Direct debit going up to £600pm?

[nogella]

It's just me, DS and DD.

I don't even own a telly. They just get broken. Lights rarely on. I mostly just use the microwave for food, and oven a max of 15 mins a time. During the day none of that is in use really

What on earth am I spending £600 a month on exactly?! Charging phones and the shower?

I don't know what to do. What will I do! I don't really use my energy anyway. So I can't cut back either and I can't afford £600 a month. I don't have that. It doesn't exist even if I stopped eating

These type of threads stress me out I genuinely worry many people don’t understand how they are billed for gas/electric or how to work out there usage and will panic and take on ridiculous fixes price deals

I used just over 60 quid in electric this month - me and 2 dc , 3 bed house . on a pre pay meter which are notoriously expensive , out at work for 3 out of 7 days this week. Usual sort of gadgets etc and deffo room for improvement switching things off

it’s insanse what some people are paying

Sorry meant to add the other weeks this month out at work 4 out of 7 days

In your first post you ask can your electric bill really be so high from “showers and charging phone” implying your don’t use much else (not even a telly you say in your op) but then you mention you have your tumble drier on all the time and your son needs to shower 3/4 times a day - logically you must also be using your washing machine a lot too?

so why are you surprised your electric bill is high? I’m sympathetic to your situation but I don’t see how you were surprised to have bills.

*have high bills, you must realise that your uses of those machines and washing frequency aren’t typical?

These type of threads stress me out I genuinely worry many people don’t understand how they are billed for gas/electric or how to work out there usage and will panic and take on ridiculous fixes price deals

Me too!

But this is what the energy companies are banking on…

I dont see how this is possible?! Isn't the standing charge alone about £20? Unless your house I pretty much energy self sufficient? Do you have solar panels, a wind turbine and an enormous battery for storing energy?

@benning yes absolutely agree they are !

They can't estimate properly based on this you need to submit a meter reading asap so you can work out your average usage over the last 6 months.

Agreed. The more we talk about it the better. People must be shamed fir these threads, it's important that we all have somewhere to ask questions.

OP do you live in a flat? If not that stop using the tumble dryer. It is a huge waste of energy if you have outside space.

generating heat is the most kinetic energy used.
My washing machine can be spinning but not going orange on my meter.
While it's heating the water for the washing machine however, my meter goes orange.
Light doesn't require much energy.

I can have the washing machine on, spinning, and it's just green (low usage) but when I turn my kettle on, my meter goes orange.

Generating heat is the least effective form of energy transference.

I think the word 'low power' is better than low usage.

Because you may end up using a lot of energy IF it's on for a long time

Oh.

My electricity for July was 317 kWH which cost £100
my gas was 210kWh which cost £20

People will be turning lights off and blasting heat out because they don't understand basic concepts.

Don't get me started on the kettle / thermos thing.

I hear about people saying they will be sitting in the dark. It's so worrying. I don't think they understand how energy works

I'm aware of time lol.

Indeed.

I think that's one of the misleading things about energy monitors as they go 'red' when a high power device is used - but you have to do some working out to identify the low power devices that are always on - and just show as 'green' on the monitor.

And yes, I've done that work....

Heated airer and can you afford an air fryer?

Apparently cheaper than microwave but I love mine! It's much faster than an oven. £50 cost co for mine..

Don't complicate matters lol. People seem to be dim enough here. They will be dimmer still in the winter.

The way our physics teacher tried to explain it to us idiots was, if you imagine you're peddling a wheel to fuel a light. Peddling will light a small little light on your bicycle. Then imagine trying to heat water while peddling.

If you can imagine that the filament in a light bulb is let's say 0.1cm thick.

The filament in a kettle is about 10 times as thick and 10 times as long.

Try to compare that to a heating system?

I think I should give up because nobody will understand.

Scented candles may well be the Christmas present of 2022

OK, taking my own advice :-)

4-bed recently built detached house, 2 adults. We had solar panels and battery installed last December and run an EV. Only been in the house a year and solar less than a year, so annual usage still somewhat estimated: gas 9,500kWh; electricity roughly 4,800kWh, but only 2,500 of that is imported.

Tariffs: gas - Octopus Tracker - rate varies daily based on wholesale price, but capped at 6p, standing charge is 15.09p I have that till next April.

Electricity: was on Octopus Go 5p/16.26p up to 29th July. Now on Go Faster 7.5p/40.9p, 51.36p standing charge. Approximately 80% of my import is at the cheap rate.

My last bill covering 26th July- 25th August was for 87.7 kWh gas, cost £9.93, and 54kWh electricity costing £21.39. I also received £6.28 for exported electricity and £8.61 from my ownership in the Ripple wind turbine.

My direct debit is £75 per month. Will need to review before my Tracker contract expires in April, as the cap has been raised 3 times already since I joined and is now 22p.

I am all over my energy use like a rash. Sometimes having an ADHD-inspired obsession is useful.

Was there a question in there?