Average usage electricity per month?

dougens

I have just moved into a one bedroom self contained barn conversion (mezzanine bedroom, open plan living litchen area and small bathroom with bath only unfortunately), with decent insulation (I have been told) and seems draft proof!

I moved in 26/03 and as of yesterday I have used 343 units of electricity. I do not have gas.

So in 26 days I used 343 units @ 12.830p (EDF) = £44

To me this seems pretty high. I live alone and only use electric cooker, small kitchen appliances, a stereo, small radio, tv, water boiler, lights and storage heaters (which I believe are electricity suckers!)

I placed timers on the storage heaters and they come on for 45min in the morning on a very low heat to take the chill off and occasionally have used them at night on a low heat on the thermostat.
I have one bath per day to try to keep costs down as well.

There is a log burning stove and I hope to use this in the winter to heat the house as hopefully cheaper.
What I'm really worried about is that I'm really not heating the house at the minute and in winter my bills will be huge!

Any advice/ideas very welcome!!
Thanks.

star2007

Hi Dougens,

Just looked at my meter reading app, and we've used just over 180 kwh/units in the past month. That's me and my DH, in a 2 bed terrace house, in northerly climes, using oil fired CH (tho' the boiler does require lecky juice to run it), and we are über-frugal with resources.

I think it might be your baths eating up a lot of units. To heat up an immersion tank for a bath takes about 4000 watts, ie about 4 units, or 50p. On alternate days could you just heat up and run a couple of inches of water, or even just boil up water in the kettle and have a sink wash?

Likewise with the washing up, rather than having the immersion on 24/7, just boil up what you need in the kettle.

For your electric heating, are you on a dual tariif scheme (Economy 7), so while your storage heaters are charging overnight, you're getting the cheap price? Make the most of this in other ways if practical like putting the washing machine on a timer during the cheap time.

Basicly anything that heats really sucks the electric, like cookers, heaters, hair driers. Things like radios and laptops are fairly minimal. Nevertheless, make sure you switch everything off when not in use (including stuff on standby), it all adds up over the year.

Other ideas:

Do most of your washing at 30 - 40 C.
Put lids on saucepans and turn the hob down low.
Turn the oven off a couple of minutes early, the food will carry on cooking in the residual heat.
Cook up an extra portion of food for dinner and have it again during the week - it's much more energy efficient to reheat something than cook from scratch over gain. Things like cooked potatoes keep well in the fridge.
Fill your usual mug with water, tip into the kettle. At the water level point on the side make a small line with marker pen, so you don't waste energy overfilling the kettle when making tea/coffee.
Put your computer into hibernation mode if you'll be away for more than a few mins, and make sure the monitor is properly off when shutting down pc.
Check the temperature of your fridge/freezer, you probably don't need it at the coldest setting.
If you're chiili watching tv, put on a big fleecy jumper, slippers and hot water bottle rather than using the heating :cool:

Edit to add, rather than having the heating on overnight, get an electric blanket, they only use about as much electricity as a light bulb and keep you very snug overnight

HTH

victor2

Open plan houses are hard to heat, as you have no choice but to heat the whole area.
Can you have a shower instead of a bath? Just connect a shower to the bath tap(s) and fit a curtain. They use much less water than a bath, so that should reduce the water heating cost.

penrhyn

I placed timers on the storage heaters and they come on for 45min in the morning on a very low heat to take the chill off and occasionally have used them at night on a low heat on the thermostat.
I have one bath per day to try to keep costs down as well.

Storage heaters should be wired separately and run off a radio telly switch so that they charge up overnight, on an economy 7 tarrif.
They are never simply plugged in.

I suspect you have bog standard panel heaters, which running at normal day rate will be expensive to run.

dougens

star2007 wrote: »

Hi Dougens,

Just looked at my meter reading app, and we've used just over 180 kwh/units in the past month. That's me and my DH, in a 2 bed terrace house, in northerly climes, using oil fired CH (tho' the boiler does require lecky juice to run it), and we are über-frugal with resources.

I think it might be your baths eating up a lot of units. To heat up an immersion tank for a bath takes about 4000 watts, ie about 4 units, or 50p. On alternate days could you just heat up and run a couple of inches of water, or even just boil up water in the kettle and have a sink wash?

Likewise with the washing up, rather than having the immersion on 24/7, just boil up what you need in the kettle.

For your electric heating, are you on a dual tariif scheme (Economy 7), so while your storage heaters are charging overnight, you're getting the cheap price? Make the most of this in other ways if practical like putting the washing machine on a timer during the cheap time.

Basicly anything that heats really sucks the electric, like cookers, heaters, hair driers. Things like radios and laptops are fairly minimal. Nevertheless, make sure you switch everything off when not in use (including stuff on standby), it all adds up over the year.

Other ideas:

Do most of your washing at 30 - 40 C.
Put lids on saucepans and turn the hob down low.
Turn the oven off a couple of minutes early, the food will carry on cooking in the residual heat.
Cook up an extra portion of food for dinner and have it again during the week - it's much more energy efficient to reheat something than cook from scratch over gain. Things like cooked potatoes keep well in the fridge.
Fill your usual mug with water, tip into the kettle. At the water level point on the side make a small line with marker pen, so you don't waste energy overfilling the kettle when making tea/coffee.
Put your computer into hibernation mode if you'll be away for more than a few mins, and make sure the monitor is properly off when shutting down pc.
Check the temperature of your fridge/freezer, you probably don't need it at the coldest setting.
If you're chiili watching tv, put on a big fleecy jumper, slippers and hot water bottle rather than using the heating :cool:

Edit to add, rather than having the heating on overnight, get an electric blanket, they only use about as much electricity as a light bulb and keep you very snug overnight

HTH

Thanks for your help.

Unfortunately I have to have a bath at least once a day as have to be clean and tidy for work.

I'm only using the heaters for 3/4 hr a day and that's it. It's never on at night and has been on maybe 5-6 evenings on the lowest thermostat setting (1) just to keep the chill off.

I'm not one to be walking around in shorts and t shirt with the heating blaring and switch everything off at the wall when not using it.
And in general I'm very frugal and reheat extra portions etc (I never throw anything out) so that's why I'm so shocked by the usage.

I'm not on any special plan with EDF either.
So all I can think is the baths and washing up that's killing the meter.

However, I do live in a barn conversion that the landlord (who lets out the main house) fitted a piggy back meter (mine) onto the main meter (other 'richer!' tenant) so when I moved in the units were at 002. Now it's at 343 etc. The way I work it with the other tenant is when the bill comes I deduct what I have used and pay per unit her what I owe for here to pay the main bill.

I'm wondering if there's a glitch and the meter's are charging differently etc.......

Thanks for any help/views

dougens

victor2 wrote: »

Open plan houses are hard to heat, as you have no choice but to heat the whole area.
Can you have a shower instead of a bath? Just connect a shower to the bath tap(s) and fit a curtain. They use much less water than a bath, so that should reduce the water heating cost.

I looked at that. Not possible as the reason there's only a bath is because the ceiling is too close to fit one. The bathroom is upstairs by the roof in the conversion etc.
Big annoyance

Mrs_Arcanum

Another save would be to only run your washing machine through the night, but well worth getting your meter checked out as you could well be paying over the odds on your share.

dougens

penrhyn wrote: »

I placed timers on the storage heaters and they come on for 45min in the morning on a very low heat to take the chill off and occasionally have used them at night on a low heat on the thermostat.
I have one bath per day to try to keep costs down as well.

Storage heaters should be wired separately and run off a radio telly switch so that they charge up overnight, on an economy 7 tarrif.
They are never simply plugged in.

I suspect you have bog standard panel heaters, which running at normal day rate will be expensive to run.

Thanks for help.
Yes they are just panel heaters I just checked.
They are still only on for 45min /day usually.
So I'm thinking I'll have to heat the house via the brand new wood burning stove in the winter. The problem is fuel and cost etc.
I'll be looking into trying to get old pallets ( I know they burn quickly) but they are FREE from most industrial units, and luckily I work on an industrial site.

dougens

Mrs_Arcanum wrote: »

Another save would be to only run your washing machine through the night, but well worth getting your meter checked out as you could well be paying over the odds on your share.

Thanks. I only run one wash per week at 30min express cycle!
How would I get the meter's checked out best? Electrician....?
thanks again

Richie-from-the-Boro

dougens wrote: »

I have just moved into a one bedroom self contained barn conversion (mezzanine bedroom, open plan living litchen area and small bathroom with bath only unfortunately), with decent insulation (I have been told) and seems draft proof!

I moved in 26/03 and as of yesterday I have used 343 units of electricity. I do not have gas.

So in 26 days I used 343 units @ 12.830p (EDF) = £44

To me this seems pretty high. I live alone and only use electric cooker, small kitchen appliances, a stereo, small radio, tv, water boiler, lights and storage heaters (which I believe are electricity suckers!)

I placed timers on the storage heaters and they come on for 45min in the morning on a very low heat to take the chill off and occasionally have used them at night on a low heat on the thermostat.
I have one bath per day to try to keep costs down as well.

There is a log burning stove and I hope to use this in the winter to heat the house as hopefully cheaper.
What I'm really worried about is that I'm really not heating the house at the minute and in winter my bills will be huge!

Any advice/ideas very welcome!!
Thanks.

You have Night Storage Heaters but we don't know if you are on Heatwise or Economy 7 tariff, I suspect because you can turn your storage radiators on during the daytime you will be on Heatwise.

Heatwise provides 10 hours of off peak electricity for water and central heating purposes only between the following times.

Night: 5 continuous hours between 12am and 7am.
Afternoon: 3 continuous hours between 1pm and 4.30pm.
Evening: 2 continuous hours between 5.30pm and 10pm.

Heatwise works alongside a conventional meter. If you change to an Economy 7 tarrif, you will be able to use other electrical appliances like washing machines, tumble dryers etc during the night period above at the off peak rates.

As others have said your biggest % cost current weather conditions is the bath and that will be ongoing all through this summer and into next winter.

Are you sure you are on Storage and not Panel [ non storage ] radiators ?

star2007

Sounds like you have got plug in portable electric heaters, rather than storage heaters. The latter are huge, fitted to the wall, and contain bricks which draw and store energy during the Economy 7 overnight cheap period. Heating an openplan flat on portable heaters will be hideously expensive I'm afraid. One 2kwh heater will eat about 25p per hour, and you'll need them on for a while to start to take the chill out of the air. Hopefully this won't be an issue for you now with the warmer weather. Come the winter though, I really recommend thermal undies, slipper socks and snuggly fleeces!
And take shallower baths, or get a handheld shower attachment for your taps, you'll still be as clean and daisy-fresh as before!

Otherwise if it still seems excessive, it would be an idea to raise the matter iwth your LL & electric company... it might be your meter is calibrated wrongly.

Best of luck