Hot water tank

[Name234]

I'm sorry, v boring subject but I am single with no family support or anyone to help with these things and I can't find the answer online.
I live in a 2 bed flat which just uses electricity, no gas. My bill this month is £175 and I know there is an energy crisis but this still seems like a lot or am I wrong?? Anyway I have one of the old fashioned hot water tanks and I've never known (and am struggling to find a clear answer) on whether its cheaper to keep it switched on all the time or just switch it on for an hour or two when i need hot water which is what it takes to heat up.
Like lots of people I am really struggling for money at the moment any help would be much appreciated with answering thank you.

I might be wrong so I hope someone comes along soon to tell you. I believe a hot water tank uses electricity and electricity is more expensive.so I think it would cost more

we have small 2 bed house and ours is 190 so it sounds about right

Thanks for your reply. Do you mean it would cost more to leave it on constantly?

Definitely best to just have it on once or twice a day. This is quite a useful read:

selectra.ie/energy/guides/energy-saving/immersion-heater#:~:text=Do%20not%20leave%20your%20immersion,boil%20over%20and%20over%20again).

We have a combi now but when we had the hot water tank it was on for 45 mins a day and that was fine for day to day use and shallow baths when ds was small. We had an electric shower.

We experimented with keeping immersion heater (hot water tank) on and measuring the electricity used for a week and then the following week only switched it on about 1-2 hrs before it was needed. The reduction in electric use was huge. Felt a bit sick really thinking of all the wasted leccy over the years!

What is the £175 based on at the moment? Constant of a few hours a day?

Do you have an off peak tariff? Eg: Is it heated overnight and kept warm by an insulation jacket?
How many people in your property take daily showers/baths?
Do you run a dishwasher or if dishes done by hand then would you usually just boil a kettle for that or rely on instant hot water from the boiler?

Are you eligible for any funding to replace your boiler?

Sounds like an immersion tank. Just set it for an hour morning and night