Thinking of buying an electric only flat - advise needed

Owain_Moneysaver

Sarah_81 wrote: »

H The other, warm and efficient on costs. ... The apartment in question is 2006 built, double glazed and is ground floor.

That should be reasonably well insulated, but perhaps not to the best modern standards, and you don't benefit from heat rising from a flat below.

For most people storage heaters in the lounge, kitchen and hall together with low power panel heaters in the bedroom (which will be on off-peak rate overnight anyway) and a good storage hot water cylinder, will be the best way of heating an all-electric flat.

On the other hand a ground floor flat might have the potential to have an air source heat pump.

Sarah_81

Hi

Sorry I've just dug out the welcome letter, my day rate is 16p and night rate 6p. Daily charge 18p

The problem is made bigger by the previous electric provider giving incorrect figures as my opening reading, I went to provide a new reading today for the first time since setting the account up and the amounts there are higher than they should be. I contacted EDF (my new provider) and sent pics of the readings. They've made a note of them and I have to email latest readings next week to take an average of night/day usage averages. Not ideal but thats the best they can do thanks to the incompetent Spark. I didn't realise it was a 2 rate meter moving it. The agency just gave the 'total' on the check in sheet so that's all I have to compare my 'total' now. That is the 2 rates added so I have no way of knowing which is which from when I moved in. I am now taking daily readings so I can figure out the proper daily total. So the 24 units I am working with is the average of the total of both rates. It would mainly be day rate, since I can't run most things on the night rate so I would say the bill is looking like £120 a month if 24 unit used.

coffeehound

Hiya. If you want to buy the flat, you will need to cost up the price of having proper storage heaters installed. This won't be as much as a gas central heating system and you don't need the expensive 'Quantum' type heaters. Ordinary storage heaters can be bought for much less.

As RFTB suggests, an instant electric shower also makes sense with Economy 7 tariffs if you can use it at the off-peak rate.

The halogen lights don't make sense anymore -- they use a lot of electricity and don't last long. You'll want to replace them with LED bulbs in time.

In the shorter term, if you are continuing to use the standard panel heaters, it *might* work out cheaper to move to a single tariff electricity deal until/unless you upgrade to storage heating. If you know your day/night rate usage, you can put the numbers into a comparison site.

Richie-from-the-Boro

If owning that flat in that area was the most important to me I would not let the lack of NSH bother me. The biggest non-flash 3.4kW NSH is about £350 delivered from TLC. If you are already E7 wired & tariff you have a good start and could have NSH in within 14 days but get a decent honest spark. If money was an issue NSH is modular you could do the room you live in 1st, there's no need these days for it in kitchens bedroom's and bathroom's anyway.

1+3

Sarah_81

Hi

Thank you, I will ask about moving to the single tariff when I contact my supplier next week with the updated readings. I've checked again and now I've used 12 unit day rate which still seems high even though I've tried to be careful.

The only thing I can really run on the cheap night rate is the immersion heater. I live alone so probably only do 1 or 2 loads of washing a week, I have a daily wash (sometimes bath sometimes shower) I do enjoy a soak in the bath on an evening. I work Monday-Friday and leave the flat at 7.20am. I don't return until 6pm so I'm out most of the week. In this time everything is off apart from the fridge and immersion, which is switched on constantly (it says not to turn off on the panel) but is only heating 3am-6am. I may turn this down to 2 hours to see how this goes. It was set at this time when I moved in and it gives me hot water even at 9pm so I've just left it, but may adjust to see how that goes. It is on the cheap rate though so I'm more concerned about the high day rate I seem to be using. Admittedly it is a weekend but again, the heaters were not turned on until teatime - 6pm ish. The only things I've had on are the tv, fridge, 1 set of lights in the room I'm in (a single low energy lamp) and the cooker for 30 mins earlier. I am sneaking a peak at next doors meter as they are all lined up in the same place, and he is powering through it more than me

Sarah_81

Hi

I have checked this morning and yesterday I used 14 day units and only 3 night units.
I have everything I can running at night - immersion, phone charger.

The heaters are panel heaters so won't turn on/store heat overnight so have to be used in the expensive day time tariff

I know it won't always be winter but I worked out a rough cost and it is so much more expensive than what I thought it would be.

Richie-from-the-Boro

Sarah_81 wrote: »

Hi

I have checked this morning and yesterday I used 14 day units and only 3 night units.
I have everything I can running at night - immersion, phone charger.

The heaters are panel heaters so won't turn on/store heat overnight so have to be used in the expensive day time tariff

I know it won't always be winter but I worked out a rough cost and it is so much more expensive than what I thought it would be.

If you are determined to get that dwelling get an AIP form filled in and agreed, an agreed pre-mortgage and offer the landlord the selling price less 2k for a NS install or 4k for gas. S/he will struggle to get a top offer without a decent heating system, and the AIP is your trump card.

macman

Why on earth has a purpose built apartment, built in 2006, got panel heaters and an immersion heater and E7? It's absurd.
You either need to get the LL to change to NSH's, or change the metering yourself to single rate. All- electric heating (unless on E7) is always very expensive, but running it on E7 peak rate will be even more so.
First thing to do is check if your supplier will switch you to a single rate tariff without a meter change, as that's the nil-cost solution.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

macman wrote: »

Why on earth has a purpose built apartment, built in 2006, got panel heaters and an immersion heater and E7? It's absurd.

aye, seems odd.

Maybe the intention was to install storage heaters and the place is already wired for them, and as Richie said stick one in main room for starters, add others if needed, then wouldn't need to use the panel heaters, as much.

Sarah_81

Hi
Because it's a forced sale I am already the getting apartment at 50% what they paid, plus all the fittings which would be worth about 3k so I'm loathe to ask for more since I do have a good deal already. Admittedly I have been merrily blasting the heating as I didn't realise how much these convector heaters used.

Yesterday I tried to be careful with usage;
Light on only in room I'm in
Kettle boiled once
Oven/Extractor used once
Hoovered the entire apartment
TV on around 6 hours
Laptop on around 6 hours
Heating on 2 panel heaters on low for an hour before bed
Then the usual fridge/router etc on

I used 12 day units and 6 night. I work this out to be about £2.40. I am off work this week so will use a bit more than normal.