My card meter was fitted and ut's eating my money...

lazy&indebt

I posted a while a go to say that my landlord has decided to fit a card meter in my flat. Small studio apartment with just me living there, he is paying the elec for lights and shower so I am only paying for what's plugged in.

Well it's used nearly £2 in one day!! That can't be right surely? That averages at £60 per month...£180 per quarter!

The only thing I can think is that I have one of those oil filled radiators plugged in and switched on constantly but if I don't, it's like being in a garage.

ANy ideas, what should I do? Are there any more cost effective ways of heating my little flat? My central heating is part of my landlord's and he NEVER switches it on!

floss2

added a bit!Does your heater have a thermostat? Is it an old one or fairly new? Try turning it & everything else off (after putting an extra jumper on) and your meter should stop. Then turn things on one at a time & see what the meter does.

Will he not turn the heating on at all?

BTW who fitted the meter? Has your LL told you what the rate is? I remember from the other post that there are rules about how much he can charge....

Edit: I've just spoken to our Housing Enforcement Team (I work for local council) and they have said that you need to contact your local Housing Enforcement Team in your Council, and ask for an inspection. There are various requirements and their feeling is that you are possibly not having control of your heating (which you should) and that the property isn't insulated sufficiently to meet the requirements. It shouldn't cost you anything to have the inspection.

Hope that helps!

OliveOyl_2

bumpety bump
(this forum is moving SO fast; pleas for help are falling off the bottom!):o

tyllwyd

Why not do an experiment - don't turn the radiator on for a day, and see how much electricity you use (probably best to do this on a reasonably sunny day!)

buxtonrabbitgreen

Although we have central heating, the bathroom which is off the kitchen at the back of the house was always cold/damp so I bought an electric radiator and yes it does cost about £2 for 24 hours use. Needless to say we just have very quick washes now.

trying-very-trying

The radiator is surely bound to tell you what the energy consumption is. It will be marked somewhere in kws. I use an electirc radiator during the day, just now, when the central heating isn't on yet, but I just put it on at the 1kw setting. I also have it thermostatically controlled and keep it quite low. A lot of electric heaters with the thermostat control, have a frost setting, making it ideal for use in something like a cold draughty bathroom, just enough to stop the pipes freezing.

Lemon_Tree

i've yet to turn my heating on as i've got storage heaters unfortunately i'm bloomin freezing, it certainly sounds like something is wrong at your end though. My first winter here in a one bed flat was my worst 240 for the quarter and i froze every single day. But since then it's only improved, i've got energy saving everything have nothing on standby and am obsessed by turning things on over night during the cheap leccy rather than during the day when ever i can.
I even turned the hot water off during summer cos everything i need will heat itself from cold.

CLAPTON

you need to find out

a. the power of the heater i.e. 500w or 1kw etc
and
b. the price you are paying per KWH

so e.g. if you are paying 10p per KWH

the 24 hours of a 1kw heater costing 10p per kwh
will be
24x 1x10p = 240p =
so that £2.40 per day.

not may people keep a heater on all day and night because its very expensive

floss2

One of the things mentioned to me today was that your heating should be adequate to give you a living-room temperature of 18 deg C when it is -2 deg C outside.

You are also supposed to be able to control your heating yourself, not be reliant on anyone else, and the property should be insulated too.

Hope that's helpful to someone.

Lemon_Tree

wish that was true if you own your own home floss

floss2

sorry, think it only HAS to be like that if you rent.

I guess you are on Economy 7 or whatever they call it now?