How to estimate my energy use/bills/cost?

kmb500

Hello, I'm trying to budget for energy bills.

Me & 2 friends are looking for a house to move in together. None of us have lived out from our parents before / had to pay bills. The energy bill calculators I can find online ask for info like electric usage - but we don't know how much we use / will need. As we have no previous bills to judge by.

As I earn only minimum wage I am trying to understand how much I need to budget for, after rent. 

Can anyone offer some advice or point me in useful direction. Thanks.

Robin9

What is the heating ?  If its electric either with a great big tank and a wet system of radiators  or  on peak panel or those filled with magic dust walk away now.

   Age of property, double glazed etc ? Number of rooms

Whose name will be on the bill ? What happens when 3 become 2 or one says going away for a week or boyfirend/girlfriend move in ?

Gerry1

Avoid properties that only have electricity, look for Gas Central Heating.  If that's not possible, at least avoid those with only electric panel heaters rather than modern Night Storage Heaters.  There is nothing more expensive for heating and hot water than daytime electricity. 

Register with the existing energy suppliers and read the meters (including water, if applicable) when you take possession and don't let anyone read the meters for you.  Stay on the default Standard Variable Tariff (capped), don't be forced into accepting an expensive fixed rate deal.

Remember to send monthly meter readings.

Enjoy your new lives !

QrizB

Robin9 asks some good questions but if you want somewhere to start, I'd guess £60 per month, per person for a gas-heated 3-bed house or flat.

If it's heated with electricity, more like £100 per person, per month.

If you're young and hardy, maybe a bit less; old and frail, a bit more.

Gerry1

Avoid any organisations that claim to look after your bills by auto-switching you every year.  Not very active at the moment because there's little choice in the market, but they may return when things get better.  They will do what's best for them, not necessarily the best for you.

Similarly, avoid companies that manage all the bills by setting up direct debits for each of you.  It avoids the problems with one person being responsible for paying the bills and one of the others defaulting or absconding.  However, the rates may well be poor and there may be exit fees.

You may wish to opt for Variable Direct Debit, preferably billed monthly, and have a whip round as each bill is received.  That avoids the problems of fixed DDs allowing credit or debit to build up, so less chance of sudden bill shock after six months, but of course the winter bills will be higher than in summer.

kmb500

Robin9 said:

What is the heating ?  If its electric either with a great big tank and a wet system of radiators  or  on peak panel or those filled with magic dust walk away now.

   Age of property, double glazed etc ? Number of rooms

Whose name will be on the bill ? What happens when 3 become 2 or one says going away for a week or boyfirend/girlfriend move in ?

I know those factors will affect the efficiency of the heating. Is heating the main source of energy cost? Lighting, electricals (dishwasher, washing machine, computers, etc) - do these have significant contribution to energy use?

We haven't decided on a house yet, we've got our first viewing this week (And I don't know based on the advert what it's heated by)

The bills will be split between us. 1 of us will possibly be working from home so I imagine that would make a difference if the house is heated during the day (the other two of us don't work from home).

Gerry1 said:

Avoid properties that only have electricity, look for Gas Central Heating.  If that's not possible, at least avoid those with only electric panel heaters rather than modern Night Storage Heaters.  There is nothing more expensive for heating and hot water than daytime electricity. 

Register with the existing energy suppliers and read the meters (including water, if applicable) when you take possession and don't let anyone read the meters for you.  Stay on the default Standard Variable Tariff (capped), don't be forced into accepting an expensive fixed rate deal.

Remember to send monthly meter readings.

Enjoy your new lives !

QrizB said:

Robin9 asks some good questions but if you want somewhere to start, I'd guess £60 per month, per person for a gas-heated 3-bed house or flat.

If it's heated with electricity, more like £100 per person, per month.

If you're young and hardy, maybe a bit less; old and frail, a bit more.

Thanks. Thats useful to know. I had actually assumed electricity was cheaper than gas.

I'm reasonably aware/savvy with reducing bill costs so I'm sure I'll figure out how to choose the cheapest suppliers; but just as a start I'm struggling to have any idea of what to budget for. 

We're all 25 and are capable of wearing jumpers if we're cold lol.

QrizB, those figures are useful, £60/month is not as much as I thought; are you referring to total electric/gas or just the heating ill?
+ Council Tax is expensive. Other than water and internet (which should both be minimal/cheap?) are there any other bills to think about?

victor2

Once you're in and have registered with the supplier, read your meters, say, weekly and work out your costs. It's not difficult to do - there are plenty of people on here will help you work it out if you need help.

Presumably you'll be sharing the cost equally, so long as nobody has excessively long showers twice a day, or keeps an electric fan heater running constantly in their room, the £60 a month suggestion by QrizB should be more than enough, especially as it's getting warmer now. Unfortunately, you won't get a good idea what the costs are likely to be unless you've had a full year in the property, and your living arrangements haven't changed drastically.

victor2

Gerry1 said:

Avoid properties that only have electricity, look for Gas Central Heating.  If that's not possible, at least avoid those with only electric panel heaters rather than modern Night Storage Heaters.  There is nothing more expensive for heating and hot water than daytime electricity. 

Register with the existing energy suppliers and read the meters (including water, if applicable) when you take possession and don't let anyone read the meters for you.  Stay on the default Standard Variable Tariff (capped), don't be forced into accepting an expensive fixed rate deal.

Remember to send monthly meter readings.

Enjoy your new lives !

The highlighted bit is essential. Do NOT rely on estimated readings by the supplier!

QrizB

kmb500 said:

QrizB, those figures are useful, £60/month is not as much as I thought; are you referring to total electric/gas or just the heating bill?

Total electric and gas.

The national average dual-fuel electricity and gas bill - typical of a small house or large flat - is currently just under £2000 per year, roughly £170 per month. Split three ways that's almost £60 each.

There's more variation with electricity, depending on exactly how you're using it, but a similar all-electric property could easily cost £3500-£4000/yr, £300-£350/month. My £100/person/month is towards the lower end of that range.

Gerry1

If money is tight, consider whether you need to splurge £159 on a TV licence.  It's not needed provided that you never watch or record any TV live as it is broadcast (including the +1 channels) or use the BBC iPlayer, on any device.  You can still have a TV connected to an aerial or dish, e.g. for satellite radio, it's what you use it for that counts.  Online catch up is fine, just make sure that everyone understands and always follows the rules.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/broadband-and-tv/tv-licence/

You'll get hassled by TV Licensing threatening to send the boys round, but note that you don't have to respond to them in any way or declare that you don't need a licence.  Similarly, you don't have to let them in except in the unlikely event that they have a valid search warrant.

Benny2020

I only watch Youtube and haven't had a TV license for 5 years, they don't even write to me anymore.