Extortionate gas prices, please help!

[Deleted User]

Thank you both, you've been a great help. I've invested in some thermals and am wearing 2 dressing gowns so I'm toasty warm. The heating is on in the lounge only slightly to take the chill out of the air. Hopefully the next bill will reflect this reduced usage. I've been completely taking the increased prices in energy bills for granted until now.

macman

Use a comp site with your estimated annual kWh figures to find the best tariff.
Before you use electric heaters instead of the gas CH, bear in mind that electric heating is about 3 times more per kWh than gas.

[Deleted User]

macman wrote: »

Use a comp site with your estimated annual kWh figures to find the best tariff.
Before you use electric heaters instead of the gas CH, bear in mind that electric heating is about 3 times more per kWh than gas.

Thank you, I wasn't aware of this. Considering our computer is on about 12 hours a day, the electricity bill was surprisingly low (worked out at £1.50/day). I just assumed that electricity was a lot cheaper than gas for heating.

HappyMJ

Deleted_User wrote: »

Thank you, I wasn't aware of this. Considering our computer is on about 12 hours a day, the electricity bill was surprisingly low (worked out at £1.50/day). I just assumed that electricity was a lot cheaper than gas for heating.

My computer is on 24 hours a day but it only consumes an average of 40W per hour. The gas central heating boiler in my house has an output of 12000W in comparison. A huge difference. You need to compare heaters. One electric heater will usually use 2000W per hour but you would need one in each room to compare properly to the gas central heating. If you turned off all the radiators you didn't need then the GCH will cycle on and off more often to provide the same heat as 1 electric heater on all the time for much less cost.

macman

Deleted_User wrote: »

Thank you, I wasn't aware of this. Considering our computer is on about 12 hours a day, the electricity bill was surprisingly low (worked out at £1.50/day). I just assumed that electricity was a lot cheaper than gas for heating.

Then why would gas CH be the preferred option for most people who can get mains gas? Your computer uses a tiny amount of power; the biggest sources of energy usage in the home by far are heating and hot water.
Gas is about 3.5p per kWh, electricity about 10p per kWh.