Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

How is my energy bill this high??

44 replies

reuio · 07/01/2023 19:01

126 for electric. Fine.

380 for gas?! I use the heating on 18.5 around 10 hours in every 24 hours, with only two radiators on. The rest are turned off. Have a vulnerable partner who needs the house warm so we have no option with heating but does this sound right, 380? So worried.

OP posts:
Original poster
reuio · 07/01/2023 19:02

These figures are for a month

OP posts:
MyFuckRationsAreDepleated · 07/01/2023 19:02

Check your usage on your meter and work it out? Have they used estimated or actual readings?

Alannahxx · 07/01/2023 19:06

We tried turning radiators we didn't use off one year and it didn't make any difference to our bill ( in fact it was higher with some switched off as think then has to be on longer to keep just 2x rooms warm). Our bill for Dec was about the sane as yours ( 3 bed semi)

NewBootsAndRanty · 07/01/2023 19:07

My December gas bill worked out pretty high because of the cold snap/colder month where I am - my usage this week is a hell of a lot lower than it was during the coldest bit (think about £3 a day v £10).

NewBootsAndRanty · 07/01/2023 19:10

Have a look at your bill for last December too (although it was a lot milder) and compare your kwh usage.

Obviously unless you're on a fixed tariff the cost of gas has massively increased over the last 12 months

Beezknees · 07/01/2023 19:13

How big is your house? Is it old or badly insulated?

I don't scrimp on heating, I have it on at 20 degrees for 2 hours in the morning and 3 in the evening and then set to 16 the rest of the time. My total energy bill for December was £250. That's for a 2 bedroom modern flat.

NewBootsAndRanty · 07/01/2023 19:15

@Beezknees Mine was about the same for a 1 bed Victorian conversion flat without double glazing or insulation; my heating was on at 18 overnight and 21 in the day though.

Youcancallmeirrelevant · 07/01/2023 19:20

Heating for 10hours every day is a lot, but if you need it warm then not much you can do. Compare to kwh usuage from lqst devember to see if your usage has increased or its just the cost per unit

DonnaDonna0 · 07/01/2023 19:23

I have a similar bill for three bed flat, over £400 for gas and electricity and I have been careful. I just don’t think we have realised just how expensive it actually works out now.
But let’s worry about 16-18years doing more Maths and what Harry is moaning about this week, the government; with help from the press are deflecting the publics real issues.

mrsm43s · 07/01/2023 19:30

It may well be that much for December, but that's likely to be one of the highest usage months of the year. Generally homes only use a lot of heating in 3 or 4 months of the year, and the usage in the other months is much, much less and minimal over the summer months when the heating is off. The point of your DD is to even out the payments for usage throughout the year. Hopefully you built up a good cushion over the summer months and the mild autumn which goes towards paying this. Ultimately if your DP has heath conditions you need to heat the house to keep him healthy. The government has given you £400 plus £150 (plus other payments depending on circumstances), so please use that money to keep yourselves warm and healthy.

Calmdown14 · 07/01/2023 19:32

I think your electric is quite high as well. Is that for electric showers and cooking or are these gas? Unless your house is very large?

How many KWh of each did you use?

PotteringAlonggotkickedoutandhadtoreregister · 07/01/2023 19:36

You’ve had the heating on for 10 hours a day. That seems pretty likely to me.

NewBootsAndRanty · 07/01/2023 19:37

Same, @Calmdown14
If the electric is on the high end of the price cap, say 35p/kwh, that's 300kwh+ of electric...

TimeForMeToF1y · 07/01/2023 19:37

Calmdown14 · 07/01/2023 19:32

I think your electric is quite high as well. Is that for electric showers and cooking or are these gas? Unless your house is very large?

How many KWh of each did you use?

High in what way? There's no absolute standard that energy costs can be measured against and you have no idea about how much energys she uses or what rate she's payong

If it's based on actual meter readings and the correct rate then it's accurate.

Maybe it's less than you pay or less than the OP could pay if she reduced her usage but saying it's quite high is meaningless

whomoon · 07/01/2023 19:41

check your boiler and see what temperature the radiators are set at.
apparently it needs only be around 60 degrees. If it’s a lot higher, your boiler works extra hard to get up to this temperature using more energy, regardless what your thermostat is set at.
I’m not a scientist at all but heard reducing
this temperature down on a lot of expert advice.

for a combi boiler too I assume. Mine was set at 85! Down to 60 now. No difference in house temperature and the boiler isn’t working as hard.

Calmdown14 · 07/01/2023 19:50

@TimeForMeToF1y Well given the electric alone is higher than my monthly use and I don't have a gas supply so that's all water heating, heating in several rooms, cooking etc I'd say it is high.

There may be reasons like medical equipment but if the OP has a gas shower or cooker I'd be looking into what is using so much...hence the questions.

The gas is the largest cost but no reason not to look at electric too given the OP needs heat.

welshweasel · 07/01/2023 19:56

We have our heating set on 15 degrees then heat one room to 17-18 degrees for a few hours in the evening. Our gas bill this month is looking to be around £400.

TheOnlyKoiInAPondOfGoldfish · 07/01/2023 20:04

It really does depend on how well insulated your house is and where the heat is going - I have a well insulated, modern, 3 bed (9 radiators) and the thermostat is set to 20 from 7am to 11.30 pm. My gas bill was £182 for December. I dread to think what I would have been paying in my old 1930's house, where I always seemed to be cold no matter what the thermostat said.

theblackradiator · 09/01/2023 11:39

I live in one of those 1930s always cold no matter what the thermostat says houses that previous poster mentioned. its often warmer outside than in my house and due to its location I don't get a great deal of sunlight to warm the house its even cold during the summer. I have every kind of insulation but has made no difference. like another poster says I cannot believe Harry and Megan and kids doing maths until 18 are the big news stories when the biggest issues in the country right now is people not being able to heat their homes and choosing between eating or heating. I cannot afford the almost £10 per day on gas alone it would cost me to heat my home to a comfortable temperature and that's with a brand new AA rated boiler. I cannot get my washing dry its been on the maiden 4 days and still damp. The £66 per month government help goes straight onto the electric so no help with gas heating. I can't believe everything has gone quiet on this energy bill crisis and we're expect to just suck it up and freeze unless you are well off and can afford it. I've massive reduced my central heating use and most days don't switch it on at all and it's bloody cold. I switched it on for 4 hours the other day and it cost over £4 according to my smart meter thermostat was set at 20. Boiler is set to all eco settings.

Hdhabvdhhebsb · 09/01/2023 12:07

As a comparison, my December bill (from actual readings) is £260 (£75 electric and £185 gas) for a 4 bed detached. Electricity used is down on last year at 180kwh and gas is up a bit at 1687 kWh.
Cost per day for December for elec/gas £8.35.
I am very frugal and have always had lower energy costs compared to some so I sympathise with those that have to have the heating on a lot more 😞

Hdhabvdhhebsb · 09/01/2023 12:10

It's a 1920's house too.

Ginmonkeyagain · 09/01/2023 12:20

It's hard to now if it is high without knowing what you are using gas for - is it just heating for is it cooking and heating water too? Also how big is your house and how old is it?

We have a two bed flat with double glazing and pay about £105 per month for both gas and electricity. We use gas for central heating, water and the hob. We have the heating on 18 degrees about 2 - 5 hours a day (depending on how cold it is) and never on at night and have 2 showers a day (eg two people live here and both shower every day)

I suspect it is the heating on for 10 hours a day that is doing it.

I also think turning the radiators off in most rooms is probably not doing much to help. Turn them down, not off.

kessiebird · 09/01/2023 12:38

We have a drafty 1930s three bed, no heating on the stairs which doesn't help.

Electric for December £110
Gas for December £156

We've had heating on between 2 and 4 hours per day on average. Letting the temp sit between 14 and 19 during the day / evening and drops to between 12 and 14 overnight. I WFH and do movement breaks (cleaning) or will head to an office if its unbearable (which is was the week it snowed in December). DH and DC are at work, school and college.

We have a log burner which heats downstairs to between 20 and 24 and I check the DC are warm enough in their rooms in the evening.

So if you need your heating on 10 hours due to a vulnerable DP I can imagine yours is about right. My DM is the same. Sorry it is worrying. And agree it should be making headlines. 🙁🙁

Comefromaway · 09/01/2023 12:42

My December gas bill was twice the price/usage of my November one for the following reasons

The incredibly cold snap we had. The heating was on for the same length of time each day but had to work harder/call for more heat to get to the temperature set on the thermostat

Ds came home from uni mid December and used a lot more hot water and had his radiator on

We were at home more over Christmas than we usually are when we are at work so were putting the heat on for a little extra time in the day plus there was all the extra cooking etc that happens over Christmas.

I expect my usage to revert back to normal this month.

kessiebird · 09/01/2023 12:51

Ps. We once turned off the two radiators downstairs and used the log burner and it made very little difference to the bill.