Please help spot the high energy usage source

Moskovite

tim_p said:

Has been beat me to it about the immersions. It sounds like the OP is all electric, but everything is peak rate (and a very high tariff too @ 19p / kWh. No wonder the bill is so high. If there are no NSH and everything is peak rate then all you can do is find the cheapest tariff you possibly can and start to turn stuff off or down while looking to move to somewhere with gas (assumes it’s a rental property)

It's my own property (the one I bought). What's NSH? I guess night saving hours? What tariff should I be looking at potentially? Just with a lower pence vs kWh rate? Or something more sophisticated? 

Robin9

NSH = Night Storage Heaters.
Your bills are made up of two elements  - units (kWh) and standing charges . As you are a (very) high user  it's the unit cost which is most significant but  the comparison sites do the number crunching for you.  The initial challenge is to try and guess what your annual consumption will be. My first stab would be 12,000 kWh.

Swop suppliers  this morning !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You MUST get access to your meter -  you need to check that the serial number is the same as on the bill - it's not unknown for flats records to be wrong !!!!!!!!!!!!

Moskovite

EPC: energy rating B. Score 82. Walls (very good, average thermal transmittance 0.19 W/m2K). Windows (very good, high performance glazing). Main heating (room heaters, electric) - very poor. Main heating control (programmer and appliance thermostat) - good. Hot water (electric immersion, standard tariff) - very poor. Lighting (low energy in all fixed outlets) - very good. Air tightness (air permeability 2.9 m3/h.m2 - very good. Estimated yearly energy cost for this property is £459. Estimated energy used to heat this property 543.0 kWh per year for space heating and 1585 kWh per year for water heating.

Sounds like I used my annual quota already! 🙈

tim_p

£459 / year? Really??  

Tariff - just look for the cheapest price per kWh while keeping an eye out for potentially stupid standing charges.

theoretica

I think you want to look at the heater programmer and letting things cool down overnight. 

matelodave

First thing to do is get a cheaper tariff - 19p/kwh is outrageous - getting down to between 13-15p should be possible and that will knock you bills down by nearly 25%.
Make sure you can get access to your meter and, even though it may be sending data to the supplier, you need to be able to physically check it as well as your bills at least once a month. If you don't know what you are using and when you are using it you cant control it. How much detail can you get from your on-line account

If you don't have night storage heaters and you aren't on an E7 tariff then every single kwh that you use will be costing you a lot of money, so learn how to turn stuff of when you aren't using it - ideally at the wall. Don't leave stuff on standby


Your hot water tank really only needs to be on for a couple of hours a day, ideally before you get up so you've got hot water for your ablutions. Don't waste hot water, don't leave the tap running, put a plug into the sink or use a bowl. rinse stuff in cold water (including your hands) rather than hot. Only wash up once a day, you cant generate all that much.
You could try reducing the temperature of your hot water (you do that by TURNING OFF THE SUPPLY, then remove the cover on the immersion heater and turn the little screw back a bit and then REPLACE THE COVER before turning on the mains)

Use the room heaters intelligently, only heat the rooms that you are in at the times you need them heated - if they've got timers and stats then programme them to suit - you don't need the bedroom hot all day if you aren't in there. Half an hour before you get up and half an hour before you go to bed should be sufficient.

Make sure that all your lights are LED especially if you've got downlighters in the kitchen or bathroom. Lastly only use the washing machine, dryer or dishwasher if you've got one with full loads - get some more clothes or bedding so you don't have to use the machines more often than necessary.

jbuchanangb

Just supporting what @matelodave said. He posted his while I was writing mine:

Absolutely get access to read your meter. Verify that the meter you think is yours is really yours, but turning off everything in the property, and making sure that the meter has stopped, i.e. no red flashing light.

Turn off the towel rails. Turn off the panel heaters in rooms you are not using. 

Download and read the instructions for the heaters from https://www.heatstore.co.uk/intelirad_smart_radiator

You should be able to program them to match your occupancy pattern, i.e. to warm up the rooms you are using only at the time you want to use them, and let them cool down when you are not using including at night.

Others have commented about the use of the controls on the immersion heater. You don't need hot water all the time. Leave both sections OFF except when you plan to have a bath nor shower, then switch on for a couple of hours to heat the water. Switch it off before you run the bath or take the shower.

Oh, and if you haven't done so already, change supplier.

Gerry1

Is it absolutely impossible to get gas, e.g. is it a village with no gas for miles around, or is it merely a block where a cheapskate developer didn't bother to install gas or had a cosy arrangement not to do so?  It would be well worth installing wet radiator GCH: much lower bills, it will increase the value of your property and it will sell more easily and quickly (especially after 2025 when new builds can't have GCH).  Otherwise go for Night Storage Heaters and an Economy 7 tariff.

In the meantime switch immediately to the cheapest single rate tariff you can find.  Start comparing with Citizens Advice and 'Which? Switch'.

Your developer has done you no favours.  You need to pester them to get your IHD.

Tallerdave

Moskovite said:

I've got Heatstore HSDI1000 Dynamic Intelirad Electric Oil Filled Radiator 1000w. It says this radiator is intelligent enough to only use the energy required. 

I think that means it has a thermostat - as does virtually every electric heater!

Moskovite

Gerry1 said:

Is it absolutely impossible to get gas, e.g. is it a village with no gas for miles around, or is it merely a block where a cheapskate developer didn't bother to install gas or had a cosy arrangement not to do so?

>> It's a block of flats in Letchworth, Hertfordshire. They didn't bother to install gas. 

Otherwise go for Night Storage Heaters and an Economy 7 tariff.

>> Go how? 

In the meantime switch immediately to the cheapest single rate tariff you can find.

>> The cheapest I'm given on the Uswitch site is 15.3p per kWh

Thanks for your response, see my comments in line.