Ismy electricity bill really high???

alimac23

Hi,

I've just had an electricity bill for the 3 month period 30 mar - 29 Jun of £182.89.

We are a couple, out at work all day, living in a 2 bed flat. We have TV on from about 6 - 11pm, during this period have only had living room light on for approx 1 hr (at about 10pm when it gets dark). We barely use the other lights and leave nothing on standby.I hardly use my microwave (although this is left on for the clock),don't leabve on a hall light, barely use stereo. Only other electricity uses I can think of are hairdyer (used a couple mins only daily), charging laptop (once a day/every 2 days) and washing machine (used 3-4 times weekly), ironing (an hour or so once a week).

During this period I was also on holiday for a fortnight.

Cooker and central heating are gas.

This is our first bill for this time period as we are new home owners but our winter bills were much much less!

I've phoned and they've told me to take my meter reading every day for 7 days but that basically it was correct and that I'd have to pay.

flowerofthewest

My bill for the last quarter was £88. I live alone in a 3-bed house, have the computer and/or tv on constantly, an electric cooker and never remember to switch plugs etc off. (sorry - not very green or ms at mo)
Have you checked if your bill is estimated or an actual reading? If estimated go and read your meter and submit the reading to your provider. Ask them to use this.
I was stung a couple of years ago as I had merrily been paying by DD and assuming that the power co had been using the readings provided by the meter readers. Turns out they had been estimating my usage for the last EIGHT years and sent me a bill for over £500 when they finally decided to use an actual reading . Apparently the computer systems for power companies are set up with an automatic override. The system estimates what it thinks you should be using and if the meter reading sent by transco is too much over or under that estimate, they will ignore it.
Sorry for rambling post

Stompa

Sounds very high to me. Could it be that your 30th Mar meter reading was (under)estimated, so that your current bill includes payment for some electricity from the previous quarter as well?

Contains_Mild_Peril

Ismy electricity bill really high???
Hi,

I've just had an electricity bill for the 3 month period 30 mar - 29 Jun of £182.89.

Just for electricity? Um, yeah, that's really high. It reminds me of a case on That's Life years ago when someone's unfeasibly high domestic electricity bill turned out to be the result of their being charged for street lighting for the whole street! Though that was no doubt a one-off, it does sound as though some sort of meter fault could be to blame. I assume you've already chekced your house for any power-hungry appliances accidentally left on.

alimac23

The bill before was just an estimate but I gave my reading in May ( right in the middle of this bill period) and although an under estimate, it wasn't that far out.

Thanks for your replys - I'll wait and see what they say when I phone next week with my daily readings!

alimac23

Yip, no appliances on, I'm really careful, trying to be green and moneysaving. The women at the gas just told me I was actually a really lower user normally and that this was more normal!

cannycat

Hiya

If this is your first bill in the house the electricity company will often estimate it based on the previous occupants in my experience - I've been stung on this in the past when I moved into a one bedroom flat that had been occupied by a couple at home most of the time previously!

Other things to think about - your heating isn't ghastly storage heaters by any chance? They EAT electricity, especially the old style ones, as do immersion heaters for hot water. (My sister reckons it's cheaper to just boil a few hundred kettles when I want a bath but I've never tried it out - did see solar showers used as an emergency measure on the news in Gloucestershire and am now curiously looking to see where you can buy them...)

alimac23

Nope, not our first bill, have owned the property for two years but only lived in it for one. It's a new build, new boiler, no storage heaters. I'm mad!

Shawz

Our last quarterly bill was £330:eek::eek::eek:

I am now making sure nothing is left on or on standby and switching provider. It we had been with scottish power the bill would have been £210

saxmund

I pay £22 a month, single person in a 2 bedroom flat, the only reason yours might be higher is you probably use your washing machine more than I do (because there's 2 of you, not because I'm a slob ) and i don't have a dishwasher. I have taken some steps to reduce power use - low energy lightbulbs, try to hang washing on the line or dry on radiators rather than use the tumbledryer, use the washing machine on economy setting for small loads, don't use the main oven when only cooking for one etc - but I suspect you need to think about changing your supplier.

cricks

There are 3 of us in a 3 bed house and our Gas and electric comes to £30 mont, may be £50 in the winter months.
I have a 2 1/2 year old who I bath every night, washing every other day, tumble dryer and the tv/ pc on most of the day.
I'm with Powergen and with no standing charge they are the cheapest for us