Charging a lodger for use of expensive to run appliances

princess_loki

My lodger has been using the tumble dryer everyday now for 2 weeks (goodness knows why!). In her contract I did write in that excessive use of the tumble dryer would incurr an additional charge. BUT now I am stuck because although I know a tumble dryer costs a lot to run I don't know how much and I don't want to seem like I am over charging her...

So... I was wondering if anyone who has one of those electricity monitors has worked out how much it costs to run a tumble dryer so that I have got something to work on.

Would be most grateful for any responses

Loki

sequence

Mine costs about 18p an hour measured with a monitor. And if you're going to charge extra for that whilst receiving rent, they you're probably not worth living with

maninthestreet

Do you have a washing line? Tell her she must use that if the weather is dry, the tumble dryer should be used onlly when the weather prevents tjhe drying of clothes outside.

tbs624

I think you can get one of those gadgets from Maplins, and I am pretty sure that at least one of the utility companies had an offer on them.

pulliptears

sequence wrote: »

Mine costs about 18p an hour measured with a monitor. And if you're going to charge extra for that whilst receiving rent, they you're probably not worth living with

Is that all? As someone who rarely dries outside with an OH who claims he can "have a warm off the spinning meter" when I use it, I'd love to know if this is about right

Jowo_2

You've basically got an unusable and potentially dispute ridden clause which makes you seem like scrooge, even though your lodger is taking the michael. For your next lodger, remove this admin/conflict burden and either have a realistic sum factored into the inclusive rent, or have an agreement where they pay half the energy bills which could be fiddly to administer but may make them more careful about usage.

What alternatives do you have to the tumble drier - clothes horses in utility room? washing line in garden?

Did you explain that an hour's use of the tumbledrier, it can double the units used during a standard day? That's my experience of monitoring electricity usage in my house - hammering the tumbledrier on a long cycle increases the household units from about 12 units a day to 24. Don't know if its the norm but if she's a tumble drier addict, and your pattern of consumption is similar to mine, she's just increased your electricity bill for that month by 50%.

There are other energy saving gadgets you can buy, such as electricity sockets that mean appliances can't be left on standby.

poppysarah

pulliptears wrote: »

Is that all? As someone who rarely dries outside with an OH who claims he can "have a warm off the spinning meter" when I use it, I'd love to know if this is about right

Yup. Measured mine and stopped feeling guilty about drying washing inside.

It's about a unit worth to dry a load.

Make sure your dryer is working efficiently though by defluffing it!

But get a meter and find out how much everything costs to run.

We've got a plug in meter and an owl which shows us how much is being used at the time overall.
We discovered how much son's computer uses when not switched off properly... so that is always switched off now.


Drying indoors (It rained on St Swithins day so we're doomed for a few more weeks) makes the place damp and insecure if you leave windows open. Running a dehumidifer also costs money.

princess_loki

Jowo wrote: »

What alternatives do you have to the tumble drier - clothes horses in utility room? washing line in garden?

Did you explain that an hour's use of the tumbledrier, it can double the units used during a standard day? That's my experience of monitoring electricity usage in my house - hammering the tumbledrier on a long cycle increases the household units from about 12 units a day to 24. Don't know if its the norm but if she's a tumble drier addict, and your pattern of consumption is similar to mine, she's just increased your electricity bill for that month by 50%.

we do have a washing line outside and also a big airer that can be used inside. what has been annoying me is that i explained it was expensive to run when she moved in 3 months ago. suddenly in the past two weeks the washing machine is on every day and so is the tumble dryer even though the weather has been good enough most days to get stuff dry.

also, the tumble drier is 'ancient' so really should be used for emergencys only as it must use more electric than a modern one...

Jacey53

You say you don't know why your lodger has been using the machine so much.

Could you ask?

If it is just a recent occurrence, could something have changed in this person's life? Perhaps talking may help?

Just a thought.

JanCee

Just leave her to it. It is not up to you to monitor the use of appliances. If i lived somewhere that had this sort of scrutiny I would soon be giving notice. You should factor this in to the rent you charge for your next lodger. You are making yourself look mean and petty.

Jowo_2

Time to change the tumble drier for a more energy efficient one and tell the lodger that you expect her to put out her washing on the line when the weather is fine and that the level of laundry she is doing is on an industrial rather than domestic scale and isn't acceptable.

I had a friend whose lodger was a tumble drying fiend who did her mate's washing without asking, who consistently ignored multiple requests that the washing line was to be used when it was dry weather outside. He thought it was laziness on the lodgers part who couldn't be bothered to walk 10 yards and peg the clothes out in the garden when they could just be stuff the clothes in the next machine and press a button. Also a bit of attitude 'i'm paying £x and I'll get my money's worth'.

If you think that someone is running a chinese laundry at your expense, then serve notice and set your house rules much more firmly with the next one.