Electric only flats

snowqueen555

Hi, FTB here, I can only afford 1 bed flats and they seem to be electric only. I am quite worried because the bills will be through the roof. Is it worth holding out and paying extra for central heating in a flat (they are very rare), most posts say electric only is terribly expensive and also poorly heated.

MattMattMattUK

snowqueen555 said:

Hi, FTB here, I can only afford 1 bed flats and they seem to be electric only. I am quite worried because the bills will be through the roof. Is it worth holding out and paying extra for central heating in a flat (they are very rare), most posts say electric only is terribly expensive and also poorly heated.

It really depends on the flat. Heating using electricity is more expensive per kWh, but you do save on not having a second standing charge and not needing boiler services. A hug part will depend on how well the flat is insulated, how much hot water you use and your consumption patterns. 

I live in an electric only flat, over winters I barely need the heating on, only 22 days last winter and only for a couple of hours each day, so that cost was fairly minimal. Water heating costs are higher but I do not get through a huge amount, I shower every day, sometimes twice ( probably an average of nine times a week. 

Pre all the price rises I paid around £65 pm, now it is closer to £150, but with gas I would probably be paying around £130, so not a significant increase.

Electric only is fine provided you know the situation, budget accordingly and enjoy having your own place. 

Robin9

MattMattMattUK said:

Pre all the price rises I paid around £65 pm, now it is closer to £150, but with gas I would probably be paying around £130, so not a significant increase.

@MattMa@MattMattMattUK   To clarify please -  is this just gas ? or is there an electric on top of say £50 ?

markin

Pay close attention to the EPC rating, And the estimated energy use, But any flat build past the year 2000 should be insulated ok. And ask for the actual yearly usage.

QrizB

Robin9 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

Pre all the price rises I paid around £65 pm, now it is closer to £150, but with gas I would probably be paying around £130, so not a significant increase.

@MattMattMattUK   To clarify please -  is this just gas ? or is there an electric on top of say £50 ?

I read that as Matt^3 having electricity-only, and paying £150pm. If he had gas and electricity he thinks the total bill for both fuels would be £130pm.

Robin9

@QrizB Thankyou

Mstty

More worrying @MattMattMattUK £150 a month for a flat?

That's crazy do you really use circa 5700kWh with only 22 days where you only use a few hours of actual heating.

Struggling to get my head round that one👍

MattMattMattUK

Mstty said:

More worrying @MattMattMattUK £150 a month for a flat?

That's crazy do you really use circa 5700kWh with only 22 days where you only use a few hours of actual heating.

Struggling to get my head round that one👍

4,600kWh annually, but I am factoring in the next twelve months of rates. Pre my fix ending at the end of May I was paying £65 pcm and was in credit to around £300. Yep, although not a small flat, around 115 sq. meters so as big as many 2-3 bed houses. 

There is some slightly unusual in there in that I have a very high end PC, video game playing, video game designing (UE4/5) and video editing. Not always at full blast but it has a 1,000 watt PSU and at full whack I have had it drawing 600-700 watts and can easily sit at 400-500 watts for hours if I am doing something intensive, for 6+ hours a day for 3-4 days a week. 

MattMattMattUK

Robin9 said:

MattMattMattUK said:

Pre all the price rises I paid around £65 pm, now it is closer to £150, but with gas I would probably be paying around £130, so not a significant increase.

@MattMa@MattMattMattUK   To clarify please -  is this just gas ? or is there an electric on top of say £50 ?

Electricity only, no gas in the building.