How much will it cost...?

[Deleted User]

Hi everyone,
I'm a first time renter looking for some information about what to expect when my bills come through and if there are any ways of cutting back on costs. I had originally planned to spend no more than £60/month on bills but reading these forums, I don't know how realistic that is! I am living in a small, 1 bedroom flat. It has 2 storage heaters which are on every night from 12am-8am on medium input and a halogen heater which I use in the evenings. How much will these cost to run per hour/ day/ month? I have no idea how much they're costing me but they are so ineffective that no matter how much I'm paying for them, it'll be too much. I was wondering if buying an oil radiator and using this instead of the storage heaters would save money. For a start, I would only be using it when I'm in the house, but would it save me money? Any information would be much appreciated!
Thanks xx

macman

Are you already on an E7 tariff? Because you say your storage heaters are on 8 hours a day?

dannymccann

£60 a month is very unlikely to cover usage in an all electric flat until the summer is here - it definetly without a doubt will not cover it in winter.

Dont forget to factor in your immersion heater for hot water (if you are on your own an hour or 2 will suffice a day for showering and pot washing etc, and your oven/hobs for cooking. Halogen heaters are all well and good but they only heat the air around them, oil radiators are again OK and they hold the heat well, fan heaters create very direct, dry areas of warmth.

If you havent moved into the flat / house already I would seriously consider paying slightly more per month for a gas system, or even a place with more modern electric 'wet' radiators (same as a normal central heating system, radiators with water in them except the water is heated by electric).

Also storage heaters can be very hit and miss, the ones we had would sometimes come on and sometimes not, and we would be out all day with them off and they wouldnt give nay heat off at night as they had lost it all during the day

[Deleted User]

I'm assuming I'm on an E7 tariff, but the letting agents haven't got back to me yet about my supplier. The heaters are on 12am-8am. Danny, thanks for your advice. I agree, my halogen heater isn't doing much: I'm using it more as a light than a heater at the moment. I moved into the flat last week so no turning back now, I love the flat, I'd just like to be warm! Do you have any idea how much storage heaters cost to run? I'm thinking only of using them when I'm in the house during the day. When I work, like yesterday, I return home and they've been on all day, with little heat left.

macman

If they are correctly set up they should release the heat through into the evening.
If you are running storage heaters not on E7 then of course they will be very expensive.
Sorry to state the obvious, but if they are on midnight to 8am then they cannot be running on E7 for 8 hours!
So don't just 'assume' you are on an E7 tariff-find out.

[Deleted User]

Thanks Macman, I will do. Sorry, could you explain what this means:
Sorry to state the obvious, but if they are on midnight to 8am then they cannot be running on E7 for 8 hours!

I've never rented before, nor have I had to pay for bills so I'm a bit confused as to what this means. What exactly is E7 and how does it differ from a normal tariff? Thanks x

macman

Economy 7 mean you get 7 hours of cheap rate electricity overnight, normally between midnight and 7am. So it's this tariff that storage heaters are designed for. The downside is that all consumption outside of those hours is charged at a higher rate than on a standard tariff.
So you cannot be getting 8 hours of cheap rate, because E7 (as the name implies) only gives you 7.
It will be obvious from the meters whether you are on E7 or not, as E7 requires either a separate meter of it's own, or there will be a dual meter to give readings from both tarifffs.

[Deleted User]

Thanks so much for clearing that up Macman. I have 2 meters in my flat: I thought they were just for night and day or one was for electricity and one for gas..

macman

Deleted_User wrote: »

Thanks so much for clearing that up Macman. I have 2 meters in my flat: I thought they were just for night and day or one was for electricity and one for gas..

Well one could be gas and one electricity-if it has a gas pipe to and from it, and a tap -then it's gas! Gas meter will be marked in cu ft or cu m, an electricity meter is marked in kWh.

[Deleted User]

Thanks Macman, where do you get your superior knowledge?! I will check when I get home tonight. Any idea roughly how much a unit of electricity costs? I did a quick comparison last night and it seems I've used 40 units in about 3 days, not sure if this is good or not.

macman

It's not quite that simple, as it depends where you are, which tariff you are on, whether on a standing charge or no standing charge, standard tarrif or E7, etc. But base it on 11p per kWh and you wont' be far out. So about £44 per month based on your figures. However if you are heating by electricity, that will drop a lot in the summer months.