What is the average electricity units per day?

[Deleted User]

royroy1 wrote: »

The bulbs vary, for single bulb lights (bedrooms and bathroom) it's 60w or 100w, but the kitchen has a strip with 5 of the MR16 20w, the living room has one fitting with 5 40w golfball bulbs and a couple of lamps with 40w candle bulbs, there's 6 of the long tube flourescent lights (1 top of stairs, 2 utility room, and 3 garage although garage lights are virtually never used), office has 2 100w spotlights and a 40w lamp.

I did try the energy saving bulbs once (the wifes idea) but didn't like them as one they were much more expensive and two they weren't as bright.

I make that lot about 1kW ish. If they were on for 12 hours a day that alone would account for half the difference between your bill and an average one.

StuC75

See where you can complement lower bulbs that are always on (as some take time to warm up to full brightness) with the brighter ones, that way it reduces just how bright they are.. or can you get something that is motion triggered so its not on all of the time?

How is your hot water provided? is it combi boiler or watertank? has that been left on?..

get a energy monitor plugged in so you can see what your kwh usage is running at throughout the day, and see what makes a big difference when turned off!..

If you want to make savings then some lifestyle \ habit changes have to be made, or you have to accept the costs that you have!..

royroy1 wrote: »

The bulbs vary, for single bulb lights (bedrooms and bathroom) it's 60w or 100w, but the kitchen has a strip with 5 of the MR16 20w, the living room has one fitting with 5 40w golfball bulbs and a couple of lamps with 40w candle bulbs, there's 6 of the long tube flourescent lights (1 top of stairs, 2 utility room, and 3 garage although garage lights are virtually never used), office has 2 100w spotlights and a 40w lamp.

I did try the energy saving bulbs once (the wifes idea) but didn't like them as one they were much more expensive and two they weren't as bright.

royroy1

jack_pott wrote: »

I make that lot about 1kW ish. If they were on for 12 hours a day that alone would account for half the difference between your bill and an average one.

I didn't think lights cost a lot to run, but seems I have been wrong, so thank you and I will look at trying to do something about it.

royroy1

StuC75 wrote: »

See where you can complement lower bulbs that are always on (as some take time to warm up to full brightness) with the brighter ones, that way it reduces just how bright they are.. or can you get something that is motion triggered so its not on all of the time?

How is your hot water provided? is it combi boiler or watertank? has that been left on?..

get a energy monitor plugged in so you can see what your kwh usage is running at throughout the day, and see what makes a big difference when turned off!..

If you want to make savings then some lifestyle \ habit changes have to be made, or you have to accept the costs that you have!..

That's a great idea (motion triggered lights), I'll have a look and see if I can get something like that as if I can get such a thing at a reasonable cost then it would be ideal for us.

The hot water comes from a gas boiler.

I don't know what lifestyle/habit changes can be made, other than obviously as suggested motion sensors for the lights so as they aren't on as much.

scaredofdebt

Just for info "average" is a bit misleading, for example:

On Weds we used 14 units, I was working from home a fair bit.

Thursday we used 7 units, nobody in the house most of the day.

Saturday we used 14 units again, kids were at home etc.

10 units a day is probably about right for us overall.

lstar337

royroy1 wrote: »

I didn't think it was a lot but it's mainly me that drinks it. Always been a milk drinker ever since we used to get free milk at school back in the 70's. I have a pint every morning and every night before bed, and sometimes throughout the day, my son will often have a glass of milk too, my wife uses it in tea, and it gets used for cereal and puddings.

Well, I'm sure you have healthy teeth and bones.

There are certainly a lot of worse things you could drink.

lstar337

royroy1 wrote: »

That's a great idea (motion triggered lights), I'll have a look and see if I can get something like that as if I can get such a thing at a reasonable cost then it would be ideal for us.

For the simplest installation, you can get motion triggers that simply replace the physical switch. This will be the easiest way to try the system out.

http://cpc.farnell.com/pro-elec/0901s/switch-pir-switched/dp/PL1107207?Ntt=pl1107207

[Deleted User]

royroy1 wrote: »

That's a great idea (motion triggered lights),

Don't put one in the loo, or you'll end wiping your a r s e in the dark like I had to on Basildon railway station a week or two ago.

[Deleted User]

royroy1 wrote: »

I didn't think lights cost a lot to run, but seems I have been wrong, so thank you and I will look at trying to do something about it.

One at a time they don't, but when there's a lot of them it starts to add up....

royroy1

lstar337 wrote: »

For the simplest installation, you can get motion triggers that simply replace the physical switch. This will be the easiest way to try the system out.

http://cpc.farnell.com/pro-elec/0901s/switch-pir-switched/dp/PL1107207?Ntt=pl1107207

Nice one. I'll get one of those and see how it goes. Only trouble with that though is that it wouldn't do for the kitchen as our kitchen is an L design and so we go through the door and we have to walk forward, up a small step and the switch is on the wall facing the window that wouldn't be seen when you first enter the kitchen (if that makes sense).