Help Please - Massive Elec Bill!

Samm0202

I'd like to start off with an apology - I know very little when it comes to utilities so any help or advice would be hugely appreciated.

We moved into our new house at the end of last year. The house is electricity only (electric boiler) and has normal looking radiators (not the white metre/storage heaters).

The previous occupant was with Scottish Power so they continued to provide our electricity and billed us monthly for 2 months I think at around £42 per month. I did think this was cheap as for gas & elec in our old house (similar size), we were £98 per month.

For transparency - our house is 3 bedroom, detached with an open plan living/dining room. We do not yet have Hive so our heating control system only allows you to set 3 timings for heating (or 24 hours/off). I use all 3 timers and our heating is on 0430-0600, 0700-0830 and 1600-1830. Our thermostat sits at around 28. Other than heating, our regular day to day electricity is two 5 min showers, TV on for around 7 hours total, oven for 30 mins, 3/4 washing machine cycles per week, and the running of appliances (chargers/fridge/kettle/Alexa/lamps). My partner is out of the house from 0600-1800 and I am out of the house from 0800-1800. There is no-one at home during those hours (other than our dogs!).

We have received a quarterly bill now from Dec-March I believe.. The bill is for £1848!!!! It is highly likely that our usage did go up over Winter and, admittedly, we were in the house much more than usual over Christmas/New Year fortnight but we still did not have our heating on 24 hours or anything like that.

Scottish Power seem to think this is correct and is based on metre readings but I just don't understand how the above usage could come to such a massive amount. I don't know what to do!!

I have never dealt with elec only heating before so would ask anyone with experience if this is normal? I just can't understand how anyone could afford £600 per month for electricity We live in Scotland btw (where a 3 bed detached only cost us in the region of £150k - mortgage of around £550 per month so not like we are living outwith our means otherwise!)

Thank you for any help anyone can offer!

Carrot007

An electric boiler is insanity for Scotland! TBH they are insane for the UK! They were made to work in Span etc, where they will not be used as much.


Still I would have expected you to be paying around £300 a month not £600.


First understand that the only thing that makes a difference to you bills is heating (radiators, shower, water, kettle, cooking).


Go back and work out your own costs, only take the ACTUAL reads from the bill (or better your own, i hope you took them at least once a month). The make spreadsheet with your tarrif and work out the costs. People often get confused by bills and periods as they are often wrong for many reasons.

Robin9

You have one of the most expensive forms of heating known to man. You need to learn how to control it.

You say the thermostat is set to 28 - do you live in a sauna ? Is the heating timed in any way ? There's no point in heating the property during the day.

Read your meter now and compare with what is on your bill. Give SP your reading and make sure your read your meter - even every day intil you know where you energy is going.

Samm0202

Yes, I'm trying to learn how to control it but it's difficult so far as I have never experienced it before and don't seem to have anywhere to learn from.

No, I do not live in a sauna. The heating is timed, and I've listed all the timings in my OP. The heating is on for a total of 5 1/2 hours each day. We are out of the property for 10/12 hours a day and do not heat the property during this time.

Like I said, I know very little about utilities and will now try and gain more knowledge so I am better equipped to deal with things. I have our first quarterly bill in front of me which tells me our kWh usage for the last 12 months (but we haven't been there 12 months so this may be for the quarter?) and on the bill it also gives an estimated annual cost (Personal Projection) of £254 which I don't understand if we're using £1800 worth in one quarter.

Robin9

Why 28 for the thermostat - in practise your boiler will be working flat our to try and reach this.

I missed the timings in your OP but why 0430 - 0600 ?

Give us the readings from the bill - include the letters E or A and the unit rates please.

The utilities do see to have a problem with guessing annual consumption. USe your own figures.

Benight

Samm0202 wrote: »

I'd like to start off with an apology - I know very little when it comes to utilities so any help or advice would be hugely appreciated.

We moved into our new house at the end of last year. The house is electricity only (electric boiler) and has normal looking radiators (not the white metre/storage heaters).

The previous occupant was with Scottish Power so they continued to provide our electricity and billed us monthly for 2 months I think at around £42 per month. I did think this was cheap as for gas & elec in our old house (similar size), we were £98 per month.

For transparency - our house is 3 bedroom, detached with an open plan living/dining room. We do not yet have Hive so our heating control system only allows you to set 3 timings for heating (or 24 hours/off). I use all 3 timers and our heating is on 0430-0600, 0700-0830 and 1600-1830. Our thermostat sits at around 28. Other than heating, our regular day to day electricity is two 5 min showers, TV on for around 7 hours total, oven for 30 mins, 3/4 washing machine cycles per week, and the running of appliances (chargers/fridge/kettle/Alexa/lamps). My partner is out of the house from 0600-1800 and I am out of the house from 0800-1800. There is no-one at home during those hours (other than our dogs!).

We have received a quarterly bill now from Dec-March I believe.. The bill is for £1848!!!! It is highly likely that our usage did go up over Winter and, admittedly, we were in the house much more than usual over Christmas/New Year fortnight but we still did not have our heating on 24 hours or anything like that.

Scottish Power seem to think this is correct and is based on metre readings but I just don't understand how the above usage could come to such a massive amount. I don't know what to do!!

I have never dealt with elec only heating before so would ask anyone with experience if this is normal? I just can't understand how anyone could afford £600 per month for electricity We live in Scotland btw (where a 3 bed detached only cost us in the region of £150k - mortgage of around £550 per month so not like we are living outwith our means otherwise!)

Thank you for any help anyone can offer!

You really don't need to know much when it comes to electricity bills.

Start by reading this
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/you-switch-gas-electricity/

then this
https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits/

Once you read and digested what is there, any questions then feel free to fire away!

JohnB47

Samm0202 wrote: »

.

No, I do not live in a sauna. The heating is timed, ....

Yes but you say it is set to 28, presumably 28 degrees C.


Mine is set to around 19.

Samm0202

Thank you for the links @benight - I will definitely read through those links when the shock of having to pay our £1800 settles.

@Robin9 - I don't have any particular reason for 28 other than that's what the living/dining room feels comfortable to sit in after the heating being on 1600-1830. The heating is on 0430-0600 because my partner gets up at 0500 and leaves for work at 0600.

The bill only gives readings from 26 March 2019, all A:
Control 11006
Night 16679
Day 26947

lopsyfa

I also think 28C is very high. We normally set ours to 23C and I think that is high but my partner loves the house warmer than myself. Also, check the boiler temperature - it should also not be too high (set it to the eco reading).

Set the temperature lower and wear warm clothes in the house to offset the lower room temperature. Electric heater are generally more expensive to be hoest.

Samm0202

I will double check the temperature when I'm home. The house is never roasting hot though, just on the warm side.

We totally expected electric heating to be more expensive, just not £500 a month more We were thinking more along the lines of 50% more expensive than our previous home but obviously that was a guesstimate as we don't know anyone with electric only.

We do both wear what I would describe as "warm" clothing in the evenings.. I wear fleecey PJ bottoms, a vest top and a zipper/hoody.. Short of bringing a duvet downstairs I'm not sure what else I can do to stay warm!

Samm0202

I just looked at my usage online..
It says Dec-March (90 days) 3526 units (39.18 units/day)
March-June (26 days) 6295 units (242.12 units/day)