Electricity bill is HUGE could a heater have used that much electricity?

111222

So in the space of about a year i apparently have used £2000 worth of electricity, in my flat i have an electric heater (which i admit is on a lot) i have a computer which is on a lot, i usually have only one light(living room) which is on a lot and i use the cooker about every second day for up to 20min, could i have possibly used that much electricity with these appliances? Seems HUGE but has what the meter reading seems to say, getting someone out to check it, but is it theoretically possible to use that much electricity mainly with a radiator type electric heater?

Badger_Lady

What exactly is the heater? Do you have a style, make/model or wattage? I'm afraid some of them do use an extraordinary amount, which really adds up if left on for more than an hour a day

Cardew

Yes, anything that heats uses a lot of electricity - you can largely ignore the light and computer.

Don't forget hot water, showers/baths, fridge, freezer

111222

Heater is a dimplex eco model ofrc15c 1350-1500W oil fille driadtor type heater, now i do amit it could be on for 12 hours a day, i also use have the shower which is a boiler heater, oh dear, i am in big trouble.

jalexa

111222 wrote: »

oh dear, i am in big trouble.

Possibly, but to be certain pay more attention to your meter reading and the most recent bill, in particular whether either or both of the readings are estimates.

Get a handle on your consumption by taking daily readings for a week. Then going forward start providing quarterly customer readings.

Pincher

£2,000 less £100 standing charge is £1,900.
At 12p per kWh, 15,833kWh.
At 15p per kWh, 12,666kWh

Using a 2kW heater for 10 hours a day is 20 kWh a day maximum.
Four months of it is 20 x 120 = 2,400kWh.

Hot water might account for 2 ~ 3,000kWh a year.

12,666 - 2,400 - 3,000 = 7,266kWh for miscellaneous usage? Average is 3,300 excluding heating.

Something doesn't add up. More than one heater, prepayment meter, estimated reading, etc.

rogerblack

2000 quid is (about) 20000 units.
54 units a day.

This is (constantly) a load of around 2.2kW.
With the appliances listed, you can't get quite that high.
Are you on economy 7?

How do you heat the property as a whole.
Was the previous reading an actual reading, or an estimate?
Take a reading today, do as you normally do, then take another tomorrow.

111222

jalexa wrote: »

Possibly, but to be certain pay more attention to meter reading and the most recent bill, in particular whether either or both of the readings are estimates.

Get a handle on your consumption by taking daily readings for a week. Then going forward start providing quarterly customer readings.

Your right in theory but i haven't been too well over the last year and maybe i have slipped a bit, i had a guy round to read the meter a year ago and he read it as 14695 so a year later it's 33755 that's a 20000 unit increase in a year. I am getting a meter guy round on friday to check everything, but still it would be the shower and heater mainly that i use that seems a lot even for those two appliances. I hope it's a mistake in the meter.

How do you heat the property as a whole.
Was the previous reading an actual reading, or an estimate?
Take a reading today, do as you normally do, then take another tomorrow.

I have no central heating, i have the above stated oil fill radiatior type heater in my living room only and it can be on a lot, i have had it on 24 hours quite a lot. I think i have have been over indulgent with it i admit. I use the shower about 3 times a week and it's left to heat for an hour or so. The cooker i use about 4 times a week and up to 30min-1hour. And i have the computer which is on quite a lot. But it seems i have used 20,000 offical non-estimated units in a year. British gas have been estimating since the last readin one year ago reading and now they want the offical reading which is 20,000 units higher than last year,. So they are telling me i have used £2000 in a year. They are very helpful about it though i should add.

Cardew

111222 wrote: »

Heater is a dimplex eco model ofrc15c 1350-1500W oil fille driadtor type heater, now i do amit it could be on for 12 hours a day, i also use have the shower which is a boiler heater, oh dear, i am in big trouble.

That isn't a big heater, so what other heating do you have in your flat?

Even if that heater were on full(and the thermostat never operated) for 12 hours, it would 'only' cost about £2

HappyMJ

It's not an oil filled radiator...it's an "oil free" radiator...Basically it's a convector heater. Agree with what has been said 1.5kW times 24 hours times 365 days of the year is 13,140kW but you would not have it on 24/7 all year. The thermostat will turn it off most of the time. Say 4 months...33% of that time heating. That's 1,460kWh in my calculations.

111222

Cardew wrote: »

That isn't a big heater, so what other heating do you have in your flat?

Even if that heater were on full(and the thermostat never operated) for 12 hours, it would 'only' cost about £2

I have no other heater/heating, i basically live in my living room as the bedroom is too cold, i have slept in bedroom about 5 times in last year. So this is bizarre.

I have

1 x raditor heater (can be on a lot)
1 x living room bayonet celing light (can be on a lot)
1 x cooker and hob etc (about 3-4 times a week for 30 - 45min mainly one ring on the hob)
1 x boiler heated shower (about 3 times a week, soemtimes though maybe 1 time a week sometimes 5, but not really excessive on this)
1 x toaster and microwave (not really that much)
1 x computer (on a lot)
1 x washing machine( about 1 time every 2 weeks)

Now i got pretty attached to the electric heater it could literally be on 24 hours a day, maybe not at highest level setting. But still even BG on the phone said an office eviron wouldn't use this much elec if they had heating on from 7am - 6pm and all their other elec needs. So hopefully the guy on friday will tell me what;s going on.