Can we talk electrci usage please? How many Kilowatt hours do you use?

[KatyMac]

Whether per day/month/quarter/year?

I think we are very big users (& I need to cut it down)

But I want to see if I am above average

[KatyMac]

bump

[janinlondon]

About 700 kw/h per month or 2100 a quarter. Only three of us in the house, but its a four bed terrace if that helps in your calculations. Our heating and cooking is gas, but shower is electric...how does that compare?

[KatyMac]

Hmm not as bad as I thought then

I'm all electric - heat, water & cooking

[janinlondon]

I am an inveterate tumble drier fanatic - I think that's the majority of our usage!

[KatyMac]

Oh....that's worse then - I never use the dryer (well 3 or 4 times a year)

[janinlondon]

Are you at home all day? I work full time so that would reduce our use. PS: I cannot tell you how excited I was to see someone ask about comparative usage rather than cost - how sad am I???

[KatyMac]

Cost isn't really comparable - as so many are on odd deals

Usage is a much better unit to compare

I am at home all day & working from home too (so that implys a higher cost)

[Takver]

About 1.5 to 2 kwh a day on average for the co-op where I live (9 adults and 4 kids).
More when its windy, less when it isn't, cos we're off grid so we can only use what there is
Most of us work from home, but a lot of it is outdoor work.

[KatyMac]

I am SO enviousPV or just wind turbine?

You don't count

[Takver]

We have small windmill, a mini hydro generator and a few pv panels (don't make much as we are in Wales, but they are useful in the summer - at least in normal summers - when our stream dries up and there isn't much wind).
And it might be flippant, but I think we do count - we are 'odd' in some ways (woodburners for heating, hotwater and most cooking, plus we don't have a fridge or freezer), but other than that we are pretty normal, no reason anyone else couldn't use the same amount of leccy as us, they just need to develop the same degree of obsessiveness about turning everything off

[meglet]

we have a small 3 bed terrace, 1 toddler. Use a tumble dryer, dishwasher, washing machine etc.

Approx 550 KWH a month in winter

Approx 400 KWH a month in summer.

House is too small to have drying clothes on airer and radiators so tumble dryer gets used a lot unless it's a heatwave .

[KatyMac]

Oh I agree you count for 'Eco' purposes just not to compare my bill to (iyswim)

Gulp Meglet

[snorkle]

We use about 3500kWh per year (between 200 & 300kwh per month). I think we could cut back. We don't use tumble drier & have low enery bulbs, but washing machine (cold fill) and dishwasher run most nights and oven/breadmaker must use a fair bit. Lots of computers/playstation etc. on when children are home.

I have a south facing roof & live in a sunny county - would love solar PV but want solar thermal first.

[KatyMac]

Double Gulp

Do you have electric heating?

[snorkle]

No, we have gas central heating and water heating and a gas hob, so not really comparable to you. We do use a dehumidifier in the winter though. What's your current usage KatyMac? How do you plan to reduce it?

[janinlondon]

Oh there's another reason mine is high. Hot washes. And the shower is used a lot (twice a day for each of us).

[KatyMac]

No way I can admit it (way higher than mentioned here)

The room I childmind in is the most expensive

Good stuff we have
Low energy bulbs
Extensive insulation
I never use standby
Wood burning stove

Bad stuff we have
Electric U/F heating in the playroom (42ft by 12ft)
Too many electric stuff
Breadmaker
Electric cooker
Immersion heater - we use hot water all day (but DH is stpping that - he likes to wash up each meal but we are now only washing up after tea, breakfast (last nights supper) & lunch have to wait until then)

I don't know what else to kill tbh

[snorkle]

Agree - reducing the temp. of your washes is a good way to reduce electric consumption. Most of my washes are at 30 these days & I'm sure that helps as does running a shorter wash for less filthy stuff.

And I agree with Jan on comparing usage rather than cost too. There are so many tariffs these days and differences in standing charges etc, that comparing usage is the only sensible thing to do, but I guess it's not a figure that sticks in peoples minds, so most would have to dig out bills.

There are 4 of us btw, I don't think the house size is especially relevent for us as we don't use elecric heating, but it's small 3/4 bed detached fwiw.

[KatyMac]

I already wash at 30 & add reduce time to that

[Takver]

I know pricey, but can you change your woodburner for one that heats water?
Washing machine would be a killer for us except that DH disconnected the heating element from the machine and then stuck hot & cold feed into it with a shower mixer tap to choose the temperature - looks a bit odd but works a treat.

[KatyMac]

It does - it runs heating for the main house - it's the playroom that needs additional heating tbh

[Takver]

Wooly jumpers for the DCs

[snorkle]

My guess is it's the heating (both water heating and space heating the playroom) that's your biggest usage Katymac. You should be able to estimate the space heating element by comparing the difference between summer and winter usage (assuming you have the heating off in the summer and that with low enery bulbs the extra winter lighting is fairly negligible - there will be a bit extra used to heat water in the winter as the cold water temp. is lower).

As that's your business, and there's babies and small children's health at stake, there's really not much you can do about it.

On the water heating, if you can a) reduce the temperature you heat it to by a few degrees and b) heat once a day instead of leaving it on you should be able to make considerable savings.

Other stuff - do you leave things with transformers switched on at the wall? Some of them use non-negigible amouts of energy even when they're not running their appliance.

[KatyMac]

Mine does

But I have to heat other peoples

[KatyMac]

No we learnt about power leads a few years ago

I agree it's water & space

I will turn the water down a bit (it's not very high now)

Washing up once a day will be cheaper & may help with the whole hot water situation

What about sky boxes/videos - I but they use even if 'off' maybe I should unplug as well

& I have been thinking about my broadband connection - I should turn that off...will it affect the settings?