just got combined bill - wow

crooky

sorry I have edited my first post as there are two totals for each service, one before price change and one after. I only gave the one after so ive added the other into the totals. There is a 5% discount and VAT added to bring it to the £707 figure.

Im on the EON energyplan tariff. Ive just registered for an online account to I can see my full usage. Have only been in this house since May so dont have a full annual figure just yet. Looking at a graph they have on there my gas usage has gone from 60kwh per day to 110 kwh and electric from 13 kwh per day to 17 kwh.

crooky

tyllwyd wrote: »

You say that downstairs is cold but do you find that upstairs is warm? If you have to heat all of the upstairs rooms to 22 degrees just to get the living room to 18 degrees, say, that seems quite wasteful. I wonder if you could turn the thermostat down on the landing, and invest in an additional heater for the living room. If you are out at work during the day, you could make sure you turn the thermostat down a bit at least when you leave in the morning, to keep it ticking over but you don't need to heat it as warm as if you were at home.

Yes the upstairs is warmer but the radiators have thermostatic valves on them and I do have them turned down for the rooms not in use. Im also not always at work during the day but I never turn the heating up or on for longer when im home anyway. I sit in a cold living room and just grin and bear it rather than adjust the heating so its not that. I do like the idea of another heater for the living room but im cautious because we put an electric heater in a conservatory in an old house we use to live in and got a massive shock with the bill so got rid of that and its put me off those heaters.

crooky

CH27 wrote: »

IMO 22 degrees is way too high.
The recommendation is 21 degrees for elderly, disabled etc.

Thats fine in some houses, infact we have a new build house in another area we dont live in and I wouldnt dream of putting that onto 22 degrees but this house needs that temperature on the thermostat just to have a comfortable temperature in the living room. Were not sitting here sweating with the heating blasting away burning money, its actually damn cold in here at times even with 22 on the thermostat.

CH27

crooky wrote: »

Thats fine in some houses, infact we have a new build house in another area we dont live in and I wouldnt dream of putting that onto 22 degrees but this house needs that temperature on the thermostat just to have a comfortable temperature in the living room. Were not sitting here sweating with the heating blasting away burning money, its actually damn cold in here at times even with 22 on the thermostat.

Is the house insulated?
Do you have double glazing? Thick curtains at the windows?
Do you have carpet down to stop draughts through the floorboards?

victor2

Your heating is having to work now the temperature is falling. If your radiator(s) downstairs are turned up full, maybe they're just not big enough for the space you're heating or you have poor insulation. Either way, additional heating even if electric, may be the best way to keep it comfortable.
You haven't said what size the property is, but for your electricity to jump up from 13 to 17kWh per day suggests you are using more than you need to. With energy saving bulbs, I find my daily electricity use is pretty constant throughout the year. It's only the (gas) heating that varies greatly.

bloss0m

Your right its £596 a big difference of £111

timpavitt wrote: »

"This breaks down as £252.35 for electric and £344.89 for gas"

This does not add up to £707.06 !

crooky

CH27 wrote: »

Is the house insulated?
Do you have double glazing? Thick curtains at the windows?
Do you have carpet down to stop draughts through the floorboards?

Yes the house is double glazed and insulated as far as im aware. We rent this house due to being relocated so im not certain. Once the heatings on its fine most of the time but when its off its cold. Its an old house though with a cellar and 3 floors. The only carpet is on the stairs. The whole of downstairs is tiled, cold yes but no draughts through the floor Not my choice but I cant do anything about it.

serious_saver

A hot water bottle and a blanket on the sofa. That's what I do to keep warm in my living room!

On a serious note, you need to start looking at why your living room is so much colder than the rest of the house. Especially if you spend most of your time on there.

Do you have large single glazed windows. Is there an unused fireplace? Are the doors drafty? These are just a few things that can act to make a room colder. Once you know what's wrong you can at least look for solutions.

It might sound silly but it's amazing how much warmer you will feel if you invest in a really good pair of slippers.

EDIT

crooky wrote: »

Yes the house is double glazed and insulated as far as im aware. We rent this house due to being relocated so im not certain. Once the heatings on its fine most of the time but when its off its cold. Its an old house though with a cellar and 3 floors. The only carpet is on the stairs. The whole of downstairs is tiled, cold yes but no draughts through the floor Not my choice but I cant do anything about it.

I just saw this! Definitely make sure that you have some good slippers. As it's an old house buy or make some draft excluder's to go at the bottom of the doors and definately get one to go by the entrance to the cellar. You will probably find that much of the cold is coming up from the cellar.

If don't have one then make sure you get a rug for the tiled floor as this will completely change how warm the room feels. If you can't afford it then see about going on something like freecyle. When we moved into our flat the floor was incredibly cold and we were given a large piece of carpet. I had to stitch the edges up by hand to make a rug (took me a couple of evenings) but it made an incredible difference.

VfM4meplse

Have you spoken to EON as yet? An energy bill that size would send me to hospital!

(But a cc bill that size would be a result).

CH27

crooky wrote: »

Yes the house is double glazed and insulated as far as im aware. We rent this house due to being relocated so im not certain. Once the heatings on its fine most of the time but when its off its cold. Its an old house though with a cellar and 3 floors. The only carpet is on the stairs. The whole of downstairs is tiled, cold yes but no draughts through the floor Not my choice but I cant do anything about it.

Are you planning on staying there long term?
It might be worthwhile talking to the landlord about making the house warmer.