EDF say we use 12,000kwh/year, wildy over average?

MWT

I took a look at the actual daily usage from your bill for Dec-Jun, it works out at 31kWh/day.

Now that does cover the coldest times of the year and we also had a pretty cold spring as well this time so that will be a little worse than usual, but it does point the finger at electric heating as a prime candidate.

You've mentioned the underfloor heating and that could well be the majority of the problem, but do you have any other electric heaters you use in winter?

Also take a look at your lighting, do you have a lot of halogen downlighters around the house perhaps?

SuzTheRebel

MWT said:

I took a look at the actual daily usage from your bill for Dec-Jun, it works out at 31kWh/day.

Now that does cover the coldest times of the year and we also had a pretty cold spring as well this time so that will be a little worse than usual, but it does point the finger at electric heating as a prime candidate.

You've mentioned the underfloor heating and that could well be the majority of the problem, but do you have any other electric heaters you use in winter?

You are so kind, thank you ever so much. The underfloor heating is in a large open plan kitchen/diner so we are now fully assuming that is the culprit.  No other electric heaters needed.  Luckily (or not, as my feet freeze on the cold tiles) the underfloor heating in the utility room/loo broke 2 years ago, otherwise this bill would clearly be much bigger! Thanks again, really appreciate it.  

Now to find a good deal to move on to from EDF.

MWT

Do keep an eye on the IHD for at least the next week or so and check the daily kWh to watch for any spikes.

Also please let us know what the total used looks like first thing in the morning to get an idea of your overnight baseload.

Tallerdave

MWT said:

Tallerdave said:

At night, consumption should drop well below 100W. What's yours? 

It can be that low but people shouldn't worry if they are not down to that level.

Ours is typically at least twice that, but we have 2 fridge freezers, 6 wifi mesh hubs, 2 Sky boxes/TV on stand-by and numerous iPhone/iPads recharging.

Nothing there that I'd want to be switched off and 100W is never going to happen here...

Phones etc are lost in the noise, TVs will be under 1W unless they're doing some housekeeping at 3am. Routers/hubs could be 6-8W, although most homes won't have 6! I use as much Powerline as possible as the plugs drop to 0.5W when not being used.

From my past experience there's usually one or two older items that add a surprising amount to the base load - old microwaves and fridge freezers to name two. I once found a treadmill that used 40W in standby and old computer monitors were rubbish too (especially with 2 or 3 in use).

We're using 10-12kW electricity a day, big house, 2 adults (both home workers, even before marshall law) and 1 child.

SuzTheRebel

MWT said:

Also please let us know what the total used looks like first thing in the morning to get an idea of your overnight baseload.

1.48kwh used of just electricity (0 gas) when I came down at 7am.   

MWT

SuzTheRebel said:

MWT said:

Also please let us know what the total used looks like first thing in the morning to get an idea of your overnight baseload.

1.48kwh used of just electricity (0 gas) when I came down at 7am.   

So a base load of around 200W which isn’t bad at all.

matelodave

Many people are very disparaging and dismissive of smart meters but the IHD can be a useful tool in identifying when stuff is consuming your enegy and depending on how its configured can give you quite a bit of historical data. You just need to understand how to use it and not get frightened by what it's telling you.

Mine for instance can give me half hourly consumption for the current day, daily consumptions for the past seven days, weekly for the past four weeks and monthly for the past 13 months.

It can be used to check consumption of various appliances and even just as an aid to ensure that stuff is all turned off before you go out or go to bed.

BTW we used 1.54kwh between midnight and 08:00 this morning (a fridge, freezer, SKy box, router, three security cameras,and various other minor items - plus an hour of 3D printer operation), so yours looks about right

dunstonh

I just want to say that whilst the issue here appears to be the fact you are relying on estimates and not actual readings, we use around 13,000kwh for a 4 bedroom house with 3 people and that is on actual readings and no electric heating.   The problem with using averages is that there will be more people either side of the average than actually hitting the average.

Put a monthly recurring task in your diary (e.g. phone or computer) to read your meter and submit it.   Expect summer to be lighter use than winter (in most cases).

SuzTheRebel

dunstonh said:

I just want to say that whilst the issue here appears to be the fact you are relying on estimates and not actual readings, we use around 13,000kwh for a 4 bedroom house with 3 people and that is on actual readings and no electric heating.   The problem with using averages is that there will be more people either side of the average than actually hitting the average.

Put a monthly recurring task in your diary (e.g. phone or computer) to read your meter and submit it.   Expect summer to be lighter use than winter (in most cases).

Why would it be average though, with a smart meter, which I thought did that exact job for me!

niktheguru

SuzTheRebel said:

dunstonh said:

I just want to say that whilst the issue here appears to be the fact you are relying on estimates and not actual readings, we use around 13,000kwh for a 4 bedroom house with 3 people and that is on actual readings and no electric heating.   The problem with using averages is that there will be more people either side of the average than actually hitting the average.

Put a monthly recurring task in your diary (e.g. phone or computer) to read your meter and submit it.   Expect summer to be lighter use than winter (in most cases).

Why would it be average though, with a smart meter, which I thought did that exact job for me!

Your electricity use is high.
Your smart meter should be giving acurate readings to your supplier to ensure that you are charged accurately for the amount you use. The smart meter has NO EFFECT on your actual usage.

You need to make sure your supplier is using those readings and not using estimates. (its very rare for this to happen, but does occasionally happen). Once you know your smart meters are working correctly you do not need to be submitting readings regularly, but it is good practice once in a while to check that all is in working order by checking your bill is tallying with your meter. (this i personally would do every 3-6 months)

Your high usage like you said was probably due to your underfloor heating. A good way to look at it is by using your in home display and seeing how much energy in kwh you are using when it is on, then turn the heating off and see how much energy you are using then. You'll get a good appreciation of how much energy it uses then.