Just trying to get my head around electicity usage

CurlySue2017

We live in a 2 bed flat (purpose built) which has no gas supply so is fully electric and we have a prepay meter on E7. Trying to cut back where we can at the moment as money is tight so I'm just trying to get a rough idea of whether our spend seems "average" or not, I understand there are a lot of variables here so there is no correct answer, just trying to get into the ball park before making any changes. 

At the moment it feels as though we are constantly topping up the meter and using a heck of a lot, but of course it is very cold just now so I have gone over the bills and over a year, the average spend on electric is £108/month.  Does this sound somewhere near normal for a fully electric home?  Or does this seem excessive?

Tallerdave

Without appearing flippant, that depends on price. How many kWh are you using on day and night rates? What are your standing charges and unit rates? Getting off prepay will probably offer the greatest savings. 

CurlySue2017

I understand that prepay is the most expensive but we rent, so I don't want to start making changes to meters etc if it isn't going to make much of a difference overall if that makes sense, hence my asking just based on pure averages of what other people pay per month for their bills.  They are all filed away now so off I go again to dig them back out!

niktheguru

CurlySue2017 said:

I understand that prepay is the most expensive but we rent, so I don't want to start making changes to meters etc if it isn't going to make much of a difference overall if that makes sense, hence my asking just based on pure averages of what other people pay per month for their bills.  They are all filed away now so off I go again to dig them back out!

As has been said before, the best way of saving money is to come off prepay. Its difficult to give you "averages" as we dont know how much you use your heating, how long you take showers, whether you boil your kettle multiple times etc etc. The most important thing is to see what your unit rate and standing charge is. That way you can then do a price comparison to see how much youd save given your actual usage to see how much money you'd potentially save.

theoretica

There are 'typical' figures - the last lot are for electricity only homes.  But I find them of limited use.

https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/gas/retail-market/monitoring-data-and-statistics/typical-domestic-consumption-values

Robin9

£90 or so for a winter month is about par for the course. Might well drop to £25 in a summer month.

(There will be some users who will say they use much less - depends on how well insulated the flat is and how warm /cold you like to be)

Gerry1

Being all electric will always be very expensive, having a prepayment meter will be cripplingly expensive, and being on E7 will bankrupt you if you don't have storage heaters.

Make sure the immersion heater(s) are only switched on overnight, and don't use an instantaneous shower.

Did you register and get card a card / key in your own name? If not, you're probably paying off someone else's debt.

CurlySue2017

Thanks all, that does help and it seems we are "above average" use but I don't know how.  The key was newly issued to us yes and bills are in my name so we are not paying off any debt.  Looking at the bills again, I've got this from the 12 month summary:

Day - 4143kwh / Night - 2160kwh.  That usage is over a 12 month period and is based on meter readings, not estimates.

The standing charge says 26.82p and the rates are Day - 20.07 / Night - 8.711 (I assume that's pence per unit??)

The immersion is only on overnight and there is no heating on at all during the day - wfh at the moment and it is freezing!!!  I wrap my legs up in blankets when sat at my desk   we run one heater overnight just to get at least some heat in, but because they are panel heaters and not storage ones, they go cold as soon as they are switched off.  The shower is not electric but the cooker is being used  lot at the moment for hot meals. 

RobM99

       Anything that generates heat for a long-ish time will use a high amount. (Cooker, tumble drier, any heating). A kettle isn't on for long - unless you run a tea service to the public 
        One thought - would a steamer (picture below) cut bills? You only need one ring for spuds, veg and fish (for example). I use mine a lot.
Cold at home? A good friend is a hot water bottle - or a lazy cat! Hot drinks during the day? Thermos flask!
Hope this helps.

Gerry1

Unfortunately it couldn't get any worse.

• All electric

• No storage heaters

• E7 tariff, not single rate

• Pre-payment meter

• Expensive tariff

That adds up to a QUINTUPLE Whammy !  If you've taken those rates from the bill you have to add VAT.  They become Standing Charge 28.161p/day, Day 21.0735p/kWh,  Night - 9.14655p/kWh.

You're paying £1173.43 per year.  In my area that usage would cost £909.80 - £937.24 on the cheapest single rate credit tariffs, so you could probably save up to £260 by switching.  You'd also have heating during the day rather than wasting it overnight.

The harsh reality is that you need to move to a property with GCH.  In the meantime, switch to a credit meter (with your landlord's permission) on a competitive tariff.  Start comparing with Citizens Advice and 'Which? Switch' and ignore all projections and savings claims, just compare annual costs.

CurlySue2017

RobM99 said:

       Anything that generates heat for a long-ish time will use a high amount. (Cooker, tumble drier, any heating). A kettle isn't on for long - unless you run a tea service to the public 
        One thought - would a steamer (picture below) cut bills? You only need one ring for spuds, veg and fish (for example). I use mine a lot.
Cold at home? A good friend is a hot water bottle - or a lazy cat! Hot drinks during the day? Thermos flask!
Hope this helps.

Good ideas there, thank you