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Original poster

Shit just got my electric bill!!

587 replies

2anddone · 09/02/2022 21:57

Just got my electric bill it's gone up £200 compared to this time last year....it's going to get worse isn't it!
I have night storage heating which works on a thermostat and is set to low (17 degrees) plus a log cabin which I need to heat for my work (childcare so have to have heat!). I don't leave lights on unnecessarily, don't have my hot water heater switched on, only run my washing machine and dishwasher when they are full. The tv is on every evening but not in the daytime, don't have a tumble dryer.
I honestly can't see where I can save money on my electric bill (was over £400 this month)

OP posts:
cakeorwine · 10/02/2022 19:18

@TakeSomeMoreTea

My Husband loves an outside light. He has set one up that comes on when you go out the back door. Is this bad?
Depends on the bulb and wattage.

You need to know how many watts it uses.

TakeSomeMoreTea · 10/02/2022 19:18

Obviously it depends how many times you go out the back door but the dogs go out for a wee a few times.

Downnotdown · 10/02/2022 19:19

Each day I find I am getting more and more angry at what a mess this country (UK) is in.

I've read through all the posts on here and whilst nothing I've read is new to me, I just find it so sad that we are all having to make such changes, just to be able to afford to heat our homes.

I've always been good at turning off lights, not using radiators in empty rooms etc etc etc. Back in the 1970s my Dad drummed it into me and it's something that's stuck with me ever since.

But the point is...
We shouldn't be HAVING to choose between heating and eating.
We shouldn't be HAVING to cut down on 'luxuries' such as haircuts or clothes.
We shouldn't be HAVING to be worried about when the next price increase is going to hit us.

And all this goes on whilst the fat-cats from the energy companies are making an absolute fortune.

And our lousy, useless, pathetic government does absolutely nothing because they won't even notice the increase in their bills with the wealth they have. Sunak, I'm looking at you and your 12 houses!!

I, like most of us, have worked damn hard all my life, I've always towed the line and followed the rules but the older I get the more I find that I just can't keep my mouth shut any more.

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Cost of living
mogsrus · 10/02/2022 19:19

LED bulbs defy physics. 2watt in 40 watt out. amazing

AutomaticMoon · 10/02/2022 19:19

@PickledOnionSandwich

As an aside, the government are dead keen on us all having electric cars. Most people can’t even afford to buy one and now the electricity is going to be too expensive! I guess that idea is going to need to be reviewed (spoilers, it won’t be) 😂
There aren’t enough resources in the world to build enough electric cars to replace the current amount.

www.treehugger.com/why-electric-cars-wont-save-us-there-are-not-enough-resources-build-them-4857798

cakeorwine · 10/02/2022 19:22

@mogsrus

LED bulbs defy physics. 2watt in 40 watt out. amazing
Surely you mean equivalent to a 40 watt bulb (in the old days)?

Otherwise you've just solved the energy crisis Grin

SquirrelG · 10/02/2022 19:23

Thanks for the explanations. Just a different way of doing it I guess. Here we generally pay for the actual amount used each month, so we pay more in winter, less in summer. I just budget according to the previous year. I feel sorry for you all, the increases sound horrific.

Leftbutcameback · 10/02/2022 19:23

Has anyone else worked out how much kWh of electric they use a day? I've just checked and ours is 26 -28. Various websites suggest average is 10, and I can't see why we are so far above that. Is 10kwh per day what people are using?

Leftbutcameback · 10/02/2022 19:24

(should say we don't have electric heating, which would obviously account for a higher amount)

cakeorwine · 10/02/2022 19:25

@Leftbutcameback

Has anyone else worked out how much kWh of electric they use a day? I've just checked and ours is 26 -28. Various websites suggest average is 10, and I can't see why we are so far above that. Is 10kwh per day what people are using?
UK average is 2400 KWH per year.

So 6.6KWH per day

Gas is 12,000 KWH per year.

So 33 KWH per day (massivly varies in the year obviously)

Leftbutcameback · 10/02/2022 19:27

Sorry - just realised it must be a summer / winter difference. In the summer it's more like 6 per day

TakeSomeMoreTea · 10/02/2022 19:27

cakeorwine

Thanks. I'll look into this at the weekend.

Another thing is a 30 minute 30degree wash cheaper than a 60 minute 40degree wash?

Caspianberg · 10/02/2022 19:27

@cakeorwine - it wasn’t €120, we received as a gift ( so free), but it was €90 on Amazon where they ordered it. €90 is about £75 now.

Had we bought just a new kettle we would have spend £50-75 on one anyway. To get a decent one we liked.
You can also use the machine for lower temperatures ie 70 degrees for baby formula instead of people buying additional prep machines.
Ours is 2.7l capacity. Again, with smaller household you could opt for the smaller ones which I have seen as cheap as €35.

cakeorwine · 10/02/2022 19:31

@TakeSomeMoreTea

cakeorwine

Thanks. I'll look into this at the weekend.

Another thing is a 30 minute 30degree wash cheaper than a 60 minute 40degree wash?

There's a thread here you might like which could answer your question.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4471775-Confused-about-the-price-cap-and-energy-consumption-Heres-the-thread-for-the-physics-and-the-maths-to-help-you?msgid=114992138

cakeorwine · 10/02/2022 19:33

@Leftbutcameback

Sorry - just realised it must be a summer / winter difference. In the summer it's more like 6 per day
Still a lot during winter. There isn't usually much variation with winter and summer as lights don't use much.
HandlebarLadyTash · 10/02/2022 19:34

Mines more than double & the price fix end in april. The family ignore me whe I ask them to stop spending ages in the shower DH is the worst & he has short hair. I keep telling him he can look after the bills/shitty house admin & perhaps he will care that the bills are shooting up. I'm sick of being ignored when I asked for lights off etc.

mogsrus · 10/02/2022 19:35

2watt input will give you around 40 watt output, yes equivalent to old 40 watt bulb give or take, it depends how the manufacturer has done things with the electrics in the bulb.

latetothefisting · 10/02/2022 19:41

@LlamaLucy

Also, we could use the microwave more! I know we laugh at the Americans, but the electric kettle is ridiculously inefficient. We could heat water in the microwave, and use it for hot water bottles, and we could use the MW for cooking other stuff too.

My oven and hob are hideously expensive to run - so, I’ll try and cook several days food in the oven at one time, to save me turning it on more than once a week. Then, just use the MW to heat throughout the week.

Many people probably already do this - sorry if I’m stating the obvious! Blush

I don't think kettles are ridiculously inefficient? I have a smart meter display thing which shows how much everything costs to run - when I boil the kettle at the minimum level to make a cup of tea just for me it doesn't even go up 1 penny. Filling it full (for several people or to fill up hot water bottle which I use while wfh rather than putting the heating on) costs just under 2p. Using the micro for a minute costs about the same. Most expensive house hold appliance is definitely the fridge freezer but there's no way to reduce that.

I do cook a few days food in the stove at a time and then reheat though, that's a good recommendation.

cakeorwine · 10/02/2022 19:41

@mogsrus

2watt input will give you around 40 watt output, yes equivalent to old 40 watt bulb give or take, it depends how the manufacturer has done things with the electrics in the bulb.
The old light bulbs used to take that 40 watts of energy and give most of it as heat to heat up a room and not in actual useful energy to light the room!
gogohm · 10/02/2022 19:42

So far bulb haven't put up our monthly payment, we have a smart meter. I keep waiting for the email.

BertramLacey · 10/02/2022 19:50

LED bulbs defy physics. 2watt in 40 watt out. amazing

No. It's just that they're efficient. Old 40 watt bulbs mostly gave out heat and very little light. LEDs mainly give out light and very little heat, so a 2 watt LED can give out the same amount of light as an old 40 watt bulb. (Or thereabouts).

cakeorwine · 10/02/2022 19:56

There was something about 'Brexit and the EU' that really annoyed me.

The EU had a regulation about trying to reduce the maximum power a device can use. For example, vacuum cleaners could only have power rating.

That's a good thing if a device is made efficient. In other words, not a lot of energy is wasted and most of the energy goes towards useful work. It's not that helpful if you have to use a low powered device for twice as long to get the job done.

There was a lot of complaining in the British press about this. Because there is a poor understanding of science. No doubt this regulation will get overthrown as a benefit of Brexit

PurpleVivo · 10/02/2022 19:56

We are with bulb too - I just cancelled my direct debit so they were forced to use the money that I was credit with them for. I’ve only just started payments again now and they have already tried to increase it 🤷‍♀️. We are stuck with LPG gas which has also gone through the roof 😡

mogsrus · 10/02/2022 19:56

@BertramLacey

LED bulbs defy physics. 2watt in 40 watt out. amazing

No. It's just that they're efficient. Old 40 watt bulbs mostly gave out heat and very little light. LEDs mainly give out light and very little heat, so a 2 watt LED can give out the same amount of light as an old 40 watt bulb. (Or thereabouts).

That is what I wrote, 2 in 40 out I work with these things everyday
Tryingtokeepgoing · 10/02/2022 19:58

Depends on the light and how long it stays on for…a 500W halogen floodlight will cost £0.14 an hour at the new capped rate, a 25w LED less than 1p an hour..I’d ask him :)