Huge Electricity Usage (Rented Property) x/post Energy

20RA14

Hi,

I've been renting a small two-bed (200 y/o) cottage now for around 4 months. During this four months we have used (according to the meter) around 4000 kWh (@ £0.16/kWh = £640), which would equate to around 1000kWh (£1600) per year.

Being a working couple, we are only really at home at evenings and weekends. We have the (new & efficient) oil filled radiators on for around fours hours a day, the immersion heater in the loft on around three hours a day and do a couple of washes with the washing machine/dryer per week. With only the the fridge & freezer running all the time but with nothing else running on weekdays/overnight I would think we should very little power. Estimates I've found online for electricity only, two-bed households with poor insulation estimate annual usage of around 4500 kWh.

The energy supplier (EDF) have requested a week's worth of readings before sending an engineer (at possible charge) to test the meter's accuracy. The readings I have taken this last week do show usage similar to our four month usage.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to what I should be doing?
If EDF will charge if they find no fault with the meter what are my options? How should the landlord be involved with this issue?

Thanks

eilidhcatriona

Do you need the immersion on for 3 hours a day? We have electricity only, on a pre-payment meter, and the immersion absolutely gobbles electricity - so we hardly ever use it. The shower is electric and heats its own water (there's probably a term for that...), so the only thing we really use hot water for is washing dishes, and it's cheaper and quicker to boil the kettle for that once a day.

G_M

I agree with the above.

If the usage is accurate, then cut usage.

Buy extra jackets for the water tank. Mine keeps water hot (and warm) for 3 days (if you can habdle a warm shoer on day 3!)

If you can use (or install with LL's permission) electric shower, thn cut out the emmersion completely.

Use kettle for washing up. Then you just heat exactly as much as you need.

No other form of heating? Is there a fireplace? And what is draught-proofing/insulation like?

20RA14

Turning off the immersion heater is certainly something I've thought of. Initially we had it on for a few more hours a day until we realised we didn't need it on so much.

I'm just struggling to understand how we are using so much energy. Comparing our usage (online) to average households we are on course to use about 40% more than a 5 bed, poorly insulated, high usage, detached household.

G_M

20RA14 wrote: »

Comparing our usage (online) to average households we are on course to use about 40% more than a 5 bed, poorly insulated, high usage, detached household.

40% more electricity or 40% more enery? Or 40% more £?

Are you sure you are not comparing with a house that has gas central heating and uses gas to heat the water......

20RA14

The highest estimates for a two-bed poorly insulated electricity-only house seem to be around 6000 kWh per year. According to our meter we have used over 4000 kWh in a little over four months (i.e heading for around 10000 kWh for the year).

SternMusik

20RA14 wrote: »

We have the (new & efficient) oil filled radiators on for around fours hours a day

Just to say that the word "efficient" doesn't really make sense here. All electric radiators have the same efficiency, determined by their input. For example, if you have three electric radiators rated at 2.5kW each and run them for four hours a day then that's 3 x 10 kWh = 30 kWh. At your rate of £0.16 per kWh this makes £4.80 per day for the radiators. (Assuming you have three.)

From the figure of £640 for a little over 4 months I get an average of roughly £4.90 a day, which isn't far off what I just calculated.

Do you have cheaper night-time electricity on your tariff? Are there storage heaters at the property? If so, use the storage heaters (they are a pain, I know, but cheaper to run) and top up with the oil filled radiators as needed.

From living in electricity-only flats for several years I have found that heating in the winter seriously drove my bills up. In the summer my usage was very little. So it should average out over the year.

princeofpounds

You can easily use over 4500kWh in a property that needs electric heating and hot water. It can be insanely greedy.

However, an annual rate of 12000kWh would not be normal.

Given this is winter, I think it's possible that this is your real consumption. The best way to understand it is to switch off everything you can and see if there is any 'vampire' consumption you don't know about.

Then try different large pieces of equipment for a period of time with everything else off (for example, run your heaters as normal and go read a book. run your immersion heater for the normal period and wear a jumper until done).

You will quickly get a picture of what is consuming what.

maninthestreet

For each of the electric oil-filled radiators, what is the rated consumption (in KW) ???

ChumpusRex

princeofpounds wrote: »

You can easily use over 4500kWh in a property that needs electric heating and hot water. It can be insanely greedy.

However, an annual rate of 12000kWh would not be normal.

My experience is that if you have electric space heating and electric water heating, then 12000 kWh is about right for a 2 bed home.

I would expect a modern flat to be in the region of 8000-10000 kWh, with a detached cottage significantly higher.

1000 kWh per month for an all-electric property is pretty low for the Winter period.

Baxter100

Yep as said, direct electric heating is absolutely brutal.

Four 2.5kW heaters running for 4 hours a day is 40 kWh, or 280 kWh a week. With electricity at 16p, this is £42 a week for just the heating! Add in the immersion heater, appliances, lights, chargers etc, and it very easily mounts up.

Might be worth checking with your council to see if they are running any energy efficiency schemes at the moment. Where I live, the council are currently offering up to £3000 off energy efficiency improvements including boiler installs, storage heaters, double glazing etc. Good chance for your Landlord to get some free work done. And of course British Gas will come out and insulate the loft free of charge.