Large Electricity Bill

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24

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  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 31,856 Forumite
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    What model is your "electric combi" ? These often have a 9 - 12 kW element fitted so can rack up quite a use.
  • onomatopoeia99
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    If you're using electric to demand heat water, that's expensive. All heat generated by electricity is expensive (see also storage cookers, radiators, hairdryers, irons etc). Throw out all electricity estimates for similar properties that have gas boilers, they are irrelevant.

    It looks like your biggest use of electricity is the shower that you only mentioned in passing as you use a blowdry after the shower. This will be like running three or four kettles simultaneously while you're using it. An electric cooker can also use a lot. A "two pan, 15 minute" meal like I cook isn't so bad but if you've got three or four rings going for an hour that will mount up fast.

    How long per day is the shower running?

    Also, disable the preheat thing on the boiler.
    Proud member of the wokerati, though I don't eat tofu.Home is where my books are.Solar PV 5.2kWp system, SE facing, >1% shading, installed March 2019.Mortgage free July 2023
  • dj1471
    dj1471 Posts: 1,968 Forumite
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    It sounds like what you actually have is an energy monitor, while your landlord / management company have the smart meter display. This is odd but may be because the displays have limited range and won't reach your flat. But if it's a smart meter the readings are sent direct to EON, you don't need them yourself.

    If you register with EON online you will be able to see the historical readings provided by the smart meter, which may provide some clues.
  • Slithery
    Slithery Posts: 6,046 Forumite
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    edited 13 October 2017 at 12:46AM
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    I am starting to think that either their readings are wrong or there is an electric leak somewhere.

    If there's a leak you should be able to smell it, they add a special chemical at the power station.
  • alexandrakisdimi
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    molerat wrote: »
    What model is your "electric combi" ? These often have a 9 - 12 kW element fitted so can rack up quite a use.

    The boiler sticker says 3kwh. Maybe it's not staying on standby and is constantly heating water?
  • alexandrakisdimi
    alexandrakisdimi Posts: 18 Forumite
    edited 13 October 2017 at 9:14AM
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    dj1471 wrote: »
    It sounds like what you actually have is an energy monitor, while your landlord / management company have the smart meter display. This is odd but may be because the displays have limited range and won't reach your flat. But if it's a smart meter the readings are sent direct to EON, you don't need them yourself.

    If you register with EON online you will be able to see the historical readings provided by the smart meter, which may provide some clues.

    I do have an online account but can't find any history of readings, which would be useful to see for the period I was on holidays so that I could check if there was an unusual usage
  • alexandrakisdimi
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    If you're using electric to demand heat water, that's expensive. All heat generated by electricity is expensive (see also storage cookers, radiators, hairdryers, irons etc). Throw out all electricity estimates for similar properties that have gas boilers, they are irrelevant.

    It looks like your biggest use of electricity is the shower that you only mentioned in passing as you use a blowdry after the shower. This will be like running three or four kettles simultaneously while you're using it. An electric cooker can also use a lot. A "two pan, 15 minute" meal like I cook isn't so bad but if you've got three or four rings going for an hour that will mount up fast.

    How long per day is the shower running?

    Also, disable the preheat thing on the boiler.

    This is not an on demand heater, it is a huge hot water/central heating boiler. The central heating is always off, the hot water is always on.

    2 people having a shower after work is probably about 30 Min using the shower every day.

    Now for cooking, 2 pans or the oven maximum.

    The thing that bothers me is that, from the 82 days of us being charged, 15 days of holidays, so 67days I have used 1700kwh? That shouldn't be right, since I spend so little time during the day in the flat and the use I do is turning the TV on and my android box, cook, have a shower and charge my phone.u

    My gf's colleague has eon on a 3 bed flat, water heater always on and pays a lot less.
    My sister has npower, water heater always on, pays half that I am being charged and we do more or less the same use during the day
  • Apodemus
    Apodemus Posts: 3,384 Forumite
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    I think we need a clearer explanation of your heating and hot water system. Are you saying that you have an electric system that heats water for wet radiators? And a separate, immersion heater (or two?) in your water tank?

    How are you drying your clothes? You mention washing machine 3-4 times a week, does that include a drying cycle? Tumble dryers can sometimes be a big electricity user.
  • alexandrakisdimi
    alexandrakisdimi Posts: 18 Forumite
    edited 13 October 2017 at 10:26AM
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    Apodemus wrote: »
    I think we need a clearer explanation of your heating and hot water system. Are you saying that you have an electric system that heats water for wet radiators? And a separate, immersion heater (or two?) in your water tank?

    How are you drying your clothes? You mention washing machine 3-4 times a week, does that include a drying cycle? Tumble dryers can sometimes be a big electricity user.

    I do not have a dryer. I dry my clothes naturally. It might have been too much mentioning 3-4 times a week, but it can happen sometimes. Mostly its twice.

    It is one large tank/boiler that can be used as hot water for everyday use and/or central heating. It is NOT an on demand hot water heater. It warms the water up and keeps it warm with isolation etc etc. It uses one panel with options for both. The option for the hot water is on, the option for the heating is off.

    According to this site: worcester-bosch.co.uk/archive/boilers/what-is-a-combi-boiler
    A combi (or combination) boiler is an ingenious space-saving idea, and an increasingly popular choice in UK homes. In fact, combis now account for well over half of all the new domestic boilers installed in Britain every year.

    A combi boiler is both a high-efficiency water heater and a central heating boiler, combined (hence the name) within one compact unit. Therefore, no separate hot water cylinder is required, offering space saving within the property.

    Further benefits of a combi boiler includes hot water being delivered through your taps or shower at mains pressure. So you can enjoy powerful showering* without the need for a pump.

    Another combi boiler benefit is that it can generally save you money on installation time and costs, since no tank in the roof space means less pipe work and a shorter installation time.

    And looks like this cdn.plumbnation.co.uk/site/advance-appliances-stainless-steel-210l-electric-combination-boiler/ecb-210-march-2017-lo-res.jpg, only shorter and wider with a 3kW output.

    Sorry, i cannot post links yet
  • [Deleted User]
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    Reading down you post seem simlier to my flat and thou i think it high i also think i can point a few stuff out that might help as i was in the same situation and solve it myself.

    I'm all eletric thou shower is not, the combi boiler in airing cupbored warm up our water.
    The boiler has 2 tank built in one. a big tank (at the bottom) and small tank.
    I have 2 switch one for the big one and one for the small one.
    i was paying 120 a month.
    I turn the big tank off and use the little one. Mean shower hot water only last 5 min but that all we need and take 20 min to warm up again. Use the same for the washing up. Big tank only use when a bath is wanted and turn it on for 1 hour then off when i get in the bath.

    This then knock my bill down to 70 quid a month. They even replace the meter think it faulty becasue it was such a drop.
    So if you have a boiler that has 2 tank built in one, turn the big one off. I leave the little one on all day but i can afford too.

    As for meter reading surly they can't do that and will demand i see the reading myself.

    i live in a small 2 bedroom flat with a child and wife and heating only come on in dec / Jan when it is really cold. the cooker, TV etc warm the flat up and i have to open window still at the moment too hot.
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