Gas consumption - 20,000kwh/year

Michael_Bear

Hello,

With the uplift of prices coming and some spare time I've just worked out our annual gas usage as 20,000kwh for last 12 months. I've googled "average" and it states 12,000kwh so I'm a bit concerned why we're 65%+ over

Two of us live in a decent sized 3 bed detached house working from home every day. Cook using gas.

Is it that the working from home means the amount will be far higher as when we worked in offices the heating was off during the day so we'd be about average or are we absolutely destroying our wallets and the planet here? I'm aware the saving in transport costs offsets the fuel costs so not complaining about WFH.

The electric consumption is 3,300kwh which is only just above "average (2,900)" and have a lot of appliances/kettle boiling alot ect so that I'm ok with. 

Thanks in advance for any input/guidance and letting me have a rant/panic!

Verdigris

Turn the thermostat down. Every degree lower makes quite a large saving. I've turned mine down to 17 degrees, this winter. I don't feel cold.

savers_united

An average is exactly that, many will be lower than this figure and many will be higher, many factors thrown into the mix. 

WFH will have an impact but I am finding its not that much in terms of Gas, its more the electric use.

Electric is used year round whereas in most cases the heating is off or used alot less for 6+ months of the year.

When it's only myself at home working I don't use the heating for the majority of the day instead opting to just heat the office with an electric oil heater set at 19 degrees, works well consuming 3-5kwh per 8 hour day, so for me less than a £1 a day. 

Robin9

That's what averages are about - you use 20,000;  there will be someone who uses 4,000.  We are on the high side as well at 16,000 kWh  (and even more so with electric)

theoretica

3bed detached is above average house size.  How well insulated is it and how advanced is your heating control?

Astria

Don't heat the whole house if you are just working from home, for example my office is like 20c and I keep the door shut as the rest of the house is at 15c so not exactly cold and certainly enough to make a brew or find something to eat. Overall I've seen my bills creep up by about 10% by WFH.

Sea_Shell

We're retired, so home all day.

We have a 4 bed detached, but new gas (not combi) boiler installed earlier this year.

Cavity walls insulation plus loft.

We used 13000 consistently with our old boiler, but looking more like 12000 with our new one.

We've cut down our hot water to just once a day, first thing.  Most days that's enough for 2 showers, 2 bowls of washing up plus hand washing.

Hall thermostat on 16, keeps lounge at 20.

Heating goes off at 9pm, back on at 7am (we're not night owls!)

Electric is 1700

If that's of any help?

ProDave

Not all houses are built equal.  My 3 bedroom detached uses 1,600kWh of electricity pa to heat it.

Aylesbury_Duck

As above, add insulation if you can, turn the heating down a bit, wear more layers etc.  So many variables but we're a household of three in a four bed detached and used 15,000 kWh of gas last year.  Similar to you in that we were wfh.  We're in Kent, so a relatively mild part of the country.  You may be somewhere colder, of course.

Gerry1

Detached houses use more than semi or terraces.

Decent sized houses use more than average sized houses.

WFH usage is higher than being out all day.

Your usage sounds about right.

MaryNB

I would recommend a couple of heated throws. I got one for WFH and was able to turn the thermostat down a few degrees without being uncomfortable. I turned the radiators off in any room I'm not using and keep internal doors closed. Also layers, and more layers. My colleagues and I have long abandoned webcams so I wear a dressing gown over my clothes while WFM.