Help understanding electricity usage!

Magwitch15

I apologise in advance for the really stupid question.

I live in a tiny 1 bed flat, 1 person, have two Rointe radiators that come on for 5 hours a day, use the washing machine once a week and have 1 shower a day. 

My electricity usage on a weekday is recording at 12kw a day and on a weekend (despite no change in heating) it jumps to about 25kw. I am out of the flat about 12-14 hours on a weekday. 

This seems really high to me but EDF insist that it’s correct. Does it sound right to everyone else? My electricity bill in December was over £200 and I pay 29.15p kWh. If you add it all up it matches, but I checked average electricity use and it said that a 1bed flat should use about 7kw a day and I’m finding EDF utterly unhelpful. 

Any thoughts and TIA! 

Netexporter

Is the weekend timing on the heaters different to weekdays? What sort of lighting do you have? Do you run a computer with a high-end graphics card when at home? Do you do a lot of cooking at the weekend?

Ayr_Rage

Look at your meter and check the serial number is the same as that on your bills.

Have a search for "meter sanity check" and make sure it is YOUR meter that is recording YOUR usage.

dunstonh

 but I checked average electricity use and it said that a 1bed flat should use about 7kw a day 

Forget averages as that will include people that have oil and gas heating.   

Do you have a smart meter?
if so, look at the in-house display and tell us what your idle electricity use is (i.e. when nothing is on or in standby - e.g. what it would be when you are out) - probably looking at under 50w. 
Then look at it again with the heating turned on.

If lighting is halogen spots then they use a lot.   PCs playing games use a lot.
However, it is probably your heating as electric heaters.    Two 770w radiators on for 5 hours would be 7.7kW.  If you have them on for an extra 7 hours a day on Sat & Sun then that would account for a lot of your use.

If you have a smart meter, this will be easy to identify.

I’m finding EDF utterly unhelpful. 

They can't help you.  They supply the electricity that you use and bill you for it.  That is their job.  It isn't to tell you what devices you have are causing your use.  That is for you to understand.

Magwitch15

Thanks all. I’ve already checked the serial number and it matches, my heating is the same on a weekend as it is during the week: two radiators, two hours in the morning and three in the evening set to 16 degrees. The radiators use 700w to start up but then maintain an energy usage if 300w to maintain the temp- I can check this directly on the radiator.

I cook once, sometimes twice a week using An air fryer and hob. I watch tv for a few hours on the weekend but not during the week. The light bulbs are energy saving. I have a standard laptop that I use for work (no graphics card).  I do not have a dishwasher or tumble dryer, I don’t use a hairdryer or electric blanket etc. I would describe my energy use as conservative. 

The smart meter matches electricity use- idle at 33w. Jumps to 10kw for shower and 1.3 for heating on max (I did a test to check the meter).

Everything seems to be recording correctly. The only part I can’t get my head around is everyone I have asked is paying less for electricity than me and they all live in 3/4 bed homes. But thanks for your comments, maybe it’s just how it is! 

Scot_39

Most 3 or 4 bed homes will be using gas - that cost c7p per kWh (not kW) last quarter vs c28p electric and c7.4p vs c29p now.

Ask them not in pounds but kWh energy and you should get a better perspective ?

Just one thought - how is your hot water het.

Could you have an immersion heater in a hw tank kicking in to top up heat more regularly as you run off more hot when in - so dishes, rinsing hands etc during day at weekends - not sure would explain the full 13kWh difference from 12 to 25kWh - as that would be about 1.5-2 small tank fulls - but it all adds up.

I need to run off 2-3 litres to get hot at tap plus say 5-10l to fill bathroom sink or kitchen basin.  Run say lunch dishes under a running hw tap at weekend etc could be even more ?.
That on average costs about 0.6-0.7kWh to heat to 60C - would take a 3kW immersion tank heater just over 10mins to replace - easy to miss.  So even a quick rinse several times could add a kWh or 2 more - not the full amount - but in secondary tank losses and pipework losses (youd heat back say overnight anyway but by keeping tank fully warm all day losses would be higher - even modern well insulated can lose 1.5-2kWh daily at 60-65C - an old bare copper with no jacket far worse).

Right now my heating bills are all over the place with external temperature variations - in last 2 months from 6kWh total with no heating to closer to 35kWh when subzero.  My average over cheapest months last summer c6kWh my average in 2 coldest months last winter 17kWh.  11kWh primarily just on heat.

That's minimimally heating by many normal folks standards to 16-17 in living room / and 14-15 elsewhere in a 2 bed mid terrace- add a degree add 10% as a rule of thumb.

Robin9

@Magwitch15 How long have you been in your flat ?  Have you got an actual annual consumption figure - it's on your bill - or look at your bills and find 2 actual readings about a month apart.?

16 deg are you sure they are actual hunting on a thermostat - sounds very cold to me.

Magwitch15

@Robin9 I moved in Feb 23 and usage is shown as 3153kwh. 

My bills were fine until Sept 23 when my smart meter disconnected. Before Nov 23, my highest daily use was recorded at 10kwh in March but that was when I was using portable electric oil heaters before I had the new Rointes installed. 

 Under meter reading history it says ‘change of supply’ (I didn’t change anything). When the meter reconnected in November, my electricity usage quadrupled (I put my heating on in mid-November). EDF said this isn’t related.

My two radiators are programmed to maintain 16 degrees and I have temperature monitors (for humidity) which verify that’s the maintained temp when the heaters are on. I’m a jumper kind of girl! Although, I’ve just switched the bedroom heater off as I can’t afford £200 a month. If the temp drops again I’ll obviously it back on.

dunstonh

The only part I can’t get my head around is everyone I have asked is paying less for electricity than me and they all live in 3/4 bed homes.

They are probably using gas or oil for heating.   Or, if electric, probably economy 7 storage heaters.
Most won't have electric showers but will use heated water from their tank or combi.

Your method of heating is very expensive.   It's typically the type that landlords put in because it's cheap to install or replace, but the tenant pays a fortune, as the landlord doesn't care about that.

- idle at 33w.

Thats good.  That is a low base point.

 Jumps to 10kw for shower 

That is very very high.  

and 1.3 for heating on max (I did a test to check the meter).

That is in line with expectation for what you have.  Its far more than it could be with the right type of heating.

Netexporter

That is very very high. 

Not for a 10kW shower, it isn't. Depends how long you stay in it, though.

Robin9

Magwitch15 said:

@Robin9 I moved in Feb 23 and usage is shown as 3153kwh. 

My bills were fine until Sept 23 when my smart meter disconnected. Before Nov 23, my highest daily use was recorded at 10kwh in March but that was when I was using portable electric oil heaters before I had the new Rointes installed. 

 Under meter reading history it says ‘change of supply’ (I didn’t change anything). When the meter reconnected in November, my electricity usage quadrupled (I put my heating on in mid-November). EDF said this isn’t related.

My two radiators are programmed to maintain 16 degrees and I have temperature monitors (for humidity) which verify that’s the maintained temp when the heaters are on. I’m a jumper kind of girl! Although, I’ve just switched the bedroom heater off as I can’t afford £200 a month. If the temp drops again I’ll obviously it back on.

You need to look at this over a year rather than a month. 3153 kWh is costing you inc standing charge and VAT about £1200  that's £100  a month. In November you should expect your energy to cost more as you switch the heating on. Over the year £200 a month for 4 winter months and £50 a month for the other 8.