Electric heater

charlotte289

Hi all,
When I moved into my new gas-less flat in June, it was generally warm enough not to use the electric panel heaters that are fitted to the walls. But as of last week (early, I know!) it's started getting a bit chilly, and I've had to put them on for a few hours. However, they seem to be eating up quite a bit of electricity... and the little LED on my meter flashes really quickly if I have one of them on as well as the immersion heater for the hot water! (Although I only have that on for about 30 mins a day...)
What I'm wondering is, is there a cheaper way to heat the place? It's a studio flat, built at the end of the 19th century, and isn't brilliantly insulated. It's rented, by the way, so there's not much scope for permanent replacements... not that I could afford them anyway

Also, is £35 a reasonable monthly direct debit for an electric-only flat? Thanks

dannymccann

charlotte289 wrote: »

Hi all,

Also, is £35 a reasonable monthly direct debit for an electric-only flat? Thanks

Yes very, it would be wise to up that payment in advance of the cold weather over the next 4 - 5 months. There isnt really much you can do, all electric heaters have the same efficiency (100%) so all produce the same amount of heat vs energy put into them, they just distribute it in different ways. Only real way to save turning them on long term is to buy thicker clothes / put on extra layers!

macman

£35 a month will be nothing like enough during the winter I'm afraid. You're not going to heat/light/hot water even a studio flat for £420pa.
Have you switched to the most economic tariff?

charlotte289

dannymccann wrote: »

Yes very, it would be wise to up that payment in advance of the cold weather over the next 4 - 5 months. There isnt really much you can do, all electric heaters have the same efficiency (100%) so all produce the same amount of heat vs energy put into them, they just distribute it in different ways. Only real way to save turning them on long term is to buy thicker clothes / put on extra layers!

Oh, OK! Looks like I'll have to set aside a bit more money for the electric then. I hope this winter isn't too cold this time...

macman wrote: »

£35 a month will be nothing like enough during the winter I'm afraid. You're not going to heat/light/hot water even a studio flat for £420pa.
Have you switched to the most economic tariff?

I've not switched to the cheapest tariff yet because I've not got a very clear picture of how much I'm going to end up using yet; maybe by next month I'll have a better clue. I'm currently on Scottish Hydro Electric's standard tariff, by the way. I seem to remember putting some vague details into USwitch earlier on and coming up with Sainsbury's Energy as a cheaper supplier, but I'm not sure I want to switch quite yet.

macman

Then it's going to cost you, because the standard tariff is always the most expensive. Ring your supplier and ask them for your annual consumption figure. Put the figures into a comp site (don't use your monthly DD figs), find the best tariff, then switch via a cashback site.
Remember it take 4-5 weeks to switch, so to get the benefit of cheaper autumn heating you need to start the process soon.
At the very least switch now to a cheaper SHE tariff without a lock in.

charlotte289

macman wrote: »

Then it's going to cost you, because the standard tariff is always the most expensive. Ring your supplier and ask them for your annual consumption figure. Put the figures into a comp site (don't use your monthly DD figs), find the best tariff, then switch via a cashback site.
Remember it take 4-5 weeks to switch, so to get the benefit of cheaper autumn heating you need to start the process soon.
At the very least switch now to a cheaper SHE tariff without a lock in.

The most expensive? I feel a bit embarrassed now, I didn't think it would be that bad :eek: I'll try what you said, but would they know what my annual consumption figures would be yet? Like I say, I only moved in here last June, so I don't know what my winter usage would actually be like, in terms of the actual figures. Or would they get that from the previous tenant?
Do you think energyhelpline.com would be a good site to switch with? I had a look at the actual MSE site just now and it offered £15 cashback which didn't sound too bad.

macman

Yes they will give you an estimate. I use energyhelpline.com for comparisons, but the best cashback fees are via Quidco or topcashback, you can get up to £100 on some tariffs. £15 is not enticing...

charlotte289

macman wrote: »

Yes they will give you an estimate. I use energyhelpline.com for comparisons, but the best cashback fees are via Quidco or topcashback, you can get up to £100 on some tariffs. £15 is not enticing...

Just had a look at Quidco... looks quite interesting! I'll get those figures and see how it goes.

EDIT: And thanks for the information!