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Original poster

Such an exciting topic but what is your monthly electricity bill? Ours is ridiculously high - I think- but nothing to compare it to!

96 replies

Bagelsandbrie · 05/04/2021 19:59

Family of 4. I’m a sahm, dh works outside the home full time and we have 2 dc, 18 and 9. To be fair of course with Covid we’ve all been at home a lot more etc, devices streaming, stuff constantly on etc but even so... our monthly electric is now £150. Shock We do have the tumble dryer, dishwasher and washing machine going a lot - both myself and ds are disabled and there is a lot of washing related to this.

(We have gas central heating, £60 a month for gas).

I’ve switched to the cheapest tariff I can find. It still seems very high.

Just wondered what others were spending?

OP posts:
ColourfulElmerElephant · 05/04/2021 20:01

Is that £150 for what you are using or because you owe some money and are clearing that balance as well as covering your use?

Thecomfortador · 05/04/2021 20:04

Our fixed tariff is coming to an end and all the quotes I've had are £95 a month, for gas and electricity. Currently paying £77 so that's a huge hike. We're both working from home, DP has his computer on constantly, and he's been pretty liberal with the heating over the winter and I've been using the dryiler, but taking pleasure in drying clothes on the line now. We have young children 3&5 so I guess they don't have all gadgets and computer based homework that older children would. We do watch TV a fair bit and I'm always turning lights off.

Drowninginwashing · 05/04/2021 20:05

Hello. We recently moved and now our electricity is 130 per month and we have oil central heating and a gas hob. Like you I'm not sure why it is so much and can't seem to get cheaper. So no advice I'm afraid but sending commiserations!

Interested in this thread?

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Cost of living
Original poster
Bagelsandbrie · 05/04/2021 20:06

@ColourfulElmerElephant

Is that £150 for what you are using or because you owe some money and are clearing that balance as well as covering your use?
Just for what we are using. We are in credit and that’s what they’ve worked out we should pay monthly based on meter readings, not estimated. I’m even wondering if our meter is somehow wrong!
OP posts:
Original poster
Bagelsandbrie · 05/04/2021 20:06

Thank you for the replies.

OP posts:
PaperMonster · 05/04/2021 20:07

We’re all electric here. No dishwasher or tumble dryer. Three of us in a small three bed terrace. £144 a month.

ColourfulElmerElephant · 05/04/2021 20:08

It might be worth going to each plug socket in your house, garage, outbuilding etc and seeing what exactly is running. It is surprising how quickly it can all add up. I wonder whether it’s based on what you used last year, when you were all home much more, whereas hopefully in the coming year you will be outside a lot more.

ConnieCaterpillar70 · 05/04/2021 20:08

Ours is £160 a month. And that's just the electric, we're on bulk LPG in a tank that costs £180 a month. 4 bed detached in a village.

Drives DH round the bend, and he goes round all evening switching lights off and appliances half way through a cycle. We use the dryer less as we have a dri-soon heated airer, and we're all out at work every day.

Notsoaccidentproneanymore · 05/04/2021 20:09

Just wow! Some of these are crazy.

Ours is £70 a month combined gas and electric.

But we have a mega insulated house and solar panels, so we generate some of our own electricity.

moochingtothepub · 05/04/2021 20:09

£121 a month for gas and electric combined, 4 adults 4 bed house

PotteringAlong · 05/04/2021 20:09

I pay £90 a month for gas and electric combined; 2 adults, 3 children. 4 bed (old) house.

I suspect ours is on the low side but you’re paying £210 for combined fuel and that seems bonkers!

Original poster
Bagelsandbrie · 05/04/2021 20:10

Hmmm maybe it’s not that high then! Others seem to have similar amounts. Hmm

#candlesandbooksforall

OP posts:
Dizzy1234 · 05/04/2021 20:10

£139 per month, 2 bed house, plus an unused loft extension, 2 adults.
It's outrageous, we go out to work in normal times, Im wfh at the moment.
A couple of years ago I received a letter stating British Gas planned to take £3.5k by direct debit as I had not been paying enough!
Argued my case, went to the ombudsman and they were proved wrong, a manager at British gas actually asked me of I had a heated swimming pool 🙄

Notsoaccidentproneanymore · 05/04/2021 20:10

3 bed semi

Herja · 05/04/2021 20:10

My electric is between £25 and £35 per month, depending on season, but all my cooking, heating and hot water is gas. I pay by variable DD, so only for what is actually used, but I am also never in debt. I am quite stingy with the gas, but don't really consider the electric too much. Your bill seems absolutely insane to me!

wigjuice · 05/04/2021 20:11

3 adults and teenager, around a ton a month. Dishwasher, dryer etc etc.

SoSickOfCovid19 · 05/04/2021 20:13

£55 dual fuel (gas and electric combined) 2 adults 3 kids ranging from 14-9 years old. 4 bed town house with all the mod cons 2-3 loads of washing a day dried in the tumble drier Oct-March and then any wet days in the summer, dishwasher run twice a day. Thermostat is set to come on if temperature drops below 21 and clicks of at 22.5 all year round.

Soontobe60 · 05/04/2021 20:13

2 bed terrace with converted loft room. Our combined bill is 100 a month. We have a log burner so don’t have the gas central heating on a great deal. We have a dryer, electric oven and hob and a dishwasher. All our lights are energy saving bulbs

SoSickOfCovid19 · 05/04/2021 20:16

Forgot to say 4 bed new build detached town house which is rated A+ for energy, all houses in our phase were built with solar panels so we do use solar energy first.

itwa · 05/04/2021 20:16

Ours is £55 a month. With Bulb. We don't turn a lot off, have a fairly big house, but no dryer. I can't believe the bills on here

lanbro · 05/04/2021 20:17

2 bed has and electric is £90 but I'm several hundred in credit...I'm rarely in through the day but when I am in the oven is usually on and I'm not stingy on heating!

modgepodge · 05/04/2021 20:17

We have an electric car and ours isn’t even that much! And we are not particularly careful about lights etc.

Do you have a smart meter? I found that helped me see what devices were using a lot. WiFi, charging phones, lights, tv etc hardly anything. Car charging is the highest, obviously. Washing machine, dishwasher, kettle, microwave etc use far more. I guess a tumble dryer will use a lot.

PurpleFadesToGreen · 05/04/2021 20:19

3 bed semi detached house.
2 adults, 2 teens.
Someone is in the house 98% of the time.

Just changed to shell energy, now pay £95 a month for gas and electricity.

They wanted to drop it to 70 something but I put it back up .
I'd rather build a credit than debt.

78percentLindt · 05/04/2021 20:22

Wow, I pay a bit less than that in the winter months, and we have an Air Source Heat Pump so in effect heating by electricity and cook by electricity.
Since Christmas both our adult sons have been working from here, using laptops etc all day and then go on to Netflix and gaming in their rooms in the evening. We seem to be doing lots of washing as well.
Not sure what to suggest, but might be worth checking your meter.

OnTheBenchOfDoom · 05/04/2021 20:22

I think when you have older children they also add to the tech in the house so mobile phone charging, laptops, computers, games consoles, lights in other rooms and on for longer as they are awake for longer, more than one tv etc.

I agree with taking each room at a time and working out what is plugged in all the time and whether it needs to be.

We pay £160pm for both gas and electric but I have teenage boys, a 4 bed house with a double garage conversion as the children's den which has a lot of tech in. They both have 2 monitors each, Dh has 2 monitors plus a laptop (wfh), I have a laptop as well. It all adds up.

Back in the olden days I used to work for an electricity company and it was mainly the kitchen that used a lot, toaster, kettle, oven, fridge freezer, microwave, dishwasher. Now people have coffee makers and instant hot water taps, wine fridges, robot vacuum cleaners etc. Not everyone but consumption has definitely risen.