Elec & Gas annual costs feedback

savers_united

Hi All

Just having a play about on some of the comparison sites and unfortunately it seems no matter how careful you are with your usage there seems to be a realistic minimum level of annual cost for Gas & Elec within the home.

For example I live a rather large 4 bed semi, mid 60s built with high levels of insulation and low energy lighting but really struggle with 2 kids to keep our annual Gas usage under 10,000Kwh and Elec under 3500Kwh.

I have had one year where I have got Gas to around 7500Kwh and Elec 2700Kwh but it was not a pleasant experience and everyone in the household was moaning at me, but I just wanted to see what I could get if we really tried, contrast this year I have taken my eye off the ball and everyone is happy again Gas 12500Kwh and Elec 4200Kwh.

However the point I was coming to is for all that effort we saved approximately £300 in that best year compared to this year (using same tariff and current unit cost).

So lets forget about future pricing, to run a largish 50 year old home with a family of 4 I think getting the figures quoted above are pretty impressive but not rewarded that well when you look at the £300 saving, I for one have been convinced by the rest of the household that £300 a year extra is money well spent and everyone remains happy.

So regardless of property the savings per head it seems there is a minimum price that we all pay, electric for example is almost comparable across all property types but based mainly on occupants and Gas for heating even if you are a super low user of for example 4000Kwh per annum your still hit with higher initial charges or standing charges just like the rest of us to cover pipework etc etc, so just to finish up i suppose any home owner today living with the usual electrical appliances regardless of property type and number of occupants would struggle to keep their annual energy bill to below £420 (£35 PM) when you factor in these costs.

wakeupalarm

Yes, what you say is true. I thought I had done well reducing my electricity usage by 200 units only to discover the savings were just over £20, which were then wiped out by the use of an electric heater during the cold winter. The unit cost of energy is comparatively low compared to other countries but the fixed costs and everyday usage which you can't really reduce such as using the Fridge Freezer and heating the home during winter are high.

DragonQ

Yeah cutting down can be tricky. The best way is to add insulation to your home, or simply live in a newer property with more efficient appliances.

I have no idea how I'd reduce electricity usage, beyond buying more efficient electronics (which would more than outweigh the saving in electricity costs). I already turn stuff off when I don't use it and minimise the use of the washing machine (full, low temperature loads) and tumble drier (emergencies only).

The easiest way for me to save money is simply have the heating on less and wear heavier clothing during winter. Works great unless you have guests or an other half complaining...

savers_united

That's exactly the point, newer homes are more efficient but its only half the story as electric costs are more or less comparable across all property types, so you could have a ultra efficient well insulated home and maybe save yourself £400 on your annual gas bill by using 5000Kwh as opposed to an older property using 20000Kwh, over 10 years you have saved yourself £4000 in Gas charges, but like you say unless you have all new appliances inc new tvs and make sacrifices and have all low energy lighting and tell the kids they cannot use their games consoles or listen to music or have the tv on in their room you are not going to drive down your electric bill by much, so nearly all of us no matter how we live our lives are facing energy bills of at least £35 pm just because even on low usage the initial charges per unit are higher or we pay a standing charge which levels out the more energy that is used, so using 5000Kwh does not mean your bills are half that of a 10000Kwh user, more like 40% less.

Back to properties, when you look at the potential savings then moving home or making improvements purely for efficiency reasons is not viable and the payback could take years if at all.