How much gas and electricity are peoplenow using compared with last year? And the cost?

RobM99

Deleted_User said:

RobM99 said:

Why not propane indoors?

Most appliances designed for propane are outdoor appliances and tend to have marginally incomplete combustion - so increased CO production is quite a risk.

Excellent point, Sparko! The calorific value is about the same  too. The boiling point is about -2°C for butane so it could liquidise in an outdoor cylinder. Propane is about -28°C from memory.

GunJack

Interesting thread....

Over 1 Oct 21 to 13 Dec 21 averaged 720 kWh/month gas, this year 1 Oct 22 to 14 Dec 22 averaged 520kWh gas.... not specifically trying to reduce, just feels like it's been milder for longer this year so less need for the heating on.

Even with a cold couple of months to come, annual Apr 21-Mar 22 is looking like it'll come in at 7,800 kWh gas for heating, hot water and hob cooking. 4-bed 3-storey house built 2007, so pretty well insulated as per building regs at the time of build. 

[Deleted User]

ian1246 said:

We re currently averaging 80 Kwh a day in gas since December the 05th. Before that we averaged about 35 Kwh November 05th to December 04th. That's compared to an average of 75 Kwh a day in November last year and 101 Kwh of gas this time last year - so it is a reasonable reduction in use.

August 2021-August 2022 was 18,000 Kwh of gas use. So far August to December 2022 we've used around 2000Kwh of gas less vs. The same period last year - so I m expecting/hoping we ll use maybe 14,000 of gas August 2022-August 2023.

We have a 140 square metre detached house with room in roof bedrooms/dormer windows. From what I can tell the flat parts of the dormer windows aren't insulated, nor are the angled parts of the ceiling. The house itself predates 1880 (the oldest map I can find in enough detail to show the houses of my neighbourhood).

So, overall we re not doing too bad. In spring I m planning on gutting one of the attic rooms - ripping the plaster out and insulating the walls & roof myself with Kingspan & insulated plasterboard, then instead of skimming it, lining it with a thermal liner wallpaper and then painting it - hoping it will save on getting a plasterer in whilst further boosting insulation.

If it works, then roll it out to the rest of the house....

So the price difference between last year and this? Gas increased about 400%!

[Deleted User]

RobM99 said:

Deleted_User said:

RobM99 said:

Why not propane indoors?

Most appliances designed for propane are outdoor appliances and tend to have marginally incomplete combustion - so increased CO production is quite a risk.

Excellent point, Sparko! The calorific value is about the same  too. The boiling point is about -2°C for butane so it could liquidise in an outdoor cylinder. Propane is about -28°C from memory.

Zero CO from my Calor gas portable fire - as should be! Got a Kidde CO alarm. Came home yesterday midnight freezing in the house, put that on in living room. Great! 

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] said:

RobM99 said:

Deleted_User said:

RobM99 said:

Why not propane indoors?

Most appliances designed for propane are outdoor appliances and tend to have marginally incomplete combustion - so increased CO production is quite a risk.

Excellent point, Sparko! The calorific value is about the same  too. The boiling point is about -2°C for butane so it could liquidise in an outdoor cylinder. Propane is about -28°C from memory.

Zero CO from my Calor gas portable fire - as should be! Got a Kidde CO alarm. Came home yesterday midnight freezing in the house, put that on in living room. Great! 

Yes, as it should be - but saying "Calor gas" doesn't actually say whether it is propane or butane, they sell both.  Looking at the image earlier, those are normally butane burners.

[Deleted User]

In this cold my boiler is running for at least an hour to get the temperature up to just 17 degrees! that's first thing in the morning. And I've put the thermostat in the main double room from the hall where it used to sit. Seems I need about 70 kWh a day just to keep warm in the double room. Would be cheaper in one room presumably but I work in one room. There is a curtain across which obviously helps. Work from home  - pay more!! But no more pay... £7 a day discounted £9.75 real price. £228 a month and not inc electricity so about £280 a month discounted price. Last year was about £120 winter prices.but £80 over the whole year. So £30 a week poorer and that's just heating...I'm heating Shell's bank account.
Should be cheaper if out at work all day.

We need a certain level of heat according ones preference and comfort level and accommodation to avoid ill health, moldy house and just general well being. Some people are happy in what I feel as cold. 

[Deleted User]

[Deleted User] said:

[Deleted User] said:

RobM99 said:

Deleted_User said:

RobM99 said:

Why not propane indoors?

Most appliances designed for propane are outdoor appliances and tend to have marginally incomplete combustion - so increased CO production is quite a risk.

Excellent point, Sparko! The calorific value is about the same  too. The boiling point is about -2°C for butane so it could liquidise in an outdoor cylinder. Propane is about -28°C from memory.

Zero CO from my Calor gas portable fire - as should be! Got a Kidde CO alarm. Came home yesterday midnight freezing in the house, put that on in living room. Great! 

Yes, as it should be - but saying "Calor gas" doesn't actually say whether it is propane or butane, they sell both.  Looking at the image earlier, those are normally butane burners.

Yes Butane. 

markin

Spoonie_Turtle said:

Just found out that our neighbours kept their thermostat to 14℃ until about a week ago (ASHP like us), reluctantly put it up because they couldn't stand it any longer, have used their whole electricity budget for the month and still aren't warm   we're not close so I don't know whether they'd be open to discussing settings or other potential areas of savings, but it certainly hit home the reality for people this year.
(I'll be taking a heated throw round tomorrow, won't solve the problem but some actual heat surely won't go amiss.)

If you can take a heated throw round i think you can offer to look over the setting and make sure they know how to use it.

....

A modern house with cavity wall insulation and air-create blocks on the internal skin and internal walls will be far less mass, But you still have all the plaster, wood, floor screed for underfloor heating, And furniture.

With an old house that has been cavity filled after, I think you can then discount the external skin so just 6-7 Ton to heat up.

moneysaver

My boiler was actually on for 12hrs yesterday, used 90kwh. Live in a 2 bed lower cottage flat in central Scotland. My wife really feels the cold so my heating needs to stay on most of the day.

Moneysaver

GunJack

GunJack said:

Interesting thread....

Over 1 Oct 21 to 13 Dec 21 averaged 720 kWh/month gas, this year 1 Oct 22 to 14 Dec 22 averaged 520kWh gas.... not specifically trying to reduce, just feels like it's been milder for longer this year so less need for the heating on.

Even with a cold couple of months to come, annual Apr 21-Mar 22 is looking like it'll come in at 7,800 kWh gas for heating, hot water and hob cooking. 4-bed 3-storey house built 2007, so pretty well insulated as per building regs at the time of build. 

forgot to add.... cost this year is almost 3 times same period last year despite the lower use, what with the rates being almost 4 times last year