What costs less? Water or Electricity?

hopperson

I'm trying to get my family to remember to turn off lights when not in use.. in particular our bathroom light (which is connected to an extractor fan) but because the light switch is on outside of the bathroom, on the landing wall, my teenage daughters tend to leave it on.

I'd like to get them to realise that wasted electricity still has to be paid for... so I wanted to know if its possible to calculate which costs more: a bathroom light/extractor fan left on for ten minutes, or a bath tap left on for ten minutes?

The kids are more likely to turn off a running tap than a blazing bathroom light!

gazapc

I'm sad enough to have worked this out myself, my it's a tap, leaving a tap (bathroom) in our house costs 2.5p/minute due to 6 litres/minute flow rate x expensive SW water prices. That is a bit more than 1/5 of the cost of 1 unit of electricity, so unless you have >1 kW of lighting and extractor fans running then the electricity is 'minor' in comparison.

undaunted

Surely it depends whether you are on a water meter or a fixed water rate system?

You don't say how old she is but could you dock her pocket money or something each time she fails to do as she's asked?

macman

Water prices vary enormously from region to region, so a precise answer is not possible. Nor without knowing the flow rate of your tap.

SYNERGY

gazapc wrote: »

I'm sad enough to have worked this out myself, my it's a tap, leaving a tap (bathroom) in our house costs 2.5p/minute due to 6 litres/minute flow rate x expensive SW water prices. That is a bit more than 1/5 of the cost of 1 unit of electricity, so unless you have >1 kW of lighting and extractor fans running then the electricity is 'minor' in comparison.

I hope you have your sums wrong.

2.5 p / 6 = .416 p per litre.

1000 litres in a cubic metre.

.416 p X 1000 = 416 p ( or £4.16 ) per cubic metre :eek:

My water cost is £1.45 per cubic metre.

£1.45 / 1000 = .145 p per litre.

Or .87 p per 6 litre.

Worked out simply on the cost per m3 not taking into account sewerage and standing charges.

omeuwen

We pay more for water than for electricity. However, we have only LED bulbs in the house, so all bathroom lights together are less than 20 Watts.

Water is expensive and to clean it and pump it consumes a lot of electricity.

cleggie

macman wrote: »

Water prices vary enormously from region to region, so a precise answer is not possible. Nor without knowing the flow rate of your tap.

i agree with macman.
Here in Cornwall i pay £57p/m for my water, but i know people 'up north' who pay less than £20p/pm!!

My Electricity is much cheaper!

SYNERGY

cleggie wrote: »

i agree with macman.
Here in Cornwall i pay £57p/m for my water, but i know people 'up north' who pay less than £20p/pm!!

My Electricity is much cheaper!

My charges work out at £11.33 per month.

This includes metered water used, wastewater removed ( based on metered water ) standing charges for both and the annoying one, surface water / highway drainage.

Retired, live on my own and up north.

cleggie

SYNERGY wrote: »

My charges work out at £11.33 per month.

This includes metered water used, wastewater removed ( based on metered water ) standing charges for both and the annoying one, surface water / highway drainage.

Retired, live on my own and up north.

You trying to make me cry SYNERGY!?:eek:;)

SYNERGY

hopperson wrote: »

I'm trying to get my family to remember to turn off lights when not in use.. in particular our bathroom light (which is connected to an extractor fan) but because the light switch is on outside of the bathroom, on the landing wall, my teenage daughters tend to leave it on.

I'd like to get them to realise that wasted electricity still has to be paid for... so I wanted to know if its possible to calculate which costs more: a bathroom light/extractor fan left on for ten minutes, or a bath tap left on for ten minutes?

The kids are more likely to turn off a running tap than a blazing bathroom light!

A bit of technology may save both water and electricity costs.

Self closing taps on the sink and possibly the bath.

PIR controlled bathroom lights with a suitable time delay.

Having both would have a second benefit, it would get them out of the bathroom quicker. :rotfl:

whitelabel

my water bill has just come in from severn trent on a water meter for past 6 months inc waste and drainage it was £47.17 thats down from the previous 6 which was £69