Electricity Bill

20RA15

Hi there,

We moved into a rented semi-detached cottage one year ago. The property is about 200 years old with solid brick walls, 2 small bedrooms and some loft insulation. The property only has electricity. We have been paying the estimated electricity bills (at around £400 for the year) which we knew we lower than the actual amount we were using. I've taken readings for only a few weeks of the year and all in one period.

In January we used around 275 kwh per week. This was the point at which we using all the heaters and must have used the most compared to the rest of the year. If we used this amount every week of the year we would have used 14,000 kwh. Our actual usage from the reading I have taken today is 15,100 kwh (=£2,517.00)!

From every estimate I can find online, for a 2 bedroom house with poor insulation and will people who will be at home the whole time (we are only here evenings and weekends!) we should be using anywhere between:
4900kwh (Which Magazine - High User)
6300kwh to 8800kwh (USwitch) .
We have supposedly used over twice the average electricity only use. This surely cannot be correct, especially since we have been away from the property for over one month over the year (at which times everything was switched off)!

I need to contact the energy supplier and give them a reading so we can clear the account and switch to another (cheaper) supplier.

What should I do?

TLDR: We were expecting (based on average use/ our small use) to pay around £1000 for our electricity bills. Based on a reading today it would be £2500.

Thanks Everyone

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

It's extremely unlikely (but not impossible) there's something wrong with the meter. The supplier can check this for you, but if the meter is not defective you will have to then pay for this.


Do you not have some sort of on/off peak metering set up? If not, single rate electricity heating is about the most expensive set up there is.


Change to the cheapest supplier, but with the amount you're using and the metering set up, it's never going to be as low as £1k.

20RA15

Sadly not, it's been on "Single Rate electricity" for the past year.

I'm just struggling to explain how the usage over the whole year is more than what we used in January extrapolated over the year, especially since we've been away for a month over the summer.

Nada666

Did you check the opening read on your meter and when your account was set up? If you are paying only £400 chances are previous occupant was too and you were set up on an under-estimated starting read. Of course it is possible it was correct but they set you up on a dual fuel usage.

Your Which 4,900 kWh must be a dual fuel figure, not electricity only.

Average use nowadays will be a small terraced insulated home - cottages can easily use one-and-a-half or double the eight or nine thousand kWh typical usage.

The 4,500 kWh Which figure will be for a dual fuel supply, not heating with electricity.

15,000 kWhs should not be costing you £2,500! There is no reason to pay more than 12p - about £1,800. Change tariff now (you will be stuck with your current supplier, though.)

The puzzle is the 257 kWh over winter. That should not extrapolate over the year as it has. Have you readings over summer without heating?

20RA15

Yeah, the opening balance on the reader is correct. Their estimated usage is based on the month or two that the property was empty between tenants.

So double the seven thousand estimate is a reasonable total for the year for a two bed cottage?

The rate we were set up on is £0.1673 per kwh, which I know is way too much. I suppose when you change rates with a supplier they take a current meter reading?

The 257kwh was the average electricity use per week in January. This is the only period I've tracked our use. If you times 257 by 52 weeks you get roughly 14,000 kwh and we have used over 15,000 kwh.
I just can't believe that we have used as much energy as January throughout the whole year, even when we have been away! That's the only thing that makes me question the reading.
Any advice on the best way to talk to the supplier about this/how to question this reading?

footyguy

20RA15 wrote: »

Hi there,

We moved into a rented semi-detached cottage one year ago. The property is about 200 years old with solid brick walls, 2 small bedrooms and some loft insulation. The property only has electricity. We have been paying the estimated electricity bills (at around £400 for the year) which we knew we lower than the actual amount we were using. I've taken readings for only a few weeks of the year and all in one period.

In January we used around 275 kwh per week. This was the point at which we using all the heaters and must have used the most compared to the rest of the year. If we used this amount every week of the year we would have used 14,000 kwh. Our actual usage from the reading I have taken today is 15,100 kwh (=£2,517.00)!

From every estimate I can find online, for a 2 bedroom house with poor insulation and will people who will be at home the whole time (we are only here evenings and weekends!) we should be using anywhere between:
4900kwh (Which Magazine - High User)
6300kwh to 8800kwh (USwitch) .
We have supposedly used over twice the average electricity only use. This surely cannot be correct, especially since we have been away from the property for over one month over the year (at which times everything was switched off)!

I need to contact the energy supplier and give them a reading so we can clear the account and switch to another (cheaper) supplier.

What should I do?

TLDR: We were expecting (based on average use/ our small use) to pay around £1000 for our electricity bills. Based on a reading today it would be £2500.

Thanks Everyone

Presumably you were aware of the situation when you agreed to rent the property and it was either a positive decision to take the property despite the heating issues, or you agreed a rent that took into account the existing, expensive (to run) heating.

If you are now finding it will be too expensive, give notice and leave. (or see if you can negotiate any further rental discount)

lonestar1

Do you have an Immersion heater for hot water ? has it been left on 24 hrs a day? if not time to start checking meter hourly and compare when things like say freezer/fridge are plugged in / unplugged

matelodave

You really need to be reading your meter more often, at least monthly if not weekly. You'll then see what you are using and when. If you don't monitor it you can't control it

As has been pointed out above 3500-4500kwh for electricity would be about average if you were heating by gas. As you are all electric you need to add the 13,000-15,000kwh that a gas boiler would be using so 15-16,000kwh a year wouldn't be out of the question, especially in a poorly insulated dwelling.

Hot water can use a fair amount as well especially if you aren't all that frugal with it and the tank isn't well insulated either. You should have the immersion heater on a timer so it's only on for a couple of hours a day, shorter showers or shallower baths will save a lot as will washing and rinsing stuff (including yourselves) in cold water. Flow restrictors on taps & shower heads will reduce the amount of hot water that you use.

You should also look at how you use the washing machine, dishwasher & dryer - only run them with full loads, they use just as much electricity as when they are half full.

Turn stuff off at the wall when it's not in use including the TV, computers, games machines etc. Try changing lighting for LEDs, especially if you've got halogen downlighters and turn lights off when you don't need them.

Electric heating is the most expensive so use it sparingly and get yourself on a cheaper tariff - you are paying about 6p a unit more than you need to - 6p x 15000kwh = £900 over the odds (that's £100 more than I pay for all my energy in an all electric house)

footyguy

matelodave wrote: »

...As has been pointed out above 3500-4500kwh for electricity would be about average if you were heating by gas. As you are all electric you need to add the 13,000-15,000kwh that a gas boiler would be using so 15-16,000kwh a year wouldn't be out of the question, especially in a poorly insulated dwelling...

That's not really correct.

Electric heating is virtually 100% efficient.

Gas boilers are not 100% efficient, and indeed many (older ones) are only about 60% efficient.

Btw, Ofgems latest figures (medium TDVCs), effective 01 Sept 2015, are 3100kWh of electricity and 12500kWh of gas (was 3200kWh electricity & 13500kWh gas)

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2015/05/tdcvs_2015_decision_1.pdf