Electric key, £50-60 a week!

2»

Comments

  • NorthcroftNorthcroft Posts: 450
    Forum Member
    Alan1981 wrote: »
    That does sound high even if your place is all electric.

    It is all electric yeah, there's no gas as we're in the middle of nowhere
  • codebluecodeblue Posts: 14,072
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Washer driers are incredibly inefficient!

    It basically heats the clothes, and they has to get rid of the water by condensation (cooling the outside drum), pumping it, and then the cycle starts again.

    Much better to have a proper drier or use the washing line
  • TUTV ViewerTUTV Viewer Posts: 6,236
    Forum Member
    I suspect you are underestimating your electricity usage...

    For example:-

    A television... A 32" TV used for 7 hours a day costs around £0.75 per week to run.

    A Skybox... Operating 24 hours a day, even in standby costs around £1 per week.

    Electric Shower... A daily 6 minute shower for each of your family will cost you £3.15 per week.

    Oven... On for 30 minutes per day, costs around £1.00 per week.

    Bathroom Heater... 500W thermostatic controlled, costs around £6.30 per week (assuming thermostat results in on 50% of the time.)

    Fan Heater... 3000W, on one hour morning, 6 hours evening, £11.00 per week (assuming thermostat results in 50% of the time)

    Outdoor security light... On all night, £7.00 per week.

    Washing Machine... 3 hours per day, £3.15 per week.

    Tumble Drier... Two hours per day, £4.20
  • gemma-the-huskygemma-the-husky Posts: 18,116
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    did you say you have a fan heater permanently on in the bathroom overnight?

    that can't be necessary.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 582
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Northcroft wrote: »
    Hi all

    I live with my partner and young daughter in a small 2/3 bed semi detached in very rural north Essex
    The problem is the amount of electric used.
    We only have one wall heater on, and that's overnight in the bathroom.
    We usually have one of those small heaters in the front room on, the ones which switch off if they're knocked over.
    The washing machine/tumble dryer gets used sometimes twice daily, sometimes once

    Last year I recall the electric was costing nowhere near what it is this winter,
    I'm going up the shop every day putting £8 on, from 10am til bedtime at midnight it'll go from £8 down to £3, overnight it'll use £1.50, so by the time 10am is here again the bugger will be showing about 80p left

    This is ridiculous

    Any advice on what to do? Is this usual for any of you?


    Hi there, Northcroft, I'm an energy advisor and help people just like you every day, power suppliers these days charge to swap out your pre-payment meters for credit ones so you can swap to other payment methods and they charge around £50 to £70!, sometimes when I have a client in this situation and they have some health or disabilty problem they some times qualify for free special services and can waiver this fee, I some times lay it on a bit in these situations to get it waivered. I would also ring your supplier and express your concern about the amount of power you are using and ask if they could supply you with a power monitor, it's a device that you can look at and see what you are electric you are using at the moment, it lets you understand the peaks and lows of electric use, for example my house is using when I leave in the morning about 40 watts give or take a few and some times it shows about 90, if the fridge isn't charging the wife has left lights on up the stairs, just makes you aware. If your consumption is high all the time it could be an earth leak, meaning there is a faulty appliance in the home and they need checked, haven't seen this much in my time but it has solved problems for clients in the past. Do you have a limited income? you might qualify for the Warm Homes Discout Scheme, the big six have this but some are closed for this financial year, it might be woth ringing your supplier to check this out. Is your home insulated? Do you use low energy lighting? sorry I could go on as I feel I'm at work, feel free to reply advice is free, just like my work.
  • mred2000mred2000 Posts: 10,050
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    did you say you have a fan heater permanently on in the bathroom overnight?

    that can't be necessary.

    No, in post 1 they just said a wall heater. Possibly one of those brick filled storage heater types, I guess. Still, not sure why they'd leave it on overnight...
  • skunk-monkeyskunk-monkey Posts: 206
    Forum Member
    Could it be that your running your electric on emergency all the time and so your paying the standing charge, where it shows your balance on the metre does it have an E at the end?
  • JB3JB3 Posts: 9,308
    Forum Member
    Are you sure you aren't paying off a debt to the power provider through your key meter?
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 4,398
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    newbee wrote: »
    Hi there, Northcroft, I'm an energy advisor and help people just like you every day, power suppliers these days charge to swap out your pre-payment meters for credit ones so you can swap to other payment methods and they charge around £50 to £70!, sometimes when I have a client in this situation and they have some health or disabilty problem they some times qualify for free special services and can waiver this fee, I some times lay it on a bit in these situations to get it waivered. I would also ring your supplier and express your concern about the amount of power you are using and ask if they could supply you with a power monitor, it's a device that you can look at and see what you are electric you are using at the moment, it lets you understand the peaks and lows of electric use, for example my house is using when I leave in the morning about 40 watts give or take a few and some times it shows about 90, if the fridge isn't charging the wife has left lights on up the stairs, just makes you aware. If your consumption is high all the time it could be an earth leak, meaning there is a faulty appliance in the home and they need checked, haven't seen this much in my time but it has solved problems for clients in the past. Do you have a limited income? you might qualify for the Warm Homes Discout Scheme, the big six have this but some are closed for this financial year, it might be woth ringing your supplier to check this out. Is your home insulated? Do you use low energy lighting? sorry I could go on as I feel I'm at work, feel free to reply advice is free, just like my work.
    Cool story bro. Do you supply paragraphs as well?
  • Akane TendoAkane Tendo Posts: 4,454
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I still think it might have something to do with the canton partner and her three kids running your electricity bills down.
  • Tom_TitTom_Tit Posts: 6,336
    Forum Member
    Southern Electric key
    Family of 4 in a 3 bedroomed house
    Cambridgeshire

    We put £20 a week on it.
Sign In or Register to comment.