Average cost for utilities?

frauwav

I'm sure this is a topic that comes up time & again, & if there's a current thread someone could direct me to that'd be very helpful, but my quick skim through the list wasn't very fruitful!

My boyfriend & I are planning to move into a 2-bed flat/house in the next few months & so I can start planning my money properly (& see if I can actually afford this!!) I just wanted to get a vague idea of how much I should budget for gas, electricity & water. I've lived in student housing before (bills included), & now after a year of backpacking ended 18 months ago I'm back living with the parents, while my boyfriend is living with three other guys in a houseshare (one reason I don't want to take their averages to heart - what with them not putting central heating on until the middle of December & leaving lights/computers/games consoles/lizard vivariums (vivaria?) on all day!)

If anyone could give me a vague idea of their monthly outgoings in this area it would be very much appreciated! Thanks

Fire_Fox

There really is no such thing as average for energy as it depends how well insulated the property is, what ambient temperature you consider acceptable, how long you think winter is (some people heat for two months some for five), how frequently and how long you shower for ... Lighting and leaving stuff on standby make very little difference to your consumption - it's heating, hot water and tumble dryers that will dictate the size of your bills.

LeeSouthEast

Ballpark figure £50 for gas, £50 for electric. £30-50 for water depending on area.

Obviously subject to Fire Fox's points above.. but just to give you some idea.

Caveat: If you shower 4 times a day for 2 hours at a time, with the tumble running while your boyfriend washes 15 cars with the hose connected to a metered output, you can probably quadruple all those.