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’s what the app on my phone is for.

I can’t remember that on top of everything else I need to.

the price cap refers to the per kWh rates set twice a year. It really doesn't have anything to do with usage

If you use 12,000 KWH per annum of gas at 7.37p per KWH and 27.22 per day standing charge and 2900 KWH of electrcity at 28.34p per KWH and a daily standing charge of 45.34p per day (the new amounts) you will pay £1971

That is the price cap. Which is the typical amount someone will pay if they use the typical values of energy.

If they use less or more energy, they will pay less or more. But they will still pay the same price per unit and the same daily standing charge.

@DdraigGoch I’m not doing anything to put them off showering! I have to nag as it is… I however love a long shower. I hope it doesn’t come to timing bloody showers

Why does it worry you?

I know the electric heating is the biggest cost and work around that when possible. Apart from that idea, but if something needs charging, I'm going to charge it.

I can't do anything about the standing charge. I shop around for the best deal.

So what is it that worries you?

*Apart from that, I have no idea

I have absolutely no idea what we use or how much each unit costs. I know what the monthly DD is (roughly double what it was a year ago).

So what is it that worries you

I was going to say surprised - but then I thought people would react to that.

It does surprise me that in general people know what they spend per year / per month but haven't got much of an idea about their actual usage, especially when it comes to the high power devices.

Bills are going to go up - with an effect on people's expenditure. There seems to be quite a few people who aren't aware of what their usage is and what really needs to be done to reduce bills.

If you are in the situation where you're needing to boil one flask a day instead of making multiple teas then I can see why you would know this information, especially as you might want to change habits then compare before and after. But everyone knows that nothing is free and a cup of tea costs a teabag, a bit on the water bill, milk, and the power to heat it.

@LubaLuca

I have absolutely no idea what we use or how much each unit costs. I know what the monthly DD is (roughly double what it was a year ago).

I think it's useful to know roughly - things like an electric shower can really add up.

50p for 10 minutes. A household of people could be £2 per day, £60 a month, £720 a year.

Just on showers.

I have no idea. I know how much we pay per month but don't ever look at the bills.

If you are in the situation where you're needing to boil one flask a day instead of making multiple teas

It costs about 1p to boil a cup of water in a kettle.

So if people knew that, then maybe they wouldn't worry too much about that compared to other things that could save much more money.

I have no idea how much we use but I'm not worried, it's our only bill that we cannot opt out of. It is what it is...

@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 🤷🏻‍♀️

Exactly this!

@cakeorwine

So what is it that worries you

I was going to say surprised - but then I thought people would react to that.

It does surprise me that in general people know what they spend per year / per month but haven't got much of an idea about their actual usage, especially when it comes to the high power devices.

Bills are going to go up - with an effect on people's expenditure. There seems to be quite a few people who aren't aware of what their usage is and what really needs to be done to reduce bills.

I feel like there's a real trend for people to avoid saying what they mean. 😂

I am renowned for being tighter than a gnat's arse, but apart from controlling the boiler, there's not a lot of electric use that can be altered for me. I suspect it's the same for many.

It costs about 1p to boil a cup of water in a kettle.
Thanks, that's useful to know. So my hot water bottle is costing me only 4p a day

Not everyone is able to have gas to heat their homes. I can’t. I have oil. I know how many litres I use in an average year.

Electricity I’m on a prepaid meter so I know how much it costs per day on average but I’ve no idea how many kWh I use. My meter is read by the electric board once or twice a year.

I’m already parsimonious with the heat and electric - I live alone half the year, I only heat the rooms I use and I still need to cook. I rarely use a tumble drier.

Honestly I don’t know what benefit it would be to me to know how many kWh of electricity I use as I can’t cut back much more. It’s more useful for my budget to know how much in £ it costs me.

@cakeorwine

the price cap refers to the per kWh rates set twice a year. It really doesn't have anything to do with usage

If you use 12,000 KWH per annum of gas at 7.37p per KWH and 27.22 per day standing charge and 2900 KWH of electrcity at 28.34p per KWH and a daily standing charge of 45.34p per day (the new amounts) you will pay £1971

That is the price cap. Which is the typical amount someone will pay if they use the typical values of energy.

If they use less or more energy, they will pay less or more. But they will still pay the same price per unit and the same daily standing charge.

Have you actually looked up what the price cap means? I suspect not as you are still saying the wrong thing.

From literally every website covers this

The price cap sets a limit on the maximum amount suppliers can charge for each unit of gas and electricity you use

per unit nothing to do with average usage, seriously you are confusing the answer to the multiplication of the per unit price cap times the average usage with what price cap means

I don’t boil a full kettle. I have a cup boil machine or use a dolce gusto machine to make a single cup of coffee.

I wouldn't know offhand. I know it's likely a fair bit more than the average household as we have two electric cars.

But I could find out pretty quickly via the eon app, which has all my previous usage and bills on it.

Honestly I don’t know what benefit it would be to me to know how many kWh of electricity I use as I can’t cut back much more. It’s more useful for my budget to know how much in £ it costs me

Would it be useful to know which gadgets don't use much energy and those that do - so you would know roughly what it cost to run them?

@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 .

this. I know what I pay each month and how much i expect to be in credit during the warmer months. I think so long as you have a handle on it in some way then its fine....whatever works for you.

Would it be useful to know which gadgets don't use much energy and those that do - so you would know roughly what it cost to run them?
I should vacuum less, right? I know I need to restock the freezer so it's not losing so much air when I open it.

Have you actually looked up what the price cap means? I suspect not as you are still saying the wrong thing

Energy regulator Ofgem has just announced that the energy price cap will rise by 54% from 1 April 2022. On typical use, it's set to increase from £1,277/year to £1,971/year – adding a massive £693/year to the average household bill.

From Martin Lewis

www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/what-is-the-energy-price-cap/

And yes, it also says

Bear in mind, the new cap level isn't the maximum anyone will pay. The price cap sets a limit on the rates you pay for each unit of gas and electricity, so if you use more, you'll pay more.

So both are true.

The price cap has gone up by 54%

The price cap sets a limit on the price per KWH and standing charge.

Currently on 17.6p per kwh for electric and 2.9p per kwh for gas.
Awaiting the massive hike after our deal ends in June...
We have nothing "on" that doesn't have to be and I've been known to turn the TV to standby during advert breaks
I want to know how much the daily standing charge will increase, because I bet it's more than inflation.

I honestly have much more interesting things to think about than how many kWh I use. We're not wasteful with energy and there's chuff all we can do about price increases.