Empty House

QrizB

moneydadldn said:

Usage wise: 

Elec: 480 kWh / Gas: 2239 KWh — Are these figures high? It seems so to me, there is a fridge on and the heating once a day.

For a year? That's reasonable.

For a month? That's crazy.

Unless it's the immersion heater that's on 24-7.

If the house is empty and unoccupied, turn the hot water off and the heating thermostat down as far as it goes. If you aren't using the fridge, clean it out, defrost it to dryness and leave it with the door propped open. Ditto any freezer. Consider shutting off any electrical circuits you definitely don't need at the fusebox.

... a few plugs on timers ...

What are you controlling with these timers? Can you turn them off too?

BUFF

QrizB said:

If the house is empty and unoccupied, turn the hot water off and the heating thermostat down as far as it goes. 

Bear in mind that the insurance may require the house to be kept at a certain minimum temperature level.

MWT

BUFF said:

QrizB said:

If the house is empty and unoccupied, turn the hot water off and the heating thermostat down as far as it goes. 

Bear in mind that the insurance may require the house to be kept at a certain minimum temperature level.

Pretty much every home insurance policy will require a minimum temperature when the property is left empty so that is a given, but also if it is staying empty for some time there will also be a limit, as little as 30 days in some cases, after which the cover drops.

There are specific vacant home policies available though...

BooJewels

Indeed there are @MWT and I have one in place for a property in the same circumstances as the OP - they're understandably more expensive than standard occupied insurance.  One of the endorsements is that the heating must be left on with the thermostat at 12C - the loft hatch left open etc.  We also had LED bulbs in lamps on timers, a TV emulator and a fridge freezer running. 

The house is now empty as we're due to complete in the next few days and it now feels colder of course and the heating is coming on enough that we're burning through around 75kWh per day of gas (cost at the moment just over 3 quid a day), a few kWh per week of electricity - probably just the central heating pump and burglar alarm now.  I think we're using a bit more gas now that it's empty - less electricity of course as everything has gone.  But it's a large house and there are gaps around a couple of old windows upstairs, so it's not efficient at the moment by any means.  But I'd rather pay it at the moment than have an incident (unlikely, I know) and potentially lose a buyer hours before completion - or a failed insurance claim.

Thrugelmir

BooJewels said:

But it's a large house and there are gaps around a couple of old windows upstairs, so it's not efficient at the moment by any means. 

Draw the curtains.

BooJewels

Thrugelmir said:

BooJewels said:

But it's a large house and there are gaps around a couple of old windows upstairs, so it's not efficient at the moment by any means. 

Draw the curtains.

They are.  They're not really a good substitute for a well fitted double glazed unit.

There was also an old quilt stuffed around the drafty bits too, but the house clearance people were a bit too efficient.  They took all the loo rolls too, which my sister found out the hard way.

EssexHebridean

That immersion heater  will be responsible for a good chunk of use I bet. 

wild666

Does the immersion heater have to be on when there is no one living there? The boiler will heat up the water pumped through the pipes so the immersion heater doesn't need to be on.

moneydadldn

Thanks all, will take onboard the solid tips. 

Turns out Shell are still after 4-5 months of meter readings making a load of estimates up about it. 

Smart meter it is.