My heating was on for two hours yesterday…

[AchillesLastStand]

My heating was on for two hours yesterday, on in the morning for an hour and in the evening. We had one bath yesterday which the boiler heats the water for. We shared the same water. I logged onto Bulb to see the energy costs for yesterday, £4.50 for gas, £3.50 for electricity. It’s unsustainable if it goes up again in October. My 8 year old DS is under his bedcovers with his tablet because the heating has had to go off.

@itrytomakemyway spot on !!

Our electricity usage seems very high so we really need to pull it down. I'm fed up of seeing sockets left on so I've told my DP I'll be charging him a £1 every time I see one he's left on - he seems to think I'm joking.

He gave the tumble dryer a really thorough clean out yesterday and it's made a big difference to how long it takes to dry.

I do regret my choice of an old house which is north facing so gets no sun. All the windows are on the north side. I'd never realised how much my old house was heated by being south facing. It's so dark in the house we have the lights on so much more than I expected to.

I doubt any Tory MPS are putting on extra jumpers and jollying each other along about the good old days

Exactly. If people are happy to watch MP’s commute between their 2 (heated) houses while they sit in a room with ice on their windows then good for them. I’m not.
I doubt any of those on here telling the OP that her expectations are too high are sitting in freezing houses either.

This is not sustainable but is worth knowing, your electricity and gas suppliers can't cut utilities to some people, families with small children, disabled people etc.

Because of this they are keen to work with consumers with payment plans. I know this doesn't help long term but is worth thinking about when juggling budgets.

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/problems-with-your-energy-supply/if-youve-been-told-your-energy-supply-will-be-disconnected/

Utility companies also have some funds to help vulnerable customers.

www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/getting-help-if-you-cant-afford-your-energy-bills

@Madre123

Your landline phone charger, electric toothbrush charger, fridge freezer.....etc etc...you will be surprised...try to ensure all is off at the plug and nothing left on stand by.....x

Are you suggesting turning your fridge freezer off at the plug?

@ReadyToMoveIt A government minister earning £115K is complaining that they’re feeling the pinch! How do they expect people on significantly lower incomes to manage?

I have an Dreamland faux fur electric throw that goes on instead on the heating when I’m home alone during the day. I take a hot water to bed on cold nights. Everything except the fridge freezer is switched off at the plug overnight. I don’t know what more they expect us to do.

The planet has limited resources and we’ve created a world where we take take take without replenishing. No one cares until it hits their pockets.

I know that we are in this position down to ideology (hint: don’t vote Tory) but maybe for once people will be forced to live more simply and less selfishly.

@AchillesLastStand

Mine wasn't on at all. Not for one minute. Not a stealth brag or a Four-Yorkshiremen attempt. We genuinely didn't put it on. It was cold yesterday, but the front of our house was warm as the sun was out all day, and streamed through the windows all day, so the house was warm enough with no heating. And we just put a fleece over us after 9pm when it cooled off. Wore a jumper too.

Like fuck am I going to put it on with a 54% price rise, if we can do without it. If the sun goes in, it feeler colder inside, and we need it on then (just for half an hour - as it stays warm for 5-6 hours,) but so far it's OK.

@MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler

The planet has limited resources and we’ve created a world where we take take take without replenishing. No one cares until it hits their pockets.

100% this. ^

Heating before the increase cost around 90p an hour I think. I'm assuming that's doubled?

Mines been off more than on all winter. Except Christmas day I had it on all day. It sucks but it is what it is. Baths are banned completely.

Fun times.

@lollipoprainbow

Just because we didn't have heating back in the day doesn't mean it's acceptable now in the 20th century in one of the richest countries in the world. Why should we have to live in a cold house ??

Granted but it's also disgustingly wasteful to heat an entire house when you when you open the majority of time in 1 room

At least it's taught teenager to wear clothes in the house.

@MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler

The planet has limited resources and we’ve created a world where we take take take without replenishing. No one cares until it hits their pockets.

I know that we are in this position down to ideology (hint: don’t vote Tory) but maybe for once people will be forced to live more simply and less selfishly.

I’ve been saying this, one positive of all this is that we will be forced to be more mindful of the power we are using and for most of us we will try to use less. On an environmental level, this can only be a good thing. For those of us who are able to cut back this is manageable but for those who are already struggling and vulnerable it’s a worrying time.

Absolutely. It’s terrible for the truly vulnerable. But there is a LOT of wasteful behaviour that’s down to laziness, and appealing to people’s moral compass has not worked at all.

Heating houses to 20+ degrees all year round yet wearing shorts / T-shirts inside
Driving short journeys on a daily basis when walking / cycling is possible
Buying / throwing away cheap fast fashion
Eating meat / fish daily
Multiple Short haul flights

There are so many behaviour that have crept up the last 30+ Years which are cumulatively destroying and depleting the resources we have at an alarming rate. Society is incredibly selfish in so many ways. increasing the costs of these activities is literally the only thing that makes people reassess their behaviour.

I know I sound like a Tory, I’m really not 😂 but maybe just maybe this will affect real change IF we can also find a way to protect our most vulnerable

We don't have a landline plugged in, we don't use it, nothing is left on standby overnight, phone chargers are not plugged in, I've actually taken to charging my phone in the car whenever I get in it, I'm not turning the fridge freezer off every night. So this morning's £1.65 was standing charge, 30 minutes heating hot water through the boiler and one boil of the kettle with two cups with of water in it.

I agree with @rwalker and @MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler Whilst yeah, we shouldn't have to live in a cold house when we have central heating (and if it's off too much it will just result in issues with damp,) we need to stop just cranking up the thermostat when it feels 'a bit brisk' or 'slightly chilly.'

Don't just put the heating on, EVERY TIME you feel the cold; get a bloody jumper or cardigan on, or pop a fleece over you. Yes of course have it on occasionally when it's cold, to warm up the house (once a day for an hour or two if you must,) but having it on half the day, and up to temperatures of 22-24 degrees C like some people do is ludicrous.

As a pp said, people don't give a shit about wasting the earth's resources until it starts affecting their finances.

@RewildingAmbridge

We don't have a landline plugged in, we don't use it, nothing is left on standby overnight, phone chargers are not plugged in, I've actually taken to charging my phone in the car whenever I get in it, I'm not turning the fridge freezer off every night. So this morning's £1.65 was standing charge, 30 minutes heating hot water through the boiler and one boil of the kettle with two cups with of water in it.

How many KWH have you used?

@MyNameIsAngelicaSchuyler

The planet has limited resources and we’ve created a world where we take take take without replenishing. No one cares until it hits their pockets.

I know that we are in this position down to ideology (hint: don’t vote Tory) but maybe for once people will be forced to live more simply and less selfishly.

Yes and part of the solution to this is investing in sustainable energy which the government has failed to do for the last 10 years. Only now are they talking about investing in offshore wind farms.

The solution to the energy crisis isn’t putting up prices and elderly people dying from pneumonia but providing consumers with more renewable energy. As a non driving, non flying vegetation, we all need to consume less, yes. Lifestyle choices do have to be made, but the government has to support people through this crisis. They’ve wasted billions on Covid handouts to their mates.

*Vegetarian

Our issue when it comes to heating is we don’t have radiators that can be turned off so when the heating is on every single radiator is on

So far today we have used 2KWH of electricity and 19 KWH gas.

Which is £1.67 for gas and £1 for electricity including the standing charge.

45p SC for electricity plus 2 units at 28p each
27p SC for gas plus 19 units at 7p

(I have noticed that the Smart Meter hasn't updated the tariffs yet)

@itrytomakemyway the way we were living is unsustainable. We sat in our warm homes, burning fossil fuels whilst the majority of the world did without. Now the party is over. We arent entitled to more than our fair share of everything and the bill for environmental damage is coming due. Nothing unfair about that.

Weve had years to sort out clean energy and fuel efficient homes but nah, couldn't be arsed. Well this is where weve brought ourselves.

That's odd. I was billed £6.69 yesterday for 16 days (gas) between last reading and 31/03. I have a combi boiler plus gas hob.
Working it out the bill should have been £6.04. so I rang EDF and they re-billed me for £6 which I paid.
It's simple to get corrected and they have a lot on their plates at the moment.

There are lots of potential ways to reduce energy usage and there are ways Government can help:

Energy efficiency - make the way we use energy more efficient. If you are going to design a device that uses energy, ensure that it makes the most of the energy it uses. Try to reduce the wasted energy.

Using energy in industry - don't forget that many industrial processes use a lot of energy. The aluminium industry is a classic example. Can we look at industry and ensure that it uses energy effectively?

Insulation - can we make our homes, our businesses much less wasteful. How much energy is wasted through our roofs, windows, ceilings?

We have got a lot lot better at using energy. But we can do even better.

I'm torn on this because yeah, we have been spoiled. But next winter will be grim. Older and vulnerable people will actually die, as they used to in my youth before heating was normal and expected. It's easy enough to say we need to be more careful, but it's those at the bottom of the pile who will suffer and die.