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Original poster

To think wtf is using all this electricity?!?

197 replies

Porthia · 23/02/2022 09:27

Just got our monthly energy bill. It was £958!
Of that £737 was electricity.

I have been making a real effort recently to switch lights and appliances off, reduce energy usage, turn down the heating etc.

But what the actual fuck?

We came off our fixed rate in November, our supplier went under and then the last bill was £600 which made me fall over so I have been making a conscious effort to reduce things.

I am actually in tears. How is it this much? It’s going to go up again in April. How can we pay £1000 for energy each month?

We don’t have any crazy appliances that I can think would be eating this much energy, in fact our washing machine has been broken so I haven’t even been using that the last month.

We have a tv, computer, oven, lights - and I try to switch off as much as possible. What the hell could be drinking that much juice???

And yes it’s based on actual readings

I hate this because I feel like this money is just being sucked out without anything I can do about it!

OP posts:
SugarAndCoffee · 23/02/2022 10:06

That's 2 months and the first reading they just guessed. So I'm guessing they estimated wrong.

oakleaffy · 23/02/2022 10:06

@SugarAndCoffee

Is someone growing something in next doors loft and they've stolen your electric?
@Porthia

This was my exact thought, too.

SugarAndCoffee · 23/02/2022 10:07

Ah cross posted with @FatFredsFriedEgg.

Original poster
Porthia · 23/02/2022 10:07

Just spoke to DH - the immersion heater is switched off and has been for months.

Have just been around the house and switched off as much as I can.

OP posts:
godmum56 · 23/02/2022 10:07

I am retired so home 24/7, electric cooker, I use washing machine and dishwasher pretty much daily, tumble dry almost everything, 4 bedroom house (ok rad valves in bedrooms on low and my leccy bill is 130 a month, gas about 100 a month. I'd say you have got a problem somwhere.

Hugasauras · 23/02/2022 10:07

That second read looks normal: £172 for a month. High but not massively so given rates.

The previous one was estimated I think - is it possible that you've been underpaying for a long time and using estimated readings and have built up arrears?

foreverandalways · 23/02/2022 10:08

Call your supplier and k them to fit a new meter.....switch off all appliances quite literally and watch your meter ......switch everything off when not in use...standby costs the same as in use.....switch immersion off after an hour...it costs an absolute fortune.....change bulbs to led....under floor heating is very expensive....just take a breath and one step at a time..

godmum56 · 23/02/2022 10:08

oh an estimated bill that's always a booger....even for 2 months that's a bit high though.

BridesmaidPanic · 23/02/2022 10:08

OK - so looking at your bill - a small glimmer of positive news - that's actually for almost 2 months, not 1. It goes from 18/12 to 14/02.

BUT given the read on 14/02 was 74543, and today it is 75611, this means you've used 1,068 kWh in 9 days. There's definitely something going on that's not right.

OneTiredMam · 23/02/2022 10:08

Immersion heater costs through the roof, that might be why if your using it. I used it once for a month and it cost me £400 for 31 days that was 4 years ago before the price increase so I dread to think how much it costs now!

Aposterhasnoname · 23/02/2022 10:11

You’re opening reading with this company is estimated. What was the closing reading with the previous company?

jellyfrizz · 23/02/2022 10:11

@Porthia

Thanks all!

So we are with Shell Energy.
No previous debt as I paid off the last bill completely.
Usage was 3420 over the period.

Which is a lot I know.

Someone mentioned underfloor heating. We have gas-powered underfloor heating in most of the downstairs apart from one small room which has an old electric system. I have had it switched off most of the time but mother in law slept in there for a few nights so I had it switched on. I guess that won’t have helped but could it really have cost so much??

It was me who mentioned it.

Ours is only in one room too and only set to come on when very cold and yes it was making that much difference! Ours was broken so one patch of floor was super hot (almost too hot to touch), I guess it was like having an iron on constantly.

Worth investigating anyway.

Daftasabroom · 23/02/2022 10:13

Our total electric use is 10500kWhr per year and we no gas. That does look like a factor ten out.

Joesmum1981 · 23/02/2022 10:15

Apparently on average household use about 10units a day. I’ve been trying to reduce our electrical usage as we are on about double that. But you say you are using 3500 a month. That’s over 100 units a day.

FatFredsFriedEgg · 23/02/2022 10:16

@BridesmaidPanic

OK - so looking at your bill - a small glimmer of positive news - that's actually for almost 2 months, not 1. It goes from 18/12 to 14/02.

BUT given the read on 14/02 was 74543, and today it is 75611, this means you've used 1,068 kWh in 9 days. There's definitely something going on that's not right.

The reading on 14/02 was 75409, not 74543. It's 202kWh in 9 days.

It's still a bit on the high side but not absolutely ridiculous.

Ttcfinalbub · 23/02/2022 10:19

Get your meter and electric box checked to make sure there's no fault this is actually possible and it will surge electric

Giveaschitt · 23/02/2022 10:20

Give your electric company a ring. Many years ago I used to work for an electricity company and my job was to look at bills that seemed excessively low or high to figure out why. It was very often something like a new meter had been installed and hadn't been recorded properly, or a meter reading had been entered incorrectly.

Ribenery · 23/02/2022 10:20

yes you need to go back and check your closing reading. They've estimated the first one and cross your fingers, they have probably estimated it wrong! if the opening estimated reading is too low, which it probably is, your bill will be too high.

Hugasauras · 23/02/2022 10:21

Yeah I think the issue is that initial estimated reading and disparity from the next one. Did you move to a new supplier? Is that estimated first reading based off your final reading to previous supplier? Did you go a few months without giving readings or without paying because previous supplier collapsed?

Original poster
Porthia · 23/02/2022 10:21

Thank you all. I am starting to calm down. Have literally been hyperventilating here!!

So looking again as the fog of panic starts to lift I hadn’t clocked it was for 2 months! It also looks like the bulk of cost was the first month when I potentially hadn’t started making so much effort to reduce usage and when MIL was in the room with electric heated floor on.

OP posts:
comfortablyfrumpy · 23/02/2022 10:22

That doesn't sound right at all.
I use 4000 kWH annually and don't think we are a particularly low use household.

70kid · 23/02/2022 10:24

My electricity bill which is a pre payment card type was £925 for the year
I Just had my annual statement this week
We have a 7 person hot tub as well 😂 that’s on a timer that heats switched it on every
12 hrs for 45 mins to do a cycle
Washing machine is generally 1 wash sometime 2 a day
We rarely use the tumble dryer
Gas is also on a pre payment card and that’s around £50 a month
We are GCH for our hot water and heating
Multiple showers a day put the heating on if we want to
3 adults 3 bed 2 bath house that’s about 25 years old

Thegrassisntalwaysgreener · 23/02/2022 10:26

To the previous poster who said the meter reading was higher on the 14/2 to that shown on that screenshot, where was that mentioned?

Either was the December reading was an estimate, the OP needs to check when the last actual reading was (even with previous supplier) and then work out the average monthly from that.
If it's been estimated readings for ages, then that's the issue.
Also check when the OP swapped the end reading (even if estimate) is the same as the start reading and she hasn't been charged twice for the same usuage
Can happen if you don't provide the actual readings when a swap (for whatever reason) happens

Original poster
Porthia · 23/02/2022 10:28

Re the estimated reading.

Our previous supplier went out of business in October and we started with this new one. Had one bill with them (I def did a reading at the start) and it was £600 which put the fear of god into me and I made a massive effort to reduce usage. BUT I think I only received that bill in early January. Obviously I missed the estimated meter read in December but the previous one would have been correct so I would have had to pay it in this bill or the last one.

Anyway it was only January when I started to really make an effort so I guess most of this bill predates that.

OP posts:
ancientgran · 23/02/2022 10:29

Check if the reading was right when you switched supplier. We did a switch last year and our old company sent the wrong reading and we had a bill for £5,000. I nearly died and yes I shed a tear as well.

It was a nightmare to sort out, took months but it was just a simple mistake but the new company said they had to go with the reading they had and the old company was hopeless, customer service working from home and not helpful at all.

Hopefully you gave a final reading and can check. Good luck. We got some money as an apology at the end of it all.