to be worried by how many people don't know roughly how much energy they use?

[cakeorwine]

Read loads of threads on here about people being surprised by their bills. I appreciate that some people struggle to read meters but Smart Meters are more common nowadays and people do get regular bills.

It seems that there are people who are unaware of how much they pay per KWH, their standing charge and roughly how many units they use - and how it can vary.

For information - the 'average house' is supposed to use 2400 KWH of electricity and 12,000 KWH of gas per year.

That's what the price cap is based on - with the appropriate charge per KWH and a standing charge.

Knowing what you pay per month isn't that helpful if you don't know how much you use - and that's when the new charges and tariffs are going to hurt.

If you know what devices use power, you may be able to make changes.

I know some people know this and how much power they use but I worry that there are many people who don't and will get really caught out.

That isn't correct, it's not what an "average" house is supposed to use it's what they would use if they did average/expected things. It's a meaningless figure anayway as obviously there aren't average households doing average things

It's the typical domestic consumption value

www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/price-cap-increase-ps693-april

The values shown in the text above include VAT and are expressed for the current Typical Domestic Consumption Values (TDCV) of 2,900kWh of electricity, 12,000kWh of gas, and 4,200kWh of electricity for Economy 7.

This is also totally wrong and back to front. The price cap per kWh rates are set based on the costs of supplying the energy, nothing at all to do with usage

The price cap is based on the typical domestic consumptin values.

So if you use those typical values, then you will pay the price cap.

Obviously you pay more or less depending on your actual usage, but the typical consumer will use about those amounts and pay approximatley £1971

But it's the price per KWH and the standing charge and what YOU use that you need to know.

I haven’t a clue what we use. We use what we need so it doesn’t really matter. We change supplier every now and again when they promise a better price but it’s always worked out pretty much the same.

I genuinely don't care to be honest - I'll look at my bill and plug the numbers in when I need to chance tariff or suppliers - I have too much to think / worry about as it is without adding bloody kilowatts to the pile. It's not going to stop me needing to use the same amount of gas and electricity knowing the kWhs 🤷🏻‍♀️

@marqueses

Typical energy usage

www.ukpower.co.uk/home_energy/average-household-gas-and-electricity-usage

If you’re going to struggle to pay the bill and need to make cut backs it’s helpful to know. Or just cut down in general by turning off lights, not using a tumble dryer for example. My bill has reduced recently so I’m enjoying that for now but am more mindful about switching things off at the moment but I am a cold person so if I need the heating on it goes on. Of course I don’t walk around in a T-shirt so hoodies / thick socks first but then it’s the heating on

Worried? Why?

I have no idea how much I use, but if I ever wanted or needed to know, it would only take a few moments to look up my online bills and note the figures. I know kWh are in the low 20-pence range for both fuels, and that the standing charges are also in the low 20s per day.

I look at the smart meter from time to time, and notice a difference between days when I've run the diswasher and days when I haven't, or that it's a bit more on very cold days. I notice the electricity usage zoom up when I put the kettle on.

But I also know I'm paying £80-ish a month and that I build up credit during the summer, it reduces in the winter and, unless we have a very cold spell before the spring starts, I'll still be in credit when it starts to warm up and the credit builds up again.

I don't need to know how much I use or the unit price until the time comes to look at what deal I can get late next year. I'm praying that the wholesale price has dropped a fair bit by then, or it will make a huge difference to my outgoings.

But it's the price per KWH and the standing charge and what YOU use that you need to know

It's really not. The bill is going to be the same whether I know these numbers or not .

For information - the 'average house' is supposed to use 2400 KWH of electricity and 12,000 KWH of gas per year.
I use about 1,000 kWh of electricity, but 16,000 kWh of gas.

@ohhooh

I genuinely don't care to be honest - I'll look at my bill and plug the numbers in when I need to chance tariff or suppliers - I have too much to think / worry about as it is without adding bloody kilowatts to the pile. It's not going to stop me needing to use the same amount of gas and electricity knowing the kWhs 🤷🏻‍♀️

What might change you is that if you are like me, the quote from our current supplier for our elec, from July, is double the amount we are paying now. My DH did the call. He isnt shocked by much, but he was shocked by that.

@xyzandabc

But it's the price per KWH and the standing charge and what YOU use that you need to know

It's really not. The bill is going to be the same whether I know these numbers or not .

If you are on a fixed rate for a while, then true.

If you are changing, and if you are running devices like showers etc, it can surprise people to realise that their 10 minute shower cost 50p.

I have no idea. Probably not going to check (and I moved to somewhere twice the size 9 months ago so no use comparing to what I used this time last year). I use what I use. I can’t bear being cold and I rent an old, single-glazed flat. Anything non-warmth related isn’t really negotiable as that’s my lifestyle. It’s a win if I cook so I definitely can’t be arsed trying to make myself cook multiple things while the oven is on (for example).

You know how much energy you use - great. Why are you worried that other people don’t? It’s got zero to do with you.

@DdraigGoch

For information - the 'average house' is supposed to use 2400 KWH of electricity and 12,000 KWH of gas per year. I use about 1,000 kWh of electricity, but 16,000 kWh of gas.

Hang on, no I don't, I'd accidentally left the conversion thing in imperial (who defaults to imperial these days). The gas figure is more like 5,600. That's more like it.

Probably not going to check (and I moved to somewhere twice the size 9 months ago so no use comparing to what I used this time last year

That's a good point. I wonder how many people know what the heating bills are like when they either rent or buy a new place. Obviously it can vary - but knowing the gas in KWH is going to be way better than knowing the bill.

I’ve not got a clue. We’ve been on the list for a smart meter for years but are not in a priority area. With 3 dds we have multiple devices on charge, every light on in the house most of the time and dh works from home so heating is on a lot too. How would knowing our usage actually help when so much is out of my control (unless I fancy spending my days yelling at a teenager and 2 pre teens)?

I would guess that most people don't know the kw amount of usage. I don't know how many litres of fuel i put in my car each week, but I know the dollar amount.

On my statement there is a comparison from year to year, so you can see if you are using more, but most times it's easy to figure out that this January was much colder than last year, so more kw used, etc.

You're still wrong @cakeorwine the price cap refers to the per kWh rates set twice a year. It really doesn't have anything to do with usage.

You will see a figure quoted for how the price cap rates translates into ££ for the average use figure but that is not what the price cap means. There is no such thing as price cap usage.

Martin Lewis explains it better than me

But it's the price per KWH and the standing charge and what YOU use that you need to know

It's really not. The bill is going to be the same whether I know these numbers or not .

If you are on a fixed rate for a while, then true.

If you are changing, and if you are running devices like showers etc, it can surprise people to realise that their 10 minute shower cost 50p.

Sorry, I didn't explain well. I didn't mean the bills will be exactly the same each time (I pay quarterly for what I use rather than a monthly DD so my bills are different every quarter anyway, more in winter, less in summer, never any debit or credit build ups).

I meant that that 50p shower is going to cost me 50p whether I know the price and number of kWh or not. Whether I know or don't know the information the OP states, will not change the bill I get each quarter, it will be what it will be regardless.

I literally have no clue and wouldn’t know what it meant even if I did look at a bill. All I know is I pay £72 a month🙃

You know how much energy you use - great. Why are you worried that other people don’t? It’s got zero to do with you.

This. Why is it an issue?
I don’t know how much we use. I don’t need to. We already use as little as we can. Not much more I can do.

OP, you'll love me. I'm in the US but our elec/gas prices are also rising. I just got our latest monthly gas bill and it was $700. I was quite shocked but thought it must be the price rise plus maybe the effect of all the teens being home at once.

I duly went round reducing the temperature on thermostats - always fun when you live in Maine, it's one of the colder winters on record, you work from home wrapped in a blanket, and you're already not exactly over-heating the house.

Anyway, I eventually got round to reading the bill properly, and I forgot to pay last month's $350 bill, which is why this month it's $700.

@astroboy45

I literally have no clue and wouldn’t know what it meant even if I did look at a bill. All I know is I pay £72 a month🙃

What is the cost of the enegy that you actually use?

If it's £60 you'll be buidling up a credit but if it's £100 can you afford to pay the backlog?

@NeedAHoliday2021

I’ve not got a clue. We’ve been on the list for a smart meter for years but are not in a priority area. With 3 dds we have multiple devices on charge, every light on in the house most of the time and dh works from home so heating is on a lot too. How would knowing our usage actually help when so much is out of my control (unless I fancy spending my days yelling at a teenager and 2 pre teens)?

Stick a valve on the hot water supply to the shower. Once they've been in there for long enough, turn it off. If they still want to spend half an hour in a cold shower, that's on them...

Okay, looked it up:

Electric: 6,499
Gas: 10,494

So now I know this vital info what would you like me to do with it? Yes it’s above average but we have 5 people living in a larger than average house.