Gas and electricity Costs for a Studio Flat

Goldblend_2

Hi Everyone, Happy Easter Sunday

Sorry for the how long is a piece of string type question....

My current home - 1 bed flat's electricity costs are £50 a month :eek: even on DD with SE - I am frugal with utilities to say the least in my current flat.

I am consdiering moving to a studio with EPC of B - I wondered if anyone could give me an idea of Gas & electric costs if they too are in a Studio flat?

I might add that my current flat has No Isulation in walls - flat roof etc and no heat from any other properties as stands alone above an empty shop. it's current EPC rating is F/G - as in None.

I only have 2 electric heaters - which i barely put on - My home temp is usually 11 oC

I have a big old bath - & huge full size water tank

I'll be taking the following to the studio if i go there...

Mini aa rated washing machine
Compact tumble dryer
Microwave
Mini fridge
Electric blanket
2 x lamps
There will be 4 x light bulbs in studio home (energy saving ones)

I would use all of the above in a normal fashion like anyone else.

Can anyone estimate Gas & electric costs for a studio? or let me know what they pay as this will help me with the decision to move to a smaller place.

Do you think it is unrealistic to be able to halve my current bill in a studio flat? - as this is what i am aiming for.
it has two GCH raidiators which sadly due to teh cold weather of late i am excited about - sad i know.
Thanks in advance if anyone can help ..

Here's to being warm :beer: xxx

Thanks in advance to anyone who reply's :T

Fire_Fox

Loads of threads on this topic if you run an advanced search, otherwise ask the current occupant. You won't get that much lower than £50 a month unless you change your habits still further when you move, tho you should be able to be warmer for the same money tho. You will have two lots of standing charge if you take on a studio with both gas and electric, no standing charge tariffs are largely vanishing hitting low users.

Consider switching from a tumble dryer to an electric dehumidifier: costs less to dry laundry, damp air feels cooler than dry, means you won't have to open the windows as often. A studio is at particular risk of condensation because you are breathing, cooking and washing in a tiny space. Another good way to save money when you move is to just turn the shower on when you wet and rinse, but off whilst you soap up. I use leave in conditioner to save more water/ energy.

tiger_eyes

I pay £36 a month in dual fuel bills for my small studio flat and I have the heating on whenever I like.

Goldblend_2

:jWow thanks Tiger eyes.. i am always so cold so any glimmer of hope is appreciated :T

Thank you :A

HappyMJ

tiger_eyes wrote: »

I pay £36 a month in dual fuel bills for my small studio flat and I have the heating on whenever I like.

Do you mind telling us your usage in kWh? Which supplier? Which region?

Personally I don't think £36 is enough for a dual fuel bill at current standard rates which almost all tariffs now include standing charges.

In my area Low users are considered to use 11,000kWh of gas and 2,100kWh of electricity which would produce a bill of £848 a year or £70 a month with Npower, East Midlands.

If I were to say half that usage...£25 on gas and £11 on electricity I would get almost impossibly low usage of 5,000kWh of gas and 1,000kWh of electricity which includes direct debit discounts.

Standing charges alone are £18 a month.

MillicentBystander

tiger_eyes wrote: »

I pay £36 a month in dual fuel bills for my small studio flat and I have the heating on whenever I like.

I would fear a rather large catch up bill, personally. :eek:

Goldblend_2

Supplier can be with who I wish current supplier is southern electric, I am in southwest and currently use 400kwh-500kwh per month I think. Well sorry if I would stupid this is how many units it goes up by each month. LL charges me £50 for this.




Thanks for your time everyone appreciate it. :j

HappyMJ

Goldblend wrote: »

Supplier can be with who I wish current supplier is southern electric, I am in southwest and currently use 400kwh-500kwh per month


Thanks for your time everyone appreciate it. :j

Are you able to tell the difference between your summer usage and winter usage? I'd guess that you would put the heating on much more than you do now so I don't think that £70 is too far out. Having a flat at 11 degrees is not very good for your own health...unless you spend a lot of time in bed under a duvet with an electric blanket on. You should have it a little higher in the lounge....maybe 18 degrees.

Southern electric comes back as £75 a month for low gas and low electric usage in the south west region.

It's an estimate really as you are already quite frugal with your usage but to be able to halve your current bill from £50 a month to £25 a month will not be possible as you have to take into account extra standing charges with gas which increases the bill to more than what an electric only property with night storage heating would have been. This is only valid for very small properties such as studio's and 1 bed flats. Larger houses benefit much more with gas.

Goldblend_2

:kisses3::kisses::kisses3:

Ok thanks for the needed that reality check ..i will write £70 into the budget and see where that gets me :-) thank you as always MJ xx

Fire_Fox

HappyMJ wrote: »

Having a flat at 11 degrees is not very good for your own health...unless you spend a lot of time in bed under a duvet with an electric blanket on. You should have it a little higher in the lounge....maybe 18 degrees.

It's not necessarily bad for the health, depends on the person and the property. Humans have been living without central heating for millennia. If the place is damp or mouldy, the person is old/ very young or otherwise vulnerable (eg. immune problems, type 2 diabetes), you feel chilled regularly/ need to wear hats or gloves indoors then it's clearly not advisable.

I have had one common cold in years - six or eight? - which I actually caught when staying with relatives (central heating and too much :beer:) over Christmas. I have not caught norovirus or any of the other nasty winter bugs that have done the rounds in recent years, all my close friends and family have had at least one. And I work with the public, not in a sterile environment!

18C would cripple me financially, it would have some eating really badly or even evicted, neither of which are good for health. :eek: I eat much healthier than the average Brit, and have really noticed the different in my immune function (used to get a cold every winter without fail, like most people). So whilst I am aware of the general population recommendations I don't think they need to be applied to all.

tiger_eyes

HappyMJ wrote: »

Do you mind telling us your usage in kWh? Which supplier? Which region?

Personally I don't think £36 is enough for a dual fuel bill at current standard rates which almost all tariffs now include standing charges.

In my area Low users are considered to use 11,000kWh of gas and 2,100kWh of electricity which would produce a bill of £848 a year or £70 a month with Npower, East Midlands.

If I were to say half that usage...£25 on gas and £11 on electricity I would get almost impossibly low usage of 5,000kWh of gas and 1,000kWh of electricity which includes direct debit discounts.

Standing charges alone are £18 a month.

Not at all - it's thoughtful of you to ask. This is my first attempt at running my own household and paying my own fuel bills, so it's certainly possible that I've messed something up.

I live in the South West and my provider is British Gas. Since moving in at the start of August, I've used a total of 2157 kWh gas and 642 kWh electricity (actual, not estimated) up until the 15th March. The gas usage has worked out around £145 in total and the electricity at £115, which with a duel fual discount and some other tinkering that I don't entirely understand gave me a total bill for the period until 15th March of £252.

I realise this is unusually low, but I don't think it's a mistake? I read the meters on request (and I matched the meter serial numbers) and it was British Gas who suggested lowering my direct debit to £36 and repaying to me the credit balance I was building up. Is it possible there's some mistake on their end? Happy to be educated.