Average electricity bill

[poshperson]

We have a modern 3 bed semi with low wattage bulbs and modern tv's. We are out during the day and at night the usual making the evening meal not using an oven, watching tv and browsing the net. There are usually two tv's in use and a PC. All in all about 5 hrs use. Weekends we are in and do the weekly washing for 3, and in the colder months use a tumble drier. Telly on most of Saturday and all day Sunday. We have a dishwasher and use it every other day. Gas central heating which is efficient.

 

We have just had a electricity bill come in and its almost £1000! We have only had estimated bills for the last 15 months. They (BG) have estimated at our current annual usage we will average £30 a week £132 a month in electricity.

 

Based on our circumstances how does this compare to other SF users. We are used to £20 a week average at the most for electricity. I know it has gone up in price but 50%?

[Gazza58]

Very similar curcumstances to you ,apart from i have no dishwasher but do cook on electric,electric bills work out about £10.00 per week.

[chem1st]

£55/quarter. And I use more than I need.

[1960boy]

£25.00 a month for me.

[hotrock]

£80 per month inc gas, almost same setup, but we only have 2 bedrooms, we do however have 2 fridge/freezers and a chest freezer, and 2 outdoor low wattage security lights that are on in the hours of darkness, we found the biggest drain of power came from our electric double oven/iron/kettle/spotlights. We did replace the kettle with a tefal 1 cup, and it made quite a difference to the electric bill, i replaced almost all of the light fittings with 9watt fluorescent spot light, which were expensive but the money saved was astronomical, my previous light fitting in the living room & bedroom was a 6 way spot light, with 6 x 50watt halogen bulbs, i now have a similar 6 bulb spotlight but each bulb is only 9watts fluorescent, and i believe that the light is far superior through the new setup. yet again the cost of the new light/kettle is outweighed by the annual saving on your electric bill, we borrowed one of the gadgets that shows your power consumption throughout the day, and it was a real eye opener, especially as to the lights & kettle, i would highly recommend one of the 1 cup type kettles where it dispenses a cup of boiling water immediately, instead of boiling a kettle for a couple of minutes, it really is amazing how all the bits saved can improve your bill.

[big_g]

So is your current bill estimated or a proper reading?

 

Prior to this bill, were you paying £80 a month (£20 a week). I would have thought that this would have covered your usage.

 

Out of your appliances, the thing that would use the most energy will be the tumble drier. A modern dishwasher uses about 1kWh - or about 10-12 new pence.

 

We have dishwasher, low energy bulbs, immersion heater (in the summer - it heats off the gas heating in the winter). Our bill for the gas and electric is about £90 a month.

 

One thing that you don't mention is your shower. Is it off the gas water heating or is it electric? Even an older one is rated at about 7 kW whilst a more modern one can really go through the electric.

 

My advice would be to get one of those energy monitors and see what is using the electric. A fridge can use more than you think, for example.

[barleycorn]

Firstly you need to read your meters and get the reading submitted to BG. This will allow them to base your bill on what you have actually used rather than what they think you might of used. Note if they have been underestimating the last thing you want to do is pay for gas/electricity you used last year at a cheaper price on this years newer higher prices.

 

Secondly, retake your meter readings in a months time so you can work out a typical monthly average.

 

Thirdly get yourself on a price comparison website and move to the cheapest provider for your usage.

 

jb

[Cat86]

£25.00 a month for me.

 

I pay this too. Only moved in January, so I havent yet had a proper quarterly statement

[gnvqsos]

We have a modern 3 bed semi with low wattage bulbs and modern tv's. We are out during the day and at night the usual making the evening meal not using an oven, watching tv and browsing the net. There are usually two tv's in use and a PC. All in all about 5 hrs use. Weekends we are in and do the weekly washing for 3, and in the colder months use a tumble drier. Telly on most of Saturday and all day Sunday. We have a dishwasher and use it every other day. Gas central heating which is efficient.

 

We have just had a electricity bill come in and its almost £1000! We have only had estimated bills for the last 15 months. They (BG) have estimated at our current annual usage we will average £30 a week £132 a month in electricity.

 

Based on our circumstances how does this compare to other SF users. We are used to £20 a week average at the most for electricity. I know it has gone up in price but 50%?

 

 

They have estimated by postcode and perhaps you live in an affluent area where people typically run expensive appliances,and all the teenagers have PCs,and other items burning the power.Do you heat your pool with mains electric or use diesel which may prove cheaper?

[Leah-Lacie]

I have a meter with a standing charge, not certain how much, but I use between £2-£2.50 a day