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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

570 replies

InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest · 22/02/2022 10:13

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.

If this is correct, how can a family afford to pay then?
OP posts:
Thread gallery
19
girlmom21 · 22/02/2022 10:39

You're doing a lot of washing for a single person so yeah it looks about right

SleepingStandingUp · 22/02/2022 10:39

That's for six weeks. In comparison we used about 690 KWH costing about £171.

Three kids so loads of washing machine and tumble dryer, telly on lots, electric cooker, shower, lights on a fair bit

ComDummings · 22/02/2022 10:40

Try and use the dryer less, make sure you have low energy bulbs and always use the eco cycles on washing machines - even though they take much longer, they use much less electricity. It sucks but I have a small house and we pay £180 a month for gas and electric combined, most of which is the electricity because we barely use gas except for heating so that part of the bill is always small.

Original poster
InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest · 22/02/2022 10:42

@FawnFrenchieMum

Looking at that being 46 days and not one month, then its very similar to mine, family in a four bed three story town house.
OK so mine is too high, right?
OP posts:
astoundedgoat · 22/02/2022 10:42

@Svara

Your electricity is what we use in a year
In England? Shock
Original poster
InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest · 22/02/2022 10:43

@Fatgalslim

Not really the point but why do you live alone in a 5 bed house, if the bills are too much could you downsize?
I never said I can't afford it - I just think it seems high. I like having a big home - I have adult stepkids who visit/stay every now and again and I like being able to have them over overnight :-)
OP posts:
MrsPnut · 22/02/2022 10:44

I’ve just checked out bills and from 01/01 to 14/02 we used 958kw of electricity. There are 4 of us here and we wash every day and tumble dry bedding and towels only. We have an electric shower and there are at least 2 users of that a day. We also have an electric oven and dishwasher that get used most days.

starfishmummy · 22/02/2022 10:44

Assuming it's gas central trap heating (and not gas fires) then it is using electricity to pump the hot water round the radiators.

But look at the tumble drying and washing! Every other day seems a lot for one person.

BackwardsPrawn · 22/02/2022 10:45

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that price per kwh is very low, compared to what it will be in April - unless you are on a fixed rate deal?

At this level of usage, under a variable rate, your bill is likely to get much higher, still Sad

RedToothBrush · 22/02/2022 10:45

You are spending more than we do on gas and electricity combined. And theres 3 of us. Including DH working from home occasionally.

Original poster
InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest · 22/02/2022 10:45

@AchillesPoirot

If you live alone, why do you need to have the tumbler on every other day? Set a drying rack up in a spare room?
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.
OP posts:
MatildaTheCat · 22/02/2022 10:46

Do you have a smart meter which shows when your usage surges? Everyone is saying how expensive it is to run the tumble dryer but a quick Google suggests 67p for an hour so if you’d used it 25 times in that period it doesn’t account for that much. Are you using electricity for heating? Boiling the kettle repeatedly? Ironing a huge amount? Leaving chargers on for hours?

I’m in a 5 bed house with DH and our combined gas and electricity is currently set at £280 a month. Most of that seems to be gas.

Girlmumdogmumboymum · 22/02/2022 10:46

Thats quite high but has and electric has gone through the roof.

I was paying off a debt plus usage at £160 a month last year.
I promised I'd get my usage down- which we did. Our usage was 15% lower than the year before.
I was told several weeks ago my bill was going to be £245 a month (I'd paid off what I owed and was £120 in credit the week before!)

3 weeks later.... to stay on plan, I need to pay £298 a month!

We're quite careful with our usage- especially right now with bills going up and up and up!

MargotEmin · 22/02/2022 10:47

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.

BackwardsPrawn · 22/02/2022 10:47

It's quite a high usage though. We are 3 adults, 4 bedroom house, at least 2 people home all day, use the washing machine almost daily, oven daily (electric) and have quite a bit of tech.

We use 500kwh per month, on average.

We do turn everything off that we can using smart plugs overnight, use eco settings, do not tumble unless we have to etc.

butterflycatcher · 22/02/2022 10:47

Something is definitely amiss. We are two adults and two toddlers in a 4 bed house. From 4th January to 8th February (36 days) we used 443kwh electricity. We use the washing machine and tumble dryer frequently and run a oil filled electric radiator in our office room during weekdays rather than having main heating on. Your usage is very high, I would be I'm investigating. Google your washing machine and tumble dryer operating instructions to find out how much each cycle uses in electric.

SleepingStandingUp · 22/02/2022 10:47

Re a load every other day.
1 load of sheet, duvet, pillow cases
1 load of couple of bath towels, hand towels, tea towels, wash clothes topped up with saw under wear
One load for others - work clothes, weekend clothes, maybe gym kit, etc.

It isn't that hard to work out.

OinkyO · 22/02/2022 10:49

@Svara

Your electricity is what we use in a year
Really?!
tara66 · 22/02/2022 10:49

Give up fluffy towels? Not necessary at all! Buy better towels?

CornishTiger · 22/02/2022 10:49

Do you have hot water constantly @InTheNameOfAllThatIsHonest is it an immersion tank

phishy · 22/02/2022 10:50

That’s crazy, we live in a 3 bed house and our lec bill is £35pm

pc03780 · 22/02/2022 10:51

There are two of us and we live in a 4 bedroom house. We are retired, so are at home most of the day. Heating is gas, and we have an electric oven. We have the usual plethora of devices (iPhones, iPads, Alexa etc) and 2 fridge freezers and a dryer. We wash virtually every day, and during the winter we use the dryer about 3/4 times a week for bedding and towels etc and a dehumidifier to dry personal clothes.

On average we use about 9 kwh a day in winter and 8kwh in the summer, and is pretty consistent for the the last few years.

FourTeaFallOut · 22/02/2022 10:51

14.4p/ kWh??? How long do you have left on your cheap tariff? You could be in for a hell of a shock if it's any time soon.

OinkyO · 22/02/2022 10:51

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 just use crunchy towels. You'll save so much.

SleepingStandingUp · 22/02/2022 10:51

@phishy

That’s crazy, we live in a 3 bed house and our lec bill is £35pm
How much usage is that?