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Original poster

The new energy price cap

27 replies

Ozgirl75 · 27/02/2023 10:57

Seems to be going up from .35kwh to .51kwh.

In our house at the moment I seem to use about 28-31kwh per day and even if I cut everything to the bone (eg if we’re away for a few days) it only drops to about 25. That’s an increase of £5 per day.
Does anyone have any suggestions of what I can do to see exactly where I’m using all this electricity. I don’t have gas, but my heating and hot water is oil.

I run the dishwasher once a day at about 9pm. I do one wash per day, and normally one tumble dry but this only seems to add about £1.50 per day to the bill.

We have an electric shower but the water is heated by oil. Normal level of lights, plug sockets etc.

I just can’t figure what is costing us so much - a basic level of around £8 per day even if we aren’t there!

OP posts:
Shade17 · 27/02/2023 12:35

You’ve got a rogue appliance or immersion heater somewhere. Switch all the breakers off on your consumer unit and check the meter stops. Switch them on one at a time and see which one causes the meter to run quickly, that will narrow down the item that’s munching power.

pigsinoodies · 27/02/2023 13:20

Seems to be going up from .35kwh to .51kwh.

That's the new Ofgem price cap, but the Energy Price Guarantee will less than that - roughly 20% above the current rate, so 42p/kWh according to your figures.

Your consumption is another matter. You've got something seriously wrong there. Maybe a faulty meter or an immersion heater left permanently on by accident?

hedgehoglurker · 27/02/2023 13:28

Do you have an electric pump on your shower, or an electric shower? If the latter, it will cost a lot as it heats the water with electricity.

Interested in this thread?

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Cost of living
Original poster
Ozgirl75 · 27/02/2023 14:25

I don’t think I’ve got an immersion heater. We rent so I’m not really sure. How would I know?
I think the shower is just an electric pump because I have the hot water set to come on in the morning and evening whereas I wouldn’t have to do that if it was an electric shower I believe?

OP posts:
pigsinoodies · 27/02/2023 14:44

Well it's not the shower if you're still using that amount when you're not even there.

My house uses less than 2kwh per day when I'm not there. Yours seems to be using over 20. So there's either something (or lots of things) drawing a lot of power or you've a fault on your meter.

Shade17 · 27/02/2023 21:29

don’t think I’ve got an immersion heater. We rent so I’m not really sure. How would I know?

It will have its own breaker on the consumer unit and should be labelled. You’re going to have to spend some time on the process of elimination I’m afraid, but it will be worth it with that kind of usage.

hedgehoglurker · 28/02/2023 11:27

What does your shower look like? Is it a white box with a light on it - which is a typical style of electric shower, although others are available?

The hot water setting for twice a day will supply your kitchen and bathroom taps. Also the shower, if it is mains fed, but not if it is an electric shower that heats its own water.

SameOldJunk · 28/02/2023 11:36

Daft question but how do you know you are using 28+kwh per day? What are you using to determine that?

WinterMusings · 28/02/2023 11:51

@Ozgirl75

Your best bet is to firstly turn your consumer unit off to make sure your electric meter stops clicking over. If it doesn't, report a faulty meter.

after that, if it's still not obvious, you need to get a plug in monitor and test each major appliance. Washing machine & dryer while not working but also when they are. The fridge I'd leave testing for at least 48 hours to pick up any random cycles.

usually old appliances are the culprit

Kerfuffler · 28/02/2023 11:52

SameOldJunk · 28/02/2023 11:36

Daft question but how do you know you are using 28+kwh per day? What are you using to determine that?

Meter readings maybe?

Original poster
Ozgirl75 · 28/02/2023 11:58

Thanks so much for your suggestions on here. I’m going to turn everything off and see which is chewing through power.

I do think the shower is oil heated as when we moved in, we had a cold shower one day as the timer was set wrong.
And yes, when I moved in I took a meter reading and then I’ve been taking one at approx the same time every day since. Even when we went away for 4 days it only dropped it down about 1/3 over that period.

ive actually figured that a wash costs approx 1.00 and a tumble dry around 2.00 which isn’t too bad. Oven on for two hours seems to cost around 1.00. But there’s a “background” of around £6.00 per day which I can’t believe is normal with the fridge, sockets etc.

OP posts:
NewBootsAndRanty · 28/02/2023 12:02

My entire usage for a day when I'm home is usually around 1kwh if I'm not doing laundry.
Background use of £6/day is ridiculous.

pigsinoodies · 28/02/2023 12:09

Ozgirl75 · 28/02/2023 11:58

Thanks so much for your suggestions on here. I’m going to turn everything off and see which is chewing through power.

I do think the shower is oil heated as when we moved in, we had a cold shower one day as the timer was set wrong.
And yes, when I moved in I took a meter reading and then I’ve been taking one at approx the same time every day since. Even when we went away for 4 days it only dropped it down about 1/3 over that period.

ive actually figured that a wash costs approx 1.00 and a tumble dry around 2.00 which isn’t too bad. Oven on for two hours seems to cost around 1.00. But there’s a “background” of around £6.00 per day which I can’t believe is normal with the fridge, sockets etc.

A really stupid question but have you checked you're actually using oil and not heating the whole house using a back up electrical system somehow?

I don't even know if that's possible but your excess electricity use is actually higher than my total gas kWh use for heating and cooking.

Ginmonkeyagain · 28/02/2023 12:17

Somethign is draining your electricity massively. We use electricity and gas and so far today we have used 14 KwH - that is:

2 x showers
Heating on at 18 degrees for 3 hours
grill on for 10 mins
full kettle boiled
lights and radio on in one room for 6 hours
laptop and phone on charge
cooking lunch on gas for 10 mins.

Plus all the background stuff (eg router, fridge etc..)

SameOldJunk · 28/02/2023 12:43

Kerfuffler · 28/02/2023 11:52

Meter readings maybe?

Show quote history

Maybe (and admittedly I was vague and brief) but I've seen so many different methods on here that have led OPs to the wrong conclusions re their daily usage. I remember one poster whose energy usage was very high, turned out they were reading their neighbour's metre. Another who was using the 'usage month to date' as a daily reading.

As OPs electricity usage is VERY high, I thought it might be worth checking the basics: that they are actually using that amount to start with.

SameOldJunk · 28/02/2023 12:44

And yes, when I moved in I took a meter reading and then I’ve been taking one at approx the same time every day since. Even when we went away for 4 days it only dropped it down about 1/3 over that period.

Then something odd is happening. Agree with the approach of switching everything off and seeing what that does to the metre...

christmassausages · 28/02/2023 12:48

Even if you have an oil boiler for heat and water the actual boiler still uses electricity.

pigsinoodies · 28/02/2023 12:51

christmassausages · 28/02/2023 12:48

Even if you have an oil boiler for heat and water the actual boiler still uses electricity.

That's a negligible amount though, not 1 kW per hour, 24 hours a day.

Dizzywizz · 28/02/2023 14:38

It must be an immersion, surely? Lots of people have a back up immersion.

Original poster
Ozgirl75 · 28/02/2023 15:03

I’ve looked at the fuse board and there’s nothing there that says immersion.
Ive gone carefully round the house turning everything possible off at the wall but again, I can’t quite believe that sockets are contributing £6 ish per day to the bill!

OP posts:
ifonly4 · 28/02/2023 15:13

Re: the immersion - are there any switches near hot water tank or on it, or perhaps elsewhere in the house which you haven't needed to us.

Might be worth turning your electric off totally for a few hours, just to check your meter isn't moving. If it is, it's faulty.

Have you lived there long? Also, are you in a flat?

uncomfortablydumb53 · 28/02/2023 15:14

How old are your appliances?
Not saying they're solely responsible
All I can think of is an immersion heater which may be hidden in an airing cupboard or similar

Ginmonkeyagain · 28/02/2023 15:40

An immersion heather will be a round tank , often insulated in a jacket, with a hardwired electric switch next to it. These things eat electricity as they are just massive kettles.

As a compariosn we are in a two bed flat with gas and electricity and the most we spend at the moment per day on those fuels combined is about £6 and that is a really heavy using day - eg heating on, lots of cooking , washing machine on, dehumidifier running all day, showers and a bath, people in all day watching TV etc...

Shade17 · 28/02/2023 15:52

You need to work out which circuit on your consumer unit is causing the meter to run quickly, it should be fairly obvious with the amount of energy you’re using. Once you’ve identified that you can go though each item which is powered by that circuit in turn.

BayandBlonde · 28/02/2023 19:24

I have oil heating and water. I also have an electric immersion heater to heat the water in case the boiler packs up. If you have the same make sure your electric immersion is turned off.

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