Rate and Compare energy my bill with yours

matt_drummer

cannugec5 said:

‘’Boiler is the original’
Does that mean it’s 18 years old? Or just dates to when you moved into the property? 

One might presume the boiler is gas. But is it? Is it serviced annually to verify its continued efficiency?

Do you really need the house at 19 degrees overnight? That’s pretty warm. The water is on for an hour a day - heated by the (gas?)  boiler or electric immersion heater? 

Is the shower fed by the hot water heated by the boiler or is it an electric shower that heats its own water? 

This is all irrelevant.

The OP has no idea what they have actually spent.

They think they have spent £270, their DD payments, the bill is for over £500 and it is based on estimated readings.

They are not complaining and asking for ways to reduce, just asking if the `£270 odd' is reasonable.

These topics always take the same course, assuming unhappiness and looking for ways to reduce.

The OP doesn't even know what they have actually spent yet!

Archerychick

Bachelorplace said:

Enclosed latest energy bill for your kind attention and advice.

I live alone in a 4 bedroom end terrace. Most of the day I am out with the heating off. 

The home is a 18 year old new build and is 1200 sq foot. 

• I have a 65 inch tv - cinema amp -which gets used 4/5 hours a day. 
• and an audio studio with pro audio processors which get used 20 mins 3 times a week. 
• 2 fridges. 1 outdoor freezer. 
• Boiler is the original. 
• I have my house toasty when I am in during the winter, so mostly 22 degrees for around 8 hours a day possibly 19 overnight. I feel the cold, house can be a bit draughty upstairs on the top floor, three story. 
• Shower twice a day - water on once for an hour.

I always have paranoia that energy companies just charge what they think they can get away with or they fib, but I doubt that. This is £270 odd for nearly 3 months, seems ok?

Would appreciate any advice on this being about right. Is there not a tool, or special professional service you can have done that gets to the bottom of all this? I send them readings no idea why they say its estimated. 

We really need to see the actual usage, but it looks like the first place to start is to get a bill that’s not estimated. Take meter readings and compare that to the reading that’s on the bill - are they out? This needs to be checked first and then you’ll have some accurate usage data for us to look at. 

MikeJXE

I would say it’s reasonable 

I live alone in a 1 bed flat and pay £600 per year dual fuel 

My question why live alone  in a 4 bed house ?

Bachelorplace

Great ok thanks - I have dyscalculia I need some assistance - I contacted them and told them that I sent them the readings - these bills are hard to read I I will update and ask again for your assistance. 

Thanks Mike - I spoke to a friend in London who has 3 of them in the home and he pays or estimates a similar amount. 

Yes the boiler is original, and is regularly checked. They tell me that replacing it will not be a smart choice or save me very much. Hot water is heated via the boiler for maybe 45 mins a day every day. 

Appreciate the help. 

QrizB

Bachelorplace said:

Yes the boiler is original, and is regularly checked. They tell me that replacing it will not be a smart choice or save me very much.

The big incewase in boiler efficiency was around the turn of the millennium, when condensing boilers became the norm. There's been hardly any improvement since your house was built in 2006.

Bachelorplace said:

Great ok thanks - I have dyscalculia I need some assistance - I contacted them and told them that I sent them the readings - these bills are hard to read I I will update and ask again for your assistance.

There should be a page to your bill where they say exactly what estimated meter readings they have used? You can compare those restimates to whatever your meters read today and see how close they are.

FreeBear

Bachelorplace said: Yes the boiler is original, and is regularly checked. They tell me that replacing it will not be a smart choice or save me very much.

If the boiler was installed after April 2005, it will be a condensing model. Likely to be 85-90% efficient. Whilst boilers today will be marginally more efficient, the savings to be had would be minimal. Fitting a programmable thermostat that allows for different temperatures throughout the day/week could save up to 15% (in reality, more likely 5%). Replacing the radiators with larger ones would enable you to run the boiler at a lower flow temperature which will boost efficiency. If you can get the flow temperature down below 60°C, you could see a 10% saving. But if you have microbore plumbing, you may be limited on how low a flow temperature you can run at and still heat the property effectively.

Even if your boiler is older than 2005, still worth fitting a programmable thermostat - They don't cost a huge amount, and even if you only get a 5% saving, it will pay for itself in less than a year or two.

matt_drummer

Wouldn't it be advisable to work out what the OP has actually used before all this advice?

The boiler might be working fantastically well?

FreeBear

matt_drummer said:

Wouldn't it be advisable to work out what the OP has actually used before all this advice?

The boiler might be working fantastically well?

I was making assumptions. But I still stand by my comment that a programmable thermostat is a worthwhile upgrade (assuming one isn't already fitted).

Bachelorplace

Hello - this all looks great. 

So It looks like the bill looks like this which is almost 3 months. Then there is another bill between 20th and 27th which seems hard to understand. 





Then there is this one. Which is hard to understand. 




So - ignoring the strange second screen shot. 

It appears that: 

Total Bill:

£537.44

Divide by 3 months:

£537.44 ÷ 3 = £179.15 per month (on average)

Correct? And does that seem overly high? I definitely won't be buying a new bigger house and adding a car on to that would be a psychological nightmare. 

QrizB

Is your new bill based on actual meter readings, or is it still estimates?

What does your meter read today?