Dreading Winter can't switch economy 10

jalexa

Ids61 wrote: »

Have full data which I will post up,

It would be interesting to know your annual consumption in kWhrs, and particularly the split between "cheap" and day-rate.

HalloweenJack

wall cladding would be an option , although it isnt cheap

http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/Home-improvements-and-products/Home-insulation-glazing/Solid-wall-insulation

Ids61

A big thanks to all posters, advice & empathy. Appreciate your help.
The posts have confirmed my own conclusion that there is no magic switch suppliers choice for me. Will study replys and try to evaluate the options.
The figures are as follows
2011 to date 12027 kwh
Peak 7021
Offp. 5005
Jan 2011 391 kwh
P 296
Op 116
April 106 kwh
P 43
Op 63
Aug 2011 45 kwh
P 26
Op 19
Hopefully this makes sense,Sse es
Estimate my usage to be 12738 peak usage 9178 off peak total cost
£2546 for the coming year. My house is a stone built terrace,larger than average. Two receptions,plus kitchen,3 beds.
We are usually not at home in the day.rural area no gas.
Thanks in advance for any further ideas.
Need to speak to Sse as cannot possibly increase my direct debit.

jalexa

Ids61 wrote: »

Hopefully this makes sense,

Nope. Can't work out the monthly figures. e.g. "Jan 2011 391kWhrs". What period is that for? Can't be a month.

Any idea what is the boiler kW rating?

Ids61

jalexa wrote: »

Nope. Can't work out the monthly figures. e.g. "Jan 2011 391kWhrs". What period is that for? Can't be a month.

Any idea what is the boiler kW rating?

Kwh are actually 3414 cost £391 Sorry!
No idea of boiler rating
Thanks Jalexa

chris1973

Can you get free solar panels?

Given the input of an Electric Boiler is normally between 7kw and 15kw, and requries a constant supply, and the output from solar panels is a highly variable 0 - 3.8kw I dont think its going to be of much help, and probably wont even make a dent. Especially as the boiler is likely to be used more during the winter months when sunshine is limited and weak and the output more likely to be below 1KW, and those cold frosty December nights where for about 16 hours the solar panels will be generating nothing.

Electric Boilers are about as heavy a usage as you can get on a domestic mains circuit, often consuming anything double the load of an Electric Shower and for longer period

Any idea what is the boiler kW rating?

Generally they vary, but the average loading is between 10KW for the smallest to 14.4kw or even 15KW for the larger sized ones. The Average is 12KW for a 150L model. The OP would need to read the rating plate to establish this. Either way, they are certainly not cheap to run.

I'm currently in an all electric heated property and I've actually switched back to Paraffin for heating during 'peak' period Electricity during the times where I need to top up the output from the E7 storage heating during cold periods. It sounds very old fashioned and a potentally smelly form of heating but modern fan assisted paraffin invertor heaters are very safe, have built in Carbon monoxide and flame failure detection, and are actually probably safer in real terms than portable LPG fires. Even on normal C1 Paraffin I get no smell in use, other than a quick whiff for a few seconds when its switched on / off.

I buy Paraffin from an allotment society locally for around 70p a litre. Paraffin produces 10KW of heat for every litre burnt, which equals 7p per KW/H. Far cheaper than the 19p / KWH which Npower charges me for peak rate Electricity.

The output of mine is 3.2KW which is slightly more than a 3KW fan heater, it heats a large stone walled living / dining room in around 10 - 15 minuites from 12c to 19c - 20c, where it then switches back to 'Eco' mode, which is 800w output, which is often more than enough outside of the cold periods to maintain a steady 19c for the rest of the evening, using very little paraffin.

You do need to have plenty of ventilation though, but generally in a cold stone property with little insulation there is already plenty of that!.

This is the heater I use. http://www.dry-it-out.com/inverter-5006-3kw-liquid-fuel-heater-free-fuel

They are expensive to buy new, but can sometimes be found on Gumtree / Ebay etc second hand.

Paraffin heating isn't for everybody, certainly there will be the ones with memories of Grandad's old 1950's greenhouse heater who will warn you about the dire consequencies of using it to heat in the home, but dont write off the idea until you've actually seen one running and felt the heat output and noticed the lack of smell etc, it is quite impressive. As is the difference in running costs between 7p and 14p+ per hour.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Ids61 wrote: »

Kwh are actually 3414 cost £391 Sorry!
No idea of boiler rating
Thanks Jalexa

You need to tell the people here what the :

Annual 2010 - 2011 consumption was, and that for example it was made up from :

- 4420kWh per annum total
- 4553kWh day and ;
- 4867kWh night, and ;
- 48.3% was day rate, and ;
- 51.6% was night rate.

Now that will sound more than impossible, but a ' phone back call ' from your provider will give you those precise answers in a minute. They also have the ability to predict this years 2011 - 2012 useage with the same breakdown, the figures will be right there on their puter. Whether or not they choose to give them depends on the way you ask the question.

There is an in~trade [ vocational language ] name for this analysis, anyone reading this know / REM the acronym for this term ?

Richie-from-the-Boro

chris1973,

Brilliant .. .. I went there two years ago with JETA1 fuel @ 90p per litre [ proper helicopter fuel, ( yes those big ones the RAF fly ) but sold VAT free to a Model Aircraft Club ] from a local airport. I've made many posts in the recent past on this board on that very subject. I'm open plan average house all the doors removed or left open. I make full use of the E7 tariff and have done in the last 3 different houses over 40 years. 3 overflowing baths a day [ if required ] and a permanent 19+ in the winter, and my DD is £81pm.

I used 28 litres of fuel last year, - don't need to wear slippers, and live in shorts all 52 weeks and never wear jumpers. Two of the bedroom windows are latched and have never been closed [ prolly seized by now ] since the new ones were installed 3 years ago.

End note :

Spotted an [ in store advert ] in B&Q for £125 for the 3.2. My brother and I were discussing the subject just a couple of weeks before - I made a call before I bought.. .. one went to bother and two more to his friends before I even purchased. I took one and the other two went on ebay and earned enough to make mine free

I had to travel the 50+ miles from home to York to collect, but ordered 6 - paid for 6 and the rest you know.

spiro

Ids61 wrote: »

Estimate my usage to be 12738 peak usage 9178 off peak total cost £2546 for the coming year.

Well there is your problem, you should be using more off peak that peak. Even if you just managed to swap the 2 amounts around (12738 offpeak, 9178 peak) it would reduce your bill by £250.

jalexa

Premier posted the very usefull SSE E10 leaflet with the hours.

(off peak 00:00-05:00, 13:00-16:00 & 20:00-22:00)

My take on the data is that (probably) the boiler is consuming big off-peak numbers 00:00-05:00 (half the E10 cheap-rate hours) when everbody is asleep, and big full rate numbers in between the off-peak periods, including periods the house is unoccupied. Or you have other heating appliances in use.

This is not intended as a criticism of a failure to understand your boiler (e.g. the boiler kW rating), and in particular how it's controls work, but there must be a failure to understand when and what price electricity the boiler is consuming.

I appreciate I am writing this from a well insulated, gas heated, warm house, but on all the data posted you could save "a lot" at the cost of only being "a little" colder by more closely managing the "boiler hours". Then take stock. Focus on the hours the boiler is operating, how long it takes to deliver warm radiators, and how long the radiators stay "warm" after the boiler stops heating, and work out how to increase the off-peak usage and what hours (including unoccupied hours) the boiler is currently consuming energy but not delivering useful heat.

In an earlier post I suggested measures on "temperature control", however on reflection given the unresponsiveness of the building construction and/or inadequate radiator rating, you need to look more closely at timed control rather than temperature control.

As a matter of interest, how are your neighbours heating their similar properties?