high electric usage

DisneyB

matelodave wrote: »

Are they all based on actual readings - you should be able to work out how much you've used since the new meter was fitted assuming it was zero when it was installed

My suggestion would be to read the meter daily or weekly to gauge how much you are using every day. If you dont measure and record it you wont see where its all going and you can't see what effect turning stuff on and off has. Getting a bill or reading once a quarter doesn't really give you enough information to control your consumption.

A poorly insulated hot water tank and the immersion turned on all the time will use quite a lot of leccy so get some more insulation over the tank and only turn the immersion on for an hour or so a day.

You can turn stuff off or on a nd see how much you can save by being a bit more frugal. Be careful with your use of hot water - every time you run off the cold until hot comes through you'll waste the same amount sitting in the pipes, so use cold water when possible.

Have you got a power shower or high volume shower - spend less time in the shower, fit a flow restrictor or have shallower baths. Only use the dishwasher, dryer, washing machine etc with full loads - they cost the same to run whether they are empty or full.

Every bill is based on actual readings, I never allow them to use estimates and always giving the readings plus the send someone round often to read them too.

Going to keep a very close eye of the usage and what using etc over the next week or so and see when/if it jumps.

There's no shower, just the bath so no extra electric use from that, only have my washing machine on about 3 times per week and don't have dishwasher or dryer

Weewdy

The autumn/winter months are pretty similar (dec to march and sept to dec). Do you use outside lights, anything that you wouldnt use in the lighter months?

DisneyB

Weewdy wrote: »

The autumn/winter months are pretty similar (dec to march and sept to dec). Do you use outside lights, anything that you wouldnt use in the lighter months?

I noticed that when writing them down but there's absolutely nothing, maybe the cooker could be on a little more as cooking more hot meals than cold but that's it, the heating is communal so should have no effect. But all that aside, it's still a lot of usage for a single person in a 1 bedroom flat surely?

TRB

I was just about to say that extra cooking and more use of lighting.

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Helena

Good morning DisneyB and welcome to the forums.

You've had some excellent advice from the posters here already, so thank you very much for that.

I agree with Weewdy the winter figures are similar, although I can see you've more.

It's fab that you provide regular meter reads and keep such a close eye on your consumption.

I think the best thing to do, is to take regular daily meter reads, at the same time of the day if you can and establish if you notice a spike.

Are you also on exactly the same tariff (after the PP meter) Are any of the discounts different?

There are a lot of very helpful energy saving ideas on the website (I'm sorry I'm not allowed to post links) :oand these may help you. For example, could one or two of the appliances be getting older and not be quite so efficient anymore.

I know you've always had accurate bills, but have the previous Direct Debit payments always covered the bills, or has there been a bit of balance? As this may be one of the reasons the payments have jumped a little. To cover your ongoing usage and pay off a balance.

You'll be able to see by looking at the balance on each bill.

I'm here to help you though, as much as I can, so please just ask.

Thank you

Helena

greenbee

Is your hot water tank lagged? It will lose more heat in colder months than warm ones, so if it isn't lagged it is well worth buying a jacket for it.

Is your immersion heater on a timer, switched on and off as needed (in which case have you been forgetting to turn it off) or always on?

If it's always on, does it have a normal plug or is it hardwired? If the former, it's relatively easy to put a timer into the socket and plug it into that. If the latter you'll need your landlord/an electrician (depending on your contract) to put a timer on it for you.

Smodlet

DisneyB wrote: »

Is there anywhere that tells you the rough usage of each appliance?

Yes, just found it. Scroll down for the table. I found it helpful. https://www.cse.org.uk/advice/advice-and-support/how-much-electricity-am-I-using

HTH

P.S. Hi, Helena, happy new year.