If this is correct, how can a family afford to pay then?

[InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest]

This is my latest electricity bill. I live alone, in a big (five-bed) house. I am very careful with electricity and gas usage because that's how I was brought up. I don't leave lights on when I leave a room, I use the washing machine every other day and same with the tumble dryer. I use a hair dryer/styling tools once every couple of weeks. Heating is gas and so is cooking. I have checked the meter and it seems to be working just fine. Does this bill seem correct to you? If so, do you mind sharing how much you use/pay and how many people you live with? AIBU in saying that this is not normal for a person living alone? Thank you.

There are 4 of us in a 4 bed house £207 per month. Washing machine on every day, small dishwasher on twice a day most days, heating off beginning May - end Sept., hairdryer and straighteners on daily, loads of lamps and lights, fridge freezer, small additional freezer, gadgets, heating on around 20-21degrees, emersion on around twice a month, but no tumble dryer. Why not switch to octopus? At least you can keep a really good eye on bills? Also don’t use the tumble.

Your electricity use seems really high to me. There are three of us in a five bedroom house and we have used less than half of what you use and we aren't careful. I think you should investigate the cause.

[quote InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest]@BarbaraofSeville I tried switching things on and off but it doesn't seem to make much difference to my smart meter - I wonder if it's faulty.

My gas usage is very low. CH on for two hours a couple of nights a week, and hot water on for one hour at night. I mostly eat microwaveable meals, sandwiches or salad so don't really use my stove.[/quote]
@InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest
If you’re not using your oven much it makes your high consumption even odder.
Something in your house is using an excessive amount of electricity.
You do need to try turning off everything that you know to be using power and see what your smart meter says then - should be zero and if not there’s something you weren’t aware of.
If zero, then turn things on one at a time and see what makes it shoot up.
(Tumble dryer will, but only for a limited amount of time, & nowhere near your 27kwh per day)

I paint in the evenings and have a horse so I get quite mucky! I don't like using towels if they haven't been tumble dried because they don't get fluffy if I air dry them.

If you are only going to wear clothes the once and you want your towels to be tumble-dried, they are luxuries you're going to have to pay for.

Lol at all the people saying it isn't excessive. It is. What is happening with power bills is a scandal and it's going to directly impact the poorest families, vulnerable people and elderly the most.

But yes Mumsnet will just nod along and boast how they pay more or how they power a family of 7 on tuppence.

3 of us in a 2 bed and I pay £49 a month for electric and £49 a month for gas. I don’t have a tumble drier or dish washer but we are not particularly careful with other things

Definitely something wrong there we live in a 4 bed and use about 600kw a month with a baby and 3 adults working from home and an adult son who leaves everything on.
Our electric is about £80 a month!

@Wonderfulstuff

Lol at all the people saying it isn't excessive. It is. What is happening with power bills is a scandal and it's going to directly impact the poorest families, vulnerable people and elderly the most.

But yes Mumsnet will just nod along and boast how they pay more or how they power a family of 7 on tuppence.

Not saying it's not excessive- it's is but it's how much it costs atm unfortunately and only go in to go up

To everyone suggesting it's the tumble dryer, I doubt it because I always use mine in winter and my electricity use is no where near as high.

4 bed house
4 adults
£98 a month for both

It's awful Op. I have a five bedroom detached house for a family of six and our electricity has gone from £80 a month to almost double!! We are sitting in blankets now to try to cut it down. And now I hear petrol is going up, oil and gas??? We will all just freeze to death I guess.😭

@MargotEmin

You're not as careful as you think you are if you're using your washing machine and tumble drier every other day! That's not normal in a single person (or even a two person) household.

Surely wash my machine usage is what it is? If there is that much washing then not done by it doesn’t make it go away? It’ll just pile up. Ours gets run every day and is a large machine and is full. We run the tumble dryer for every load too.

You have a, smart meter. They are made to benefit your supplier not you. They are not green! You now are charged different tarrifs depending on what you use when. Ask your supplier for the complete breakdown of charges... And don't take No for the answer.

Ours had just gone up to £270 a month, it was £118 a month until Aug last year, and we live in a 4 bed house. I think we are all in for a big hit with utilities, quite worrying

Ditch the Tumble dryer.

Surely wash my machine usage is what it is? If there is that much washing then not done by it doesn’t make it go away? It’ll just pile up. Ours gets run every day and is a large machine and is full. We run the tumble dryer for every load too.
It isn't what it is unless everything you are washing is too dirty to wear or use again. If you can wear or use things for longer then there will be less washing.

We are a family of 5 (we have 3 boys…this matters due to washing levels 😆). 3 bed end terrace. I’d say medium sized. This is our usage for Jan. We were still in a deal which ended at the end of Jan. The costs this month are a bit less, but we are now on standard rate and have been making a big concerted effort to reduce usage. I bought some rubber dryer balls that Bash the washing about, this has reduced my drying time in the tumbler by about 30% alone. Had the hearing on less (I’m in the North so often on here) but we’ve had some mild days that have meant I haven’t had to have it on. I’m glad the prices are going up at a time when less gas usage is needed. Electricity is by far our biggest cost. I try and make sure every big appliance we purchase has an A rating. I do at least 2 loads of washing per day and more at the weekends with towels and bedding added in. I can’t wait for the weather to improve so I can line dry most clothes 😂

*had the heating on less

Wish I could turn my hearing off 🙈😬🤣

I am so worried about this. My gas bill will nearly double in March. I'm a single parent and money is really tight as it is. I am gutted but thankful I will still be able to pay (for now). I am so angry that people will be left cold in 2022

The up coming April price increases are very worrying. I received this email from my supplier british gas showing an example of how prices are going to increase. I honestly cannot believe they are putting prices up so much. Many families will really struggle with this increase. I will definitely not be able to afford to hear my 3 bed semi next winter. I feel it will become a luxury to have a warm home.

3 bed house for 2 of us and we pay around £70 a month for gas and electricity combined in the winter

that should read afford to heat my home not hear!

I've literally just done my bill from 23rd Jan to 23rd Feb - the cost is £100.04. That's for 2 of us at home all day every day, we use washing machine for about 6 loads a week which may include bed linens from our 2 bedroom holiday let which is in the garden, and runs off of our electricity. We generally tumble dry, and the price includes 2 people for 2 weeks using the holiday let, so either your place is very poorly insulated like ours which is an old stone cottage, or you are using something you're not aware of.

Speakuptomakeyourselfheard

Is that electric only or have you gas as well?

our electricity is £30 a month atm on prepayment meter and have 2 kids in a 2 bedroom terrace. We can have had it down £20 a month as well but seem to use more this time of year.