PLEASE HELP Regarding immersion heater and electricity

JAN.1026

i have posted a thread earlier regarding the immersion boiler (please read 'faulty immersion boiler causing high electricity bill ' for detail as i am not allowed to post link in here)

two weeks ago the estate agent which i rent the apartment from sent an electrician in and the electrician said is the immersion boiler that cost the high bill and told me to switch it off for 2 weeks and see how it goes.

the first week the meter shows that we have used 6 units per day in average. however, without spending extra electricity, the second week we have used 11 units per day. as me and my friend are both working 12 hours a day, we don't spend much time at home, and seldom do any cooking. we don't use heater at all. therefore it is still a bit weird for the average usage being a double a week before and after.

the other problem is, as i said on last post, we didn't know we have immersion heater and didn't know there is a switch for it. but the electrician said it is on, which means we have never turn it off in last three years. although some people explain that perhaps me or my flatmate has switch it on by accident, but now i sure that we have not.

because since it is off these two weeks, we always do not have enough hot water. me and my friend don't use water much just like electricity as we are always out working, most of the time we spend at home is sleeping. But we notice that last two weeks we always have no enough hot water for shower even though there is only two of us and there is 3 hours gap between my shower and hers as we finish work at different time. The hot water always gone in the middle of shower!

this has never happened before! therefore i am pretty sure that the immersion heater was always on that's why we never ran out of hot water in last three years.

now lack of hot water really is a problem. is it normal for the boiler to supply very little hot water?

and if the immersion boiler was always on, then why would it suddenly used us that many electricity starting from 3 months ago? (The average usage last 3 months was about 79 units per day ).

is it possible that the boiler has a problem since few months ago therefore it cannot supply sufficient amount of hot water, and that's why it increased the immersion boiler usage, so the electricity bill is high?

If it is really caused by the boiler, will the landlord be responsible at any point?



P.S
1: Our flat has no gas, but we DO NOT use heater at all, we always have it off.

2: and as we both work in the restaurant, we don't cook at all, therefore, we do not cook more on the second week neither. and so we cannot explain why the usage is about a double higher.

3: our heater is a big HUGE one (about 155 cm height)that sat in our store room, but do not know what type is it

Anyone have any idea? =[..





p.s 2

Just realise now that it is actually a tank not a boiler , and i have no idea where the boiler is..
and i couldn't upload any link when i open this post due to my status is new user. now I can post a link, to have a look at the tank and switch, please click the links

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd466/jan102686/IMG_2562.jpg <---the switch that i have been told that is for immersion boiler

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd466/jan102686/IMG_2561.jpg <---the switch and panel for the tank

http://i1221.photobucket.com/albums/dd466/jan102686/IMG_2560.jpg <----the tank itself

edited on 30-01-2011

G_M

Now lack of hot water really is a problem. is it normal for the boiler to supply very little hot water?

What kind of boiler?
Combination (Combi)? This fires up whenever you turn on a tap to heat the water, so you should never run out.

However I guess you have a boiler that heats water on a time switch, and then stores the hot water in a tank (same tank as your emersion heater!). If so, there should be a timer! It can be set to
a) constant (keeps the tank permenantly full of hot water)
b) once a day (heats up the water during the day and keeps it hot, but will cool down at night - you need to check when 'night' starts!)
c) twice a day (heats the water up at 2 specified times per day usually morning and evening)

If it is set to 2ce a day the water will cool down a bit in the tank in between. If you use some hot water while the timer is 'off' it will not replace it so you may run out.

You need to find the timer, and learn how to use it!

and if the immersion boiler was always on, then why would it suddenly used us that many electricity starting from 3 months ago? (The average usage last 3 months was about 79 units per day ).

I know you don't think you turned it on, but the only reason your electricity usage could jump like that, given that the emersion was on 24 hours a day, is that before then it was off. Emmersion heaters ARE expensive. If it was off, then 3 months ago got turned on (if not by you, then the agent? the landlord? a visitor? a workman?), your electricity usage would jump.

the first week the meter shows that we have used 6 units per day in average. however, without spending extra electricity, the second week we have used 11 units per day.

Your usage is bound to vary. If the weather is colder, your central heating will be on more (the boiler and pump use electricity). If you come home a bit earlier, the lights will be on. Is the cooker electric? Did you cook more the 2nd week? No two weeks will use the same electricity.

The point is you are no longer using 79 units per day!

hcb42

yes, unless a combi boiler. I think you need to get a boiler man in if you are convinced it is the boiler. Although i am not sure about the landlord being responsible, unless their is a proven fault. I am not clear on what is heating what here, but old boilers can be inefficient unfortunately.
Have you got gas CH and hot water, which is heating the water when the immersion is off? I am assuming you have, but assumptions are dangerous!


EDIT: the other thing that springs to mind is that energy is simply expensive! There are only two of us, out most days, and indeed I stop away from home 2nights a week and my energy bills are well above £140 a month DD. (and I am more inclined to rug up and light a real fire than whack CH on all the time. )

JAN.1026

G_M wrote: »

What kind of boiler?
Combination (Combi)? This fires up whenever you turn on a tap to heat the water, so you should never run out.

However I guess you have a boiler that heats water on a time switch, and then stores the hot water in a tank (same tank as your emersion heater!). If so, there should be a timer! It can be set to
a) constant (keeps the tank permenantly full of hot water)
b) once a day (heats up the water during the day and keeps it hot, but will cool down at night - you need to check when 'night' starts!)
c) twice a day (heats the water up at 2 specified times per day usually morning and evening)

If it is set to 2ce a day the water will cool down a bit in the tank in between. If you use some hot water while the timer is 'off' it will not replace it so you may run out.

You need to find the timer, and learn how to use it!

YA! mine is the one with a timer panel beside! I have no idea how it works so we have not change the setting in last 3 years....=[ so if that's the case, we should always ran out of hot water in last 3 years without having the immersion boiler on?

but ya! i think i need to have a look =/...

blackshirtuk

JAN.1026 wrote: »

i Our flat has no gas,
=[..

If you don't have gas then it must be electric!

therefore probably an imersion heater. could be it has got scaled up and now needs more energy to heat the water.

hcb42

well it would explain why the water is cold since they turned the switch off;)

G_M

1: Our flat has no gas, but we DO NOT use heater at all, we always have it off.

OK - forget what I said about boilers - I assumed gas!

3: our heater is a big HUGE one (about 155 cm height)that sat in our store room, but do not know what type is it

You really need to get the agent/LL to explain how your heating/hot water works!

It may be you have (electric) night storag heaters? Or hot water on a night-time electric tarrif? If you have moved the timer and are now heating water during the day instead of using cheaper night-time electricity this might explain your jump in usage! Does your electricity bill show TWO charge amounts - daytime and night-time?

I'm afraid just saying "our heater is a big HUGE one (about 155 cm height)that sat in our store room" does not really help. I cannot see it, so don't know how it works. Is it a 'heater'? a 'boiler'? a water tank (with emmersian heater)?

Howevr, if there is a timer, you need to learn how to use it! Is there an instruction book? If not, ask your landlord for one.

hcb42

google is good.

silvercar

Maybe the tank is small, so it runs out of hot water. Whereas when you had the immersion on it would heat up the cold water that enters the tank when you use up the hot water coming out of the tank.

If this is the case there is little you can do. The landlord is not obliged to provide a bigger tank, if you want to use a lot of hot water in one go you will need to switch on the immersion (though don't leave it on all day).

Moglet

Before I had central heating installed in my flat I had an immersion tank and I used to leave it on 24 hours a day. It was cheaper than having it on once or twice a day. Based on the same principle of it being cheaper to trickle heat the water than let it go cold and heat it all up again plus it meant I always had hot water.

I did have an electric shower so the hot water wasn't for baths. It certainly didn't use 79 units a day!

JAN.1026

G_M wrote: »

OK - forget what I said about boilers - I assumed gas!


You really need to get the agent/LL to explain how your heating/hot water works!

It may be you have (electric) night storag heaters? Or hot water on a night-time electric tarrif? If you have moved the timer and are now heating water during the day instead of using cheaper night-time electricity this might explain your jump in usage! Does your electricity bill show TWO charge amounts - daytime and night-time?

I'm afraid just saying "our heater is a big HUGE one (about 155 cm height)that sat in our store room" does not really help. I cannot see it, so don't know how it works. Is it a 'heater'? a 'boiler'? a water tank (with emmersian heater)?

Howevr, if there is a timer, you need to learn how to use it! Is there an instruction book? If not, ask your landlord for one.

No, no day time/ night time , only one charge on my bill

and I had a look, it said 'boiler there'.