Small flat, huge bills!

vincent2017

Hello people, I wonder if I could get some advice on my gas/electricity usage?

I live in a two-bed flat which is the 60sq metre top floor of a converted Victorian house. Over the past 12 months my usage is down as being 4,599 kWh of electricity and 17,622 kWh of gas. That's 50% above the average property yet this is just a two-bed and we don't have guests or partners over.

The last bill was particularly bad - in January we used 593 kWh electricity at 12.73 p kWh, so a bill of £82.08 (£75.49 plus £6.59). And 1486 kWh of gas at 3.04p for a bill of £51.73 (£45.14 + £6.59 standing charge).

I can see this flat is not energy efficient. The windows are single-glazed and don't have thick curtains. The loft was insulated 20+ years ago. There's an old boiler and gas powered central heating. The shower uses water from the boiler. For the heating I've got a Nest thermostat programmed to be on about 4 hours a day at 20 or 21 degrees. The thermostat is in a 5m by 4m room, close to a radiator. I gather it learns from your behaviour and has motion-sensors and may come on at other times. We're mid-terrace and should benefit from heat rising from the flats below, though then losing it through the roof.

It's the electricity bill that seems really high. Trying to think how and why it could be correct. One potential cause is that for a few months there's been no rubber seal on the oven and maybe that made the bill rocket, though it's a decent Smeg oven. (And a new seal arriving any day). Apart from that there's the fridgefreezer, washing machine, hob, kettle, microwave, laptops, phone chargers, hoover, hi-fi, bathroom extractor fan, two lamps, and ceiling lights (which aren't left on if no-one's in the room). I work from home so I'm here a lot.

I am with gNergy on their fixed June 2018v2 tariff. Electricity TCR is 15.96p per kWh, gas is 3.83p per kWh, and both have standing charges of 20.10p per day I notice now that that's a big increase from my first year with them when I was on their Fixed June 2017 tariff, with electricity TCR of 13.48 per kWh and gas TCR of 2.95p per kWh. They have not yet rolled out smart meters in this area.

Is there any chance the bills could be incorrect? I am thinking to change provider, but it's the high usage that's the problem. I wonder if the meter could be faulty, but it's not spinning round or anything. I've just bought a TPLink smart plug so I can measure the usage of individual appliances.

Thank-you for reading, and thanks in advance for any advice!

grumpycrab

vincent2017 wrote: »

I can see this flat is not energy efficient. The windows are single-glazed and don't have thick curtains. The loft was insulated 20+ years ago. ...
It's the electricity bill that seems really high. ... I work from home so I'm here a lot.

Get some double glazing and some proper insulation in the loft.
Have you signed up to https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub ,although costs look in line with energy usage.
Regarding Elec, usage on the high side, - do you have any Elec heaters? Are you sure shower runs from boiler?

Robin9

vincent2017 wrote: »

The last bill was particularly bad - in January we used 593 kWh electricity at 12.73 p kWh, so a bill of £82.08 (£75.49 plus £6.59). And 1486 kWh of gas at 3.04p for a bill of £51.73 (£45.14 + £6.59 standing charge).

Are these bills based on ACTUAL readings ?

CashStrapped

As per robin above....

You need to calculate your actual annual KWH readings to confirm your use.

Write down all the meter readings and the dates they were taken. Specifically readings with a C or an A next to them. Ignore estimated (E) ones.Then look for two readings which are roughly a year apart. The difference between the two will give you an accurate annual figure.

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Some of the issues may come down to living in a period property (solid, non-cavity walls for example). Some of the issues may be down to the age of the heating system. You just have to problem solve and identify where you can make improvements. But, you must consider the upfront cost of those improvements and compare that to the savings they may actually make.

Checking your tariff is an obvious free option, although at a glance your tariff seems pretty good, especially for gas.

----

How old is the boiler? What is the make and model number? This will give you an idea as to what to expect in terms of efficiency.

Is the hot water tank well insulated? Does the hot water tank have a thermostat? Do the radiators have TRV valves? These are cheap improvements that can save a decent amount.

Improving the loft insulation is a very cheap way of making the home more efficient. The payback may only be a few years if not less.

----

The more costly solutions are a different matter. UPVC, while making the home more comfortable, and reducing bills will have a high initial cost. So you are spending a lot of money to save a bit of money. It may take 20 years to make the savings back. So it comes down to cost/comfort.

You also want to consider the appeal of traditional sash windows. Secondary glazing, while less aesthetically appealing internally is a much cheaper option.

---

In terms of your electric use, it comes down to isolating what items you use in the house. Are you using any portable heaters? Electric showers? Anything that uses a heating element for long periods will use a lot of electricity. An oven, is only on for short periods during the day so may only contribute a small amount annually. Do you ever use the immersion?

After that you have to start isolating other devices. Fridges, freezers, TVs. All these smaller items will use a lot less electricity, but if you use them inefficiently can add up.

However, look for a new seal on ebay for your oven model. Every little helps....

vincent2017

Thank you so much for your replies! It's useful to hear that my current tariff isn't so bad. Yes, I've joined this site's energy club.

I'm a long-term tenant here. I have freedom to do what I like, but the owner wouldn't pay for double glazing.

The January bill was based on two estimated readings. But today's reading is 433 kWh higher than the 15th February estimate so the bill may even have been an underestimate.

The new oven seal is arriving any day! The oven is used for under 1 hour a day, and the microwave for no more than 10 minutes. We don't have any hair driers or a television or a desktop computer or monitor or dishwasher or tumbledrier. I got rid of the large oil-powered electric radiator I once had since I recognised that used a lot of power.

The boiler is a Sime Friendly E which I believe was installed in 1999 and gets looked at by the gas-safety guy each year. It's a combi boiler so there's no hot water tank. There's what looks like a cold water tank in the loft, I'm not sure if that is part of this flat's system or just a relic from the house's history.

The radiators do not have TRV valves. Most of the valves have been replaced in the past few years though as they were leaky. There are two radiators in the lounge, one in the bathroom, and one in each bedroom but none in the kitchen.

The shower hose comes out of the bathtaps, so it's definitely not electric.

The loft is poorly insulated, no more than 6cm deep and almost reduced to powder. I gather it's quite easy to insulate a loft yourself, and the Big Six companies sometimes offer free insulation even if you aren't on benefits so they can meet their quotas. That was something I was thinking to look into if I switch providers in June.

The first appliance I'm testing with the TPLink smart plug is the fridgefreezer. It shows it to be using 98w at the moment which isn't abnormal. I really don't know what else could be making the electricity bill so high and I do wonder if it might be a faulty appliance. We use the kettle 10+ times a day but that wouldn't account for a bill tens of pounds higher than it should be. (I would have expected my electricity bill for a 2-bed flat to be say £40 a month).

It sounds like the two best things I could do are put up thick curtains on all the windows, and insulate the loft. I'm still a bit mystified though at the electricity bill which shouldn't be affected by how leaky the flat is. I do wonder if having 'old' electrics and an old meter could make any difference or not - they shouldn't really! I don't have energy-saving lightbulbs either (I can't stand the artificial light) but that shouldn't make make THAT much difference to the bill....

vincent2017

I'm looking back through my old bills, trying to work out whether my usage suddenly jumped, or these big bills are because I was underpaying previously based on underestimated usage. If you can excuse the data dump, here's what my bills look like:

Your last bill ended on 15 Dec 2016. This bill is up to 15 Jan 2017.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
86 9.4p/kWh £8.08
Electricity Standing Charges (31 days @ £0.1305 Per Day ) £4.05
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £12.13

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/01/2017 2,879 (E) 86
Previous 15/12/2016 2,793 (E)
(C) Customer (E) Estimate (A) Actual (S) Supplier


Your last bill ended on 15 Jan 2017. This bill is up to 15 Feb 2017.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
78 9.4p/kWh £7.33
Electricity Standing Charges (31 days @ £0.1305 Per Day ) £4.05
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £11.38

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/02/2017 2,957 (E) 78
Previous 15/01/2017 2,879 (E)


Your last bill ended on 15 Feb 2017. This bill is up to 15 Mar 2017.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
70 9.4p/kWh £6.58
Electricity Standing Charges (28 days @ £0.1305 Per Day ) £3.65
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £10.23

Meter Readings
Register Date Reading kWh
Present 15/03/2017 3,027 (E) 70
Previous 15/02/2017 2,957 (E)


Your last bill ended on 15 Mar 2017. This bill is up to 15 Apr 2017.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
1,139 9.4p/kWh £107.07
Electricity Standing Charges (31 days @ £0.1305 Per Day ) £4.05
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £111.12

Meter Readings
Register Date Reading kWh
Present 15/04/2017 4,166 (E) 22
Previous 05/04/2017 4,144 (C)
Present 05/04/2017 4,144 (C) 1,117
Previous 15/03/2017 3,027 (E)


Your last bill ended on 15 Apr 2017. This bill is up to 15 May 2017.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
193 9.4p/kWh £18.14
Electricity Standing Charges (30 days @ £0.1305 Per Day ) £3.92
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £22.06

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/05/2017 4,359 (E) 193
Previous 15/04/2017 4,166 (E)


Your last bill ended on 15 May 2017. This bill is up to 15 Jun 2017.
kWh Price Cost
113 9.4p/kWh £10.62
93 12.73p/kWh £11.84
Electricity Standing Charges (17 days @ £0.1305 Per Day ) £2.22
Electricity Standing Charges (14 days @ £0.2095 Per Day ) £2.93
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £27.61

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/06/2017 4,565 (E) 93
Previous 01/06/2017 4,472 (E)
Present 01/06/2017 4,472 (E) 113
Previous 15/05/2017 4,359 (E)


Your last bill ended on 15 Jun 2017. This bill is up to 15 Jul 2017.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
201 12.73p/kWh £25.59
Electricity Standing Charges (30 days @ £0.2095 Per Day ) £6.29
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £31.88

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/07/2017 4,766 (E) 201
Previous 15/06/2017 4,565 (E)


Your last bill ended on 15 Jul 2017. This bill is up to 15 Aug 2017.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
72 12.73p/kWh £9.16
Electricity Standing Charges (31 days @ £0.2095 Per Day ) £6.49
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £15.65

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/08/2017 4,838 (E) 139
Previous 24/07/2017 4,699 (C)
Present 24/07/2017 4,699 (C) -67
Previous 15/07/2017 4,766 (E)


Your last bill ended on 15 Aug 2017. This bill is up to 15 Sep 2017.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
174 12.73p/kWh £22.15
Electricity Standing Charges (31 days @ £0.2095 Per Day ) £6.49
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £28.64

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/09/2017 5,012 (E) 153
Previous 22/08/2017 4,859 (A)
Present 22/08/2017 4,859 (A) 21
Previous 15/08/2017 4,838 (E)


Your last bill ended on 15 Sep 2017. This bill is up to 15 Oct 2017.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
191 12.73p/kWh £24.31
Electricity Standing Charges (30 days @ £0.2095 Per Day ) £6.29
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £30.60

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/10/2017 5,203 (E) 191
Previous 15/09/2017 5,012 (E)

[I'm missing November bill]

Your last bill ended on 15 Nov 2017. This bill is up to 15 Dec 2017.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
1,282 12.73p/kWh £163.20
Electricity Standing Charges (30 days @ £0.2095 Per Day ) £6.29
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £169.49

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/12/2017 6,683 (C) 1,282
Previous 15/11/2017 5,401 (E)
(C) Customer (E) Estimate (A) Actual (S) Supplier


Your last bill ended on 15 Dec 2017. This bill is up to 15 Jan 2018.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
593 12.73p/kWh £75.49
Electricity Standing Charges (31 days @ £0.2095 Per Day ) £6.49
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £81.98

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/01/2018 7,276 (E) 593
Previous 15/12/2017 6,683 (C)
(C) Customer (E) Estimate (A) Actual (S) Supplier


Your last bill ended on 15 Jan 2018. This bill is up to 15 Feb 2018.
Cost of Electricity used
kWh Price Cost
593 12.73p/kWh £75.49
Electricity Standing Charges (31 days @ £0.2095 Per Day ) £6.49
Total Charges this Period (excluding VAT) £81.98

Meter Readings
Date Reading kWh
Present 15/02/2018 7,869 (E) 593
Previous 15/01/2018 7,276 (E)

grumpycrab

What' the reading today?

vincent2017

Today it's 8302...

vincent2017

It might be that my electricity bill actually averages about £50 a month, but I'm not giving readings very often so some months I'm undercharged and then I get hit with massive corrections.

I'm paying a fixed direct debit of £82 a month to cover both gas and electricity, but over time this is getting me into the red. Still I hold to the view that averaged out over the course of a year, that should be enough to cover our usage!

grumpycrab

vincent2017 wrote: »

Previous 05/04/2017 4,144 (C)

vincent2017 wrote: »

Today it's 8302...

Which means that your original number of 4,599 kWh/year is about right.

vincent2017

But I'm just banging my head against the wall to work out how it could be so high! I just can't think/accept how our usage is so much more than the average.

One possible culprit was the 3-kilowatt De'Longhi Rapido G011230RTW Oil Filled Radiator which I would sometimes use in my bedroom on cold evenings. I'd guess that was on for anywhere from 100 to 250 hours in total during the year. Now it's gone and I'll put on another jumper instead .