Can anyone help me understand if these gas/electric costs are 'normal'? (Ecotricity)

QrizB

Spies said:

QrizB said:

So there are two separate issues here, your tariff and your consumption

Tariff. You are aware that Ecotricity are a green energy supplier and expt from the cap. The prices you are paying are pretty much the open market cost of gas and electricity. Many of us would be paying those prices if the cap wasn't in place. If you can persuade another supplier to let you switch to them, you can cut your tariff to around 4p/kWh for gas and 21p/kWh for electricity.

Consumption. You're using 8kWh/day for electricity, which seems quite normal. Your gas use of 70kWh/day however seems fairly high. All the usual advice applies; can you turn your thermostat down at all, or take fewer baths/showers, for example?

I use around 70kwh a day, 18c from 9am until 1pm, then 16c until 6pm, then 20c until 10pm.

Is that for a 3-bed terrace, like the OP?

We're 2 adults and 2 teens in a 3-bed semi and in November we used 270kWh of electricity (9kWh/day, on average) and 960kWh of gas (32kWh/day, on average). 18C for 1 hr in the morning and 5 hrs at night, floating otherwise.

bendrissa

Many thanks, all - these are just the kind of details I was hoping for. 

Ecotricity state this on their bill - 'We only have one electricity tariff, everyone pays our latest best price.' 

The boiler is very old (and held together with gaffer tape...) and there are no thermostat displays, but I've adjusted the central heating to a low setting. Difficult to tell, because the dial is broken and requires a screwdriver wedged in to adjust! We're aware of how badly insulated the house is - wooden sash windows, single glazing and an old attic conversion for a bedroom, which just about manages 16 degrees when the heating is on for several hours. 

I will attempt to switch to a cheaper provider - it sounds like we're paying close to double the available rates. The snag is that we'll move in September and would need to carry the contract with us, or face an early exit fee (I assume). We'll also switch the heating off for periods of the day and get the extra jumpers on. 

QrizB

bendrissa said:

I will attempt to switch to a cheaper provider - it sounds like we're paying close to double the available rates. The snag is that we'll move in September and would need to carry the contract with us, or face an early exit fee (I assume). We'll also switch the heating off for periods of the day and get the extra jumpers on. 

Try to get onto the default capped variable tariff. You mighrt not succeed but it's cheaper than any current generally-available fixed rate. If you can't get onto the default capped variable, there are tariffs available (eg. with Octopus) that are higher than the cap but still less than you're currently paying, and with no exit fees.