a half at a time if it's too cold.

If that's a bill based upon actual readings and your heating and water run on gas, then you are somehow wasting a lot of electricity too. Are you tumble drying a lot? Do you leave lots of computers/ games machines/ TVs on standby?

jennifernil

The OP has not said where they live. If they are in the north, as we are, then no way can you be comfortable with an hour of heating in the morning, afternoon and evening.
Ours comes on one hour before we get up and is on for 2.5 hours. In the winter, in the evening it comes on at 5pm and goes off at 10pm. We have a reasonably well insulated 5 bedroom house and pay £65 per month for gas.

Those of you who find 18 degrees warm enough are obviously hardier than us, we prefer about 22 degrees in the lounge, other rooms are less. If you are dashing about hoovering etc, then obviously you will not need 22 degrees, I hoover when the heating is off.

Nobody likes to have huge bills, but there comes a point where comfort is compromised. What is the point in having a nice house if you sit and shiver in it? Rather be comfortable and make savings elsewhere.

kezibell

Thanks everyone for your comments.

Our house is only 5 years old and very well insulated and double glazed. Our room sizes are quite big, and yes we do need the kitchen radiator on as it is the main room we use during the morning/daytime and eat in here also.

Electricity wise, we never leave TV's on standby, lights are turned off when required, but we do have three computers on most evenings, (teenage boys!) and I use a tumble dryer.

Clothes wise, we all wear slippers and long sleeved tops, in fact I'm wearing my dressing gown by 6.00 pm most nights!!! (that'll embarrass my boys!)

We have limited the number of radiators that we have turned on, and the only one that could be turned off is the en-suite, leaving one in the main bathroom, but would this one extra radiator being turned off make any noticeable difference?

I've just altered my timer to reduce the time the heating is on, I have previously tried to turn down the thermostate, but anything lower than 20 and the radiators are luke warm.

kezibell

I live in the south west.
We have just bought this lovely 4 bed house, it is a great luxury to us and it is a shame not to keep it warm.

Fire_Fox

If it's a new house it should be OK for insulation. As long as you are using the computers that's not waste - it's only if they get left on all evening unused. Never use a screensaver as this uses as much electric as full power. Since you have a good sized house you should be able to find space for a tall airer - I have a brilliant sturdy one from IKEA (£20) that takes up maybe two square foot and folds away when not in use. Even if you tumble half as much you should notice the different in your bills.

Long sleeved tops, to me, are spring and autumn wear. Most dressing gowns are pretty thin, and you won't be wearing more than one thin layer underneath. 18C will require a change of attitude, I had to do the same when I became a poor student again! Fleeces are a couple of pounds from Asda/ Tesco/ Primark and you can all easily layer two over a long sleeved top or t-shirt without feeling restricted. Similarly you can put a pretty fluffy knitted throw on the sofa to pop over your legs once you are in your dressing gown.

hamstercheeks_2

i would ditch the tumble dryer that's a killer deffo

and i would cut down the time the heating is on

also - allow the boys 1 or 2 hours a nite on the comp (I know it's difficult as I have 2 boys) but explain to them that your energy bills are now excessive and everyong must make a concentrated effort.

Might be a good time for you all to play chess or play cards or something in the evening - you could tell them that you need more family time together if you don't want to raise the financial issue - then you are killing 2 birds with one stone - one spending time as a family and two saving money with no comps! also if you are all in the same room then turn heating off in rooms not used.

might work

i pay approx £85 a month for both - in similar sized house

kezibell

Hi Jennifernil, thanks for the comments

May I ask who your supplier is?

I think I need to switch to your supplier!

nic_santorini

I have to agree that 18 degrees is too chilly in our house, even with extra layers on. I do find those heated long sausage looking things you bung in the microwave for 3 minutes absolute heaven and they keep me warm and toasty for hours - then I can cut the heating down to 18 with ease. I have two - one for hubby and I. Can't believe it is £700 though - what a lot of dosh - just turned my heating down in case mine is too and to think Atlantic Gas owed me £16 from the summer - don't think that will make the slightest bit of difference. mmmmm minus 7 degrees already - thank god I am not homeless though. HOW COLD

Fire_Fox

jennifernil wrote: »

The OP has not said where they live. If they are in the north, as we are, then no way can you be comfortable with an hour of heating in the morning, afternoon and evening.

Those of you who find 18 degrees warm enough are obviously hardier than us, we prefer about 22 degrees in the lounge, other rooms are less. If you are dashing about hoovering etc, then obviously you will not need 22 degrees, I hoover when the heating is off.

Nobody likes to have huge bills, but there comes a point where comfort is compromised. What is the point in having a nice house if you sit and shiver in it? Rather be comfortable and make savings elsewhere.

I live in Yorkshire and I have my heating on around two hours a day in this very cold weather. The room temp is 10C when I get up or come home which is absolutely dreadful, so I will aim to keep the ambient temperature between 15C (only just bearable) and 20C (lovely). I didn't have the heating on at all the last two mild winters but that's due to being broke not choice. I often wear a bodywarmer or two light fleeces around the house and sometimes I sit under a duvet on the sofa (which we enjoy!).

I would love to have my heating set higher but 18C is not at all unpleasant if you get it into your head that it's an exceptionally cold winter and you need to dress/ behave accordingly. I am not saying go as far as I do but there is a middle road. We should all be more aware of environmental issues in this day and age, and small changes by a lot of people does make a difference. It's up to the individual which you feel you can live with and which not.

If you are willing and able to pay the prices that are currently being charged to sit in 22C then that's great. The OP however has come onto a money saving website shocked by her fuel bills. We have established the house is well insulated so the only other possible solution is to reduce her electricity and gas consumption.

Magentasue

kezibell wrote: »

I live in the south west.
We have just bought this lovely 4 bed house, it is a great luxury to us and it is a shame not to keep it warm.

That's fine if you can afford it and that's what you want to spend your money on. But, f you can't afford it or would rather spend a few hundred pounds on something else, you need to cut back. When my kids were younger, they were in the kids' room until 9pm and then it was family time. This wasn't to save energy but because I didn't want them in rooms on their own. They'd left college before they got to use the PC in a bedroom! They still have to share an xbox etc because there's only two TVs in the house. I like to think it's character building for them.

I use my tumble drier throughout the winter but do try and hang things over the airer first and always dry hoodies, bedding, jeans etc on the airer, iron and then over a radiator. Cuts tumble drying down by over 50%.