How much do you pay for electricity?

IvanOpinion

gibbyni wrote: »

My biggest surprise was my oven approx 29p per hour to run, i usualy turn it on a good 20 min before i put anything into it even though it only takes about 10 to heat up so that will all add up. Havnt tried the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher yet. also my hologen bulbs cost a lot to run, I never usualy leave them on anyway but cost more than I thought they would.

As a general rule of thumb anything with a heating element in it will cost a lot to run e.g. cookers, ovens, electric fires, kettles, washing machines, tumbledryers etc. The other big waster is older appliances on standby such as tVs, videos etc.

another big wasters in modern living is the computer. Most people have vastly over powered machines (for their needs) .. particularly those fancy graphic cards, multiple disk drives etc. Many people leave their computers on 24/7 which, even on standby, can be drawing as much as 80-100W (depending on age) .. that is the equivalent of 20p or so per day.

if you are buying an item that will run 24/7 (e.g. fridge, freezer, alarm clock etc.) then look for those that use the lowest ratings.

ivan

dmxdave

declanh wrote: »

dmxdave,
I dont think this is a reliable method for a lot of devices. It may work for things that have VERY constant output but it does not work at all (even closely) for those which are variable.
For example, my pc which has a 480w power supply actually uses about 115watts (ive measured this with a maplin appliance energy meter (see here http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=38343&doy=5m1&C=SO&U=strat15)

similarly my 280w sony av amp draws about 99 watts.

I would imagine this calculation would perhaps work much better for things like electric kettles.

Good point Dec, at least it will give a "free" guestimate on the high side.

You need to crank up your AV amp to see if you can get it up to the 280 mark

IvanOpinion

dmxdave wrote: »

You need to crank up your AV amp to see if you can get it up to the 280 mark

I was going to say the same .. obviously has no idea how to use an amplifier properly

ivan

Milko

Had to check with the boss (wife) to see how much our bill usually is & it turns out we pay £42 per month DD which has us slightly in credit ...

3 Bed Semi, 2 adults & 1 Child ... lots of gadgets & all appliances left on Standby (DMXDave will undoubtedly inform you all of my carbon footprint )
Desktop on 24/7 (Monitor off), 2 laptops on the go everynight, big screen on 8-10hrs everyday, washing machine & dishwasher always on the go (no tumble dryer) & pheonix gas heating

In my favour, I've alot of LED lightbulbs & Low energy lamps also.

red_bertie

Holy cow! I can't possibly post the amount, now I've seen all of yours -a timely kick for me at this time of the year to review what's making our bill and monthly DD so :eek: high.

RB

AceCobra

DD is £26 a month for a 4 bed semi.
We have a credit balance though so I think the actual usage is around £30.

We both work full time 9-5 though.

Martin.

harvey1964

Milko wrote: »

Had to check with the boss (wife) to see how much our bill usually is & it turns out we pay £42 per month DD which has us slightly in credit ...

Milko wrote: »

3 Bed Semi, 2 adults & 1 Child ... lots of gadgets & all appliances left on Standby (DMXDave will undoubtedly inform you all of my carbon footprint )

Desktop on 24/7 (Monitor off), 2 laptops on the go everynight, big screen on 8-10hrs everyday, washing machine & dishwasher always on the go (no tumble dryer) & pheonix gas heating

In my favour, I've alot of LED lightbulbs & Low energy lamps also.

I dont know why mine is so high as i posted earlier on on this thread. Bit like yourself loads on standby main computer on most of the day and two laptops going several hours when the kids come home from school. Dishwasher on every other day as is washing machine ( only put on when i have a full load to wash ) dont have a tumble dryer. Oil heating. Main tv on most of the day from around 4 pm to after 11 each day. Son on playstaion a few hours a night.....

I wopuld switch off tvs at night and videos but wouldnt you have to reset the time etc again ?
cant see my original post but my monthly electric is £74 by direct debit

nickcardwell

harvey1964 wrote: »

cant see my original post but my monthly electric is £74 by direct debit

When was the last time NIE checked your meter? It could be estimated bill?

tara747

I am considering a 1200W electric heater which also gives off a light and rotates (woo), would it be expensive to run?

Thanks for any advice.

marksimpson

tara747 wrote: »

I am considering a 1200W electric heater which also gives off a light and rotates (woo), would it be expensive to run?

Thanks for any advice.

It's an easy sum.

1200W = 1.2 Kilowatts.

A Kilowatt hour (Kw/H) on NIE's current domestic tarriff is 11.2p and this is subject to VAT at 5%.

It will therefore cost about 13p an hour to run.

If you run it for an average of 5 hours a day that's a little over £60 a quarter.