Average bill for 1 bed flat?

CptBucky

I've been with npower since january and i've been paying £30/month for electricity and gas. I got an outstanding balance today of £740! And even if I paid that off, my monthly bill would then be hiked to £115! Since this is my first year living alone, I am a bit curious as to what an average bill is for a 1 bed flat? This seems costly to me...

I only have a couple of lamps on when I'm in. I also have a plasma tv, computer, laptop, fridge, electric cooker (used about 3 hrs a week) washing machine and dryer (also used for about 3 hrs a week).

Heating's never used except for in December and January. I'm in a first floor flat so I get heating from the upper and lower floors

I'm being charged 12.50p per kWh and actual readings have been 5,299 kWh per year. I phoned npower and they only started reading the meter from when I moved in. It all seems to be legit, but I'd just like to hear what anyone else's bill is for a 1 bed flat so I can compare :whistle:

p00hsticks

Haven't you had any intermediate statements since January ?

If so, did you supply or check the meter readings at that point to see if a large bill was building up ?

Is the gas for the heating ? If so, then you say you haven't actually used any yet - is this reflected in the bill (although you'll still get a standing charge) ?

Check here for estimates of the Kwh figures for various appliances to see if it sounds reasonable.

http://www.carbonfootprint.com/energyconsumption.html
http://www.sust-it.net/energy_saving.php?id=45

dbmabz

A monthly bill of £115 for a 1 bed flat with 1 person sounds pretty high to me. I pay less than that for a 4 bed detached with 4 people living in it.

Try putting your bill figures into EnergyAverage.co.uk to see how you compare with the average for a 1 bed flat.

dogshome

Hi CaptBucky - From your post it appears that you have been in this 1 bed flat for just over 10 months and over that time have used £1040 of Elec & Gas - which is Helluva lot.

5299 Kwh in under a year is a lot for a single occupant, so:
Check that the Immersion heater if you have one, is not set onto 24/7 heating
Check the meter number on your bills matches that on the meter

If your Elec.meter is located in a Service Area with all the others for the flats, check that the one you think is yours, really is. You can do this by switching off everything in the flat, then while you watch the meter have a mate with a mobile phone switch the Kettle on and off, your meter should show bursts of activity that synchonise with the kettle switching - If it doesn't, report this to n'power by letter

GabyA

Your bill does sound much higher than it should. I've got a 1 bed flat and it doesn't cost anywhere near that for the fuel bills. You should double check you've got the right meter for your flat as I've known mix ups before between landlords and tenants. Also it might be worth going to one of the good energy price comparison sites like gasandelectricitycomparisonsites.org.uk where you can get a very accurate best quote and a guide to what your estimated bill should be. There's also a similar website that does the same sort of thing at uswitch.com so give those a go and hope that cuts your bills next quarter ;-)

charlie792

that is a big bill for one person - when I was in a shared house there was 3 of us and we paid £30 a month electric (almost exactly how much we used) and £30 a month gas (gas had an outstanding balance of £235 when we moved out) so yours really doesnt sound correct. Likewise me and my partner now have a 2 bed flat and we're proabably using about £25 a month elec and £30 a month gas (during winter)

JasX

It sounds high but not unreasonable for an all electric flat, just a poorly configured one -the guy with a 4 bedroomed house either has gas or is talking rubbish.

The main thing that will be driving up your bill will be electric heating as that's hugely expensive.

Is your heating really 'off' or just turned down? make sure its 'off' when not in use and when you do use it, use it in extreme moderation and keep a close eye on the meter.

The tumble driver will be expensive, dry on a wire rack where possible and you're bills will tumble slightly.

How is your water heated, check the settings on that and that it only heats on demand and is not constantly 'pre-heating' water 'just in case' its needed. Also check for stray immersion or other heating that could be switched on (towel rail?).

are your lamps energy saving types? if not go get some energy saving bulbs, halogen/spotlights will also be expensive so if you can cut down their use by using energy saving lighting (eg a stand lamp/desk lamp w/energy savign bulb) you'll be cutting your bills.

keep and eye on your meter and take the steps above and you should get on a more even keel, typical all electric costs are £100+ if inefficiently setup on the heating front but can come down to £60-80 if you're efficient. My boss previously lived in an all electric place and burnt thru £1600 in 6 months with electric heating so don't underestimate that even if only used for 2 months a year -watch every degree on your thermostat and minimise the time its on if you want to be closer to the £60pm mark than £100+.

Electric + Gas buildings can get alot lower with bills but you're kinda stuck with what you have on that front (you'll know to ask and factor it into the rent/price in future for next time)

One final thought, how well insulated are you?