£700 per year for gas+elec.. ridiculous??

~moneysavingnovice~

As per the title really- this is what my gas+elec bill will have been for the last 12 months (2bed flat).

It feels way too much??

PasturesNew

It is possible. Have you checked the meter? Is the bill a reading or an estimate?

zzzLazyDaisy

It really depends on your circumstances and your usage.

Are you at work or at home all day? Is the heating on just for 2hrs morning and night, or 24/7? Do you have electric storage heaters or gas central heating? Is the water heated by emersion heater? If so do you leave it on all the time or just switch it on when you need it? Do you have economy 7?

My annual bill is higher than that, but I have a health condition, I don't work and I feel the cold, so my heating gets a hammering in the winter. If you are healthy and are out at work in the day time, you can probably get that bill down if you are prepared to be organised.

~moneysavingnovice~

Thanks for the replies

Me and my OH are out at work 8-7 every day, we haven't had the heating on since Feb when it was on for a few hours in the eve and very occassionally overnight.

The TV in on all day at weekends (19inch), we cook a meal a day in the oven, water is heated by combi boiler.

These are meter readings not estimates so don't think I can fight them just wanted to know if it was in an acceptable ballpark.

Will be sitting in the dark from now on!

cherub1965

i pay £105 a month for mine combined.not heavy on the gas as its a warmish house,its the elec,my son has everything on all the time as he has been home 24/7 last year studying from home due to health.hopefully it will halve when he goes to uni in sept:D

Starrystarrynight

My annual bill for a 1 bed house with Economy 7 and gas CH is around £720. We don't skimp with the heating but we don't go overboard either.

zzzLazyDaisy

A TV doesn't consume much electricity. It is things with motors and heaters that you need to watch - washing machines and tumble dryers use a lot of electricity, for example.

If the heating hasn't been on since feb, what did you do for heat during the bad winter - small electric heaters and gas fires can be false economy because they can cost more to run than gas central heating.

Is your oven gas or electric - electric ovens can be costly to run, maybe you could save by using a slow cooker?

You can get an electric monitor that will tell you the usage of individual items, something like the owl monitor here https://www.britishgas.co.uk/products-and-services/energy-savers/green-gadgets.htm

Your utility costs are averaging out at around £55 - £60 a month which isn't really over the top for two people, but if that means going without heating in the worst winter in living memory, that does seem a bit extreme.

Andy_WSM

£60 a month isn't a lot for electric & gas anymore

There will be people that tell you they get by on tuppence a week, but plenty others that tell you £100 a month is a more realistic figure.

It does very much depend on your lifestyle. It's easy to consume more electricity than you absolutely need to, but if you want creature comforts they come at a price.

Cardew

The average UK bill is £1,200ish per year. You can reduce this to about £900 with the cheapest internet tariff.

£700 a year is excellent.

~moneysavingnovice~

Hmm, guess I just need to accept it! Does seem like a lot of money for not very much though, but I guess that's just how it is.

I vow not to use my washing machine as much if nothing else!

ManAtHome

Alternative way to look at it - £2 a day, less than a posh coffee, pub pint of beer/glass of wine etc, not really such a bad deal...