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Does this sound excessive for 1 bed flat economy 7?
Hello everyone,
I have lived in my 1 bedroom flat for over 4 years and I am just getting round to doing a complete renovation. Unfortunately, when the flats were made I believe the developers made them to the most basic level just to meet the building standards - so It definitely needs it!
All the flats (7 flats above a Tesco express) were built with electric supply only. We have a Gledhill Pulsacoil A-class boiler. Ever since moving in, our electric bill has been very pricey in my opinion, especially compared to friends and family. Considering we are 2 full time workers, we only spend evenings and weekends at the property.
It does vary year on year but we average around £105 per month in the winter and £60 in the summer. I have looked at the usage and this is calculated at 5671 KW a year and a combined amount of just over £1000. The flat is about 65 sq meters. From looking at recent usage, only 5% is coming from night time! But this will be due to not having the storage heaters on. but this does imply the boiler is not working correctly.
I have had the storage heaters removed and these are going to be replaced with electric radiators. There were two storage heaters - one in each room. The one in the lounge was definitely not enough to heat the room. I will need to put two in the lounge and one in the bedroom. We now have professionally fitted blinds in the lounge and I will be having some in the bedroom which should hopefully add another layer of insulation.
I am going to speak to Pulsacoil and I will probably have to have an electrician come in. Over the past 4 years, we have had to put the immersion on to get hot water at the times we needed. It is hit or miss if the water is hot in the morning and 70% of the time it isn't. So the immersion is put on. Same with the evenings if we require a shower then and also for washing up. We try to time these things for the same time i.e. both have a shower/bath at the same time and wash up 3-4 times a week at similar times to showering.
My question to any other economy 7 - 1 or 2 bed flat owners - does this seem actually correct? Am I overthinking it?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
P.S. I have just changed energy supplier - I was with first utility (shell now) and now going with Octopus energy. I have chosen to go with a standard tariff due to literally no use at night time.
I have lived in my 1 bedroom flat for over 4 years and I am just getting round to doing a complete renovation. Unfortunately, when the flats were made I believe the developers made them to the most basic level just to meet the building standards - so It definitely needs it!
All the flats (7 flats above a Tesco express) were built with electric supply only. We have a Gledhill Pulsacoil A-class boiler. Ever since moving in, our electric bill has been very pricey in my opinion, especially compared to friends and family. Considering we are 2 full time workers, we only spend evenings and weekends at the property.
It does vary year on year but we average around £105 per month in the winter and £60 in the summer. I have looked at the usage and this is calculated at 5671 KW a year and a combined amount of just over £1000. The flat is about 65 sq meters. From looking at recent usage, only 5% is coming from night time! But this will be due to not having the storage heaters on. but this does imply the boiler is not working correctly.
I have had the storage heaters removed and these are going to be replaced with electric radiators. There were two storage heaters - one in each room. The one in the lounge was definitely not enough to heat the room. I will need to put two in the lounge and one in the bedroom. We now have professionally fitted blinds in the lounge and I will be having some in the bedroom which should hopefully add another layer of insulation.
I am going to speak to Pulsacoil and I will probably have to have an electrician come in. Over the past 4 years, we have had to put the immersion on to get hot water at the times we needed. It is hit or miss if the water is hot in the morning and 70% of the time it isn't. So the immersion is put on. Same with the evenings if we require a shower then and also for washing up. We try to time these things for the same time i.e. both have a shower/bath at the same time and wash up 3-4 times a week at similar times to showering.
My question to any other economy 7 - 1 or 2 bed flat owners - does this seem actually correct? Am I overthinking it?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
P.S. I have just changed energy supplier - I was with first utility (shell now) and now going with Octopus energy. I have chosen to go with a standard tariff due to literally no use at night time.
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Comments
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...................... We have a Gledhill Pulsacoil A-class boiler. .............................. From looking at recent usage, only 5% is coming from night time! But this will be due to not having the storage heaters on. but this does imply the boiler is not working correctly.
I have had the storage heaters removed and these are going to be replaced with electric radiators. ..........................
This sounds like an odd mix - I thought the Pulsacoil fed conventional water filled radiators only heated by on peak electricity. its not surprising that the off peak use is so low.
Put the storage rads back and instal a conventional immersion heater.Never pay on an estimated bill. Always read and understand your bill0 -
No, the pulsacoil does not supply to conventional radiators nor any radiators - they are separate. The boiler is purely to supply hot water. The old storage heaters (that were awful and outdated) used to charge overnight and release the heat throughout the day. These used bricks for insulation and retain the heat throughout the day.
I would never install storage heaters again in my life, they are terrible. I work in the industry and electric radiators are a lot more efficient and can be controlled so much better.
The off peak use should be higher as the boiler should be heating the water tank over night but this does not seem the case. I will be speaking with Gledhill about it anyway.
My question is more aimed at people with an economy 7 flat that can confirm if the amount we pay for electricity seems fair0 -
You might want to think about a change of career as all types of electrical heating are as good as 100% efficientI would never install storage heaters again in my life, they are terrible. I work in the industry and electric radiators are a lot more efficient and can be controlled so much better.
. I'm all pretty sure that storage heaters are the cheapest to run electrical heating out there.
If the storage heater you had before wasn't heating the room sufficiently then it was either too small or broken. If I were you I'd fit some brand new storage heaters and an immersion heater to go alongside them .
To answer your question, I live in a one bed house (end terrace) with not great insulation as it has a flat roof and I use around 8000 units a year but 80% overnight. I have 1 large storage heater in my main living area and a medium one in my bedroom, plus an immersion heater for hot water.0 -
So it's about 8ft x 8ft? A 150W lightbulb is all you need to keep warm !The flat is about 65 sq ft.
That's not good enough if you've extrapolated it or have used estimated readings. You need actual meter readings a year apart. And it's kWh not KW.this is calculated at 5671 KW
You're being massively ripped off. Symbio would charge about £726 depending on your region.a combined amount of just over £1000.0 -
stewie_griffin wrote: »You might want to think about a change of career as all types of electrical heating are as good as 100% efficient. I'm all pretty sure that storage heaters are the cheapest to run electrical heating out there.
If the storage heater you had before wasn't heating the room sufficiently then it was either too small or broken. If I were you I'd fit some brand new storage heaters and an immersion heater to go alongside them .
To answer your question, I live in a one bed house (end terrace) with not great insulation as it has a flat roof and I use around 8000 units a year but 80% overnight. I have 1 large storage heater in my main living area and a medium one in my bedroom, plus an immersion heater for hot water.
Of course, they all are when it comes to electric. But do storage heaters provide instant control? nope. With modern electric heaters, most of them have an LED interface or better yet, a controller. This means I can set precise timers and control all of them at the luxury of my throne! So I do truly believe they are much easier and efficient to run. Also the cost of them are hugely different. I get cost price on the radiators I am wanting due to working in the industry
At this current moment, It is not worth changing the boiler as it this isn't going to be a long-term property. Also, the costs are mounting up. I would rather work with what I have and try to bring the costs down.0 -
So it's about 8ft x 8ft? A 150W lightbulb is all you need to keep warm !
That's not good enough if you've extrapolated it or have used estimated readings. You need actual meter readings a year apart. And it's kWh not KW.
You're being massively ripped off. Symbio would charge about £726 depending on your region.
Whoops my bad! I meant meters lol!
That is the exact figure from August 2018 to August 2019. I have not estimated this at all.
I think most energy suppliers will have decent rates in comparison. With First utility it was about 19p day rate and 10p night rate. I have moved to Octopus energy and it is just a standard 14p per kWh which in my eyes will be just as beneficial and will most likely provide more savings for me.0 -
You're wasting about £68 in just the kWh charges alone. Add on the Octopus standing charge of £74.35 or whatever and you're wasting around £142 per year.I have moved to Octopus energy and it is just a standard 14p per kWh which in my eyes will be just as beneficial and will most likely provide more savings for me.
Should have gone to Specsavers !0 -
You're wasting about £68 in just the kWh charges alone. Add on the Octopus standing charge of £74.35 or whatever and you're wasting around £142 per year.
Should have gone to Specsavers !
I don't quite get where you are coming from? I probably average over the year about 10% night usage with current the plan and heaters. this would cause more cost due to the higher cost of day rate. The standing charge is chargeable everywhere right?0 -
From looking at recent usage, only 5% is coming from night time!I have chosen to go with a standard tariff due to literally no use at night time.
So is it 5%, 0% or 10% at night?? :huh:I don't quite get where you are coming from? I probably average over the year about 10% night usage
You haven't said which Octopus tariff you are on, nor which region, so it's hard to compare accurately, but for 5671kWh in the Seeboard area Citizens Advice quotes £959.20 with Super Green Octopus and £749.20 with Symbio Monthly DD Fixed August 2019 V2 (both fixed tariffs).
Why did you select Octopus when they're far from being the cheapest?0
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