Is our usage crazy?!

sarahdh

Just uploaded our latest meter readings, and our monthly direct debit for duel fuel has gone from £204 to £276 per month! We are with Scottish Power on a standard tariff and there have been no changes to our tariff that would explain any changes in price (we have been on standard duel fuel for ages, I know, I know). Our direct debit increased from £144 to £204 in October 2021, and now to £276.

It is saying from 5th Jan to 28th Feb we have used £764.05 in electricity, that surely can't be right? No kwh details for this yet, as it says 'PDF pending'.

Our last quarterly bill used estimated readings, so I have checked the one before that which used actual readings, and our actual usage for the 12 months to 23rd September 2021 was:

gas = 11942 kwh
electricity = 6844 kwh

Are either of these figure crazy? I'm not sure what the average is.

In case it helps:

- small three bed semi 
- four people in the house, two adults, two teenagers
- we have gas central heating
- cooker and hob are electric
- one fridge freezer
- no tumble drier or dishwasher

- no underfloor heating or electric radiators

- both myself and my husband work from home, he has a laptop and two monitors, I use a laptop only

- sons both have a tv and games console in their bedrooms
- we have a tropical fish tank that we have had for many years

Nothing has changed in how we use our energy in the past two years, no new appliances, no changes to routine, no new working from home etc., so I have no idea what is causing these massive jumps in direct debit amount. Any ideas?! Is £276 per month just normal now??

MWT

sarahdh said:

It is saying from 5th Jan to 28th Feb we have used £764.05 in electricity, that surely can't be right? No kwh details for this yet, as it says 'PDF pending'.

Our last quarterly bill used estimated readings...

So that means your current bill may also include use from an underestimate on the previous bill...

It is going to be hard to comment more until you have the new bill. but I would certainly get into the habit of providing them with monthly meter readings and and keeping a note of them for your own records.

In general, your monthly DD keeps going up because the prices are going up, but if your annual estimate is accurate then around £260 a month seems about right, at least until October when the price may go up again...

Your electricity use is high though given your gas is obviously providing your heating...

I would look at that for some savings...

EssexHebridean

Allowing you have two teenagers and a high electricity bill - do you by any chance have an electric shower? 

Ant555

>gas = 11942 kwh
>electricity = 6844 kwh

Gas looks about right to me but electricity is quite high.

Is your shower electric or off the boiler?

I have readings going back 10+ years and can see a pattern - both kids away at University = annual electricity usage dips massively - One year it was a third lower although I am wondering if that was a blip.  I think usage higher due to my kids charging stuff, hair dryers/straighteners, kettle for many cups of tea and lots of showers (see below).  Im not suggesting you ditch your children of course   but I think lots of little things may add up x 4 people

Changed electric shower to one off boiler last year and although I dont have a full years usage, the monthly comparisons are that my 7.5kW shower was a massive consumer - we used to joke about how long they spent in the shower but whilst prices were manageable back then, I didnt really do anything more than joke about it.

PS - I dont have a smart meter but I have recently bought an electricity monitor off Amazon and I am monitoring pretty much everything at the moment - -  Turned off my wifi printer for instance - the convenience of having it always available is just not economical when you work out the £'s for the amount of time it takes to walk to it and switch on.  I never turned off my work from home monitor even though there is a button right there on the front, but now I can convert the orange light into £'s, it gets switched off.

hope this helps you try to work out usage.

sarahdh

MWT said:

sarahdh said:

It is saying from 5th Jan to 28th Feb we have used £764.05 in electricity, that surely can't be right? No kwh details for this yet, as it says 'PDF pending'.

Our last quarterly bill used estimated readings...

So that means your current bill may also include use from an underestimate on the previous bill...

It is going to be hard to comment more until you have the new bill. but I would certainly get into the habit of providing them with monthly meter readings and and keeping a note of them for your own records.

In general, your monthly DD keeps going up because the prices are going up, but if your annual estimate is accurate then around £260 a month seems about right, at least until October when the price may go up again...

Your electricity use is high though given your gas is obviously providing your heating...

I would look at that for some savings...

The annual figures for the 12 months to 23rd September 2021 are actual usage for that year, not estimated, so they should be accurate. 

Just had an email and it says the new direct debit will be £289 per month! Online account says £276. I think this will go up in April again surely, when the price cap is lifted, not just October?

sarahdh

EssexHebridean said:

Allowing you have two teenagers and a high electricity bill - do you by any chance have an electric shower? 

No, all hot water is from the gas combo boiler. They don't shower as much as I'd like to be honest 

Phlik

You're gas usage looks about normal but your electric use is double ours with the same appliances and also two game addicted sons.

The high use electrical items to look out for are oven/hob, dish washer, washing machine, tumble dryer, kettle, electric shower.
You've already ruled out electric heaters and under floor heating and I've no experience in keeping tropical fish so can't comment there.

You don't have one of these mythical teenagers that needs to take 3-4 showers a day or stands day dreaming in it for his on end do you? I fixed our day dreamer by knocking the breaker off after 20 minutes.

Finally you are aware that gas and electric prices have doubled over the last six months too?

sarahdh

Ant555 said:

>gas = 11942 kwh
>electricity = 6844 kwh

Gas looks about right to me but electricity is quite high.

Is your shower electric or off the boiler?

I have readings going back 10+ years and can see a pattern - both kids away at University = annual electricity usage dips massively - One year it was a third lower although I am wondering if that was a blip.  I think usage higher due to my kids charging stuff, hair dryers/straighteners, kettle for many cups of tea and lots of showers (see below).  Im not suggesting you ditch your children of course   but I think lots of little things may add up x 4 people

Changed electric shower to one off boiler last year and although I dont have a full years usage, the monthly comparisons are that my 7.5kW shower was a massive consumer - we used to joke about how long they spent in the shower but whilst prices were manageable back then, I didnt really do anything more than joke about it.

PS - I dont have a smart meter but I have recently bought an electricity monitor off Amazon and I am monitoring pretty much everything at the moment - -  Turned off my wifi printer for instance - the convenience of having it always available is just not economical when you work out the £'s for the amount of time it takes to walk to it and switch on.  I never turned off my work from home monitor even though there is a button right there on the front, but now I can convert the orange light into £'s, it gets switched off.

hope this helps you try to work out usage.

If anything I was expecting it to be a bit lower, as during lockdown my sons were obviously here all day, and now they are back at school/college and are out and about with friends a lot. 

Shower is via gas combo boiler. My sons definitely charge up phones etc., but no hairdryers/straighteners (even I barely use mine, once a fortnight maybe), and the only one who drinks hot drinks is my husband.

Can I ask what energy monitor you have and how it works? I'm going to be like the energy police going forward!!

sarahdh

Phlik said:

You're gas usage looks about normal but your electric use is double ours with the same appliances and also two game addicted sons.

The high use electrical items to look out for are oven/hob, dish washer, washing machine, tumble dryer, kettle, electric shower.
You've already ruled out electric heaters and under floor heating and I've no experience in keeping tropical fish so can't comment there.

You don't have one of these mythical teenagers that needs to take 3-4 showers a day or stands day dreaming in it for his on end do you? I fixed our day dreamer by knocking the breaker off after 20 minutes.

Finally you are aware that gas and electric prices have doubled over the last six months too?

Yes I definitely think it's the electricity that's high.

Oven/hob we use no more than anyone else I would imagine (probably less looking at our recent takeaway consumption ). Shower is via gas combo boiler, and we have no tumble drier or dish washer.

Only thing I can think could be contributing is the little heater my husband has in his office (in our shed/summerhouse - it's nicer than it sounds!). Surely that wouldn't account for doubling our consumption though would it? He can freeze if that's the case 

Sea_Shell

What is the rating of that "little heater" and how many hours per day does he have it on?

It is thermostatically controlled (oil filled radiator) or just "on" all the time, like an electric fan heater?

Ant555

Can I ask what energy monitor you have and how it works? I'm going to be like the energy police going forward!!

I have the role of CEO in my house right now (chief energy officer)

As I dont have a smart meter I bought this from Amazon - I am told its not as accurate as some however it does seem to work perfectly fine.  It was £39 for ages, I procrastinated and it has recently jumped to £44 which is what I paid.  You place a little clamp round the electricity cable from your meter and the display then shows all the usage.  The display doesnt have any sort of download to PC etc but its quite cheap and I am finding it extremely useful.  If you have a utility bill and it shows what your electricity rate is and what your standing charge is then you input that during the setup and it can estimate in £'s what you have spent today, yesterday, last week, month etc.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JIMQP6Y/

Note that you electricity usage is definitely high if you do not have an electric shower or electric heating. - this monitor will almost certainly lead you to switch stuff off or at the very least be aware of whats costing you big £'s

Do your kids cook their own food and therefore the oven is on a lot at different times?

PS - as already suggested take regular readings and record them yourself - monthly at an absolute minimum.

hope this helps