To not know how to cut down electric? This is surely ridiculous!?

[TotHappy]

Last two bills from E.on have been astronomical. My bill from this month last year was £82. That was on an old fixed deal so of course charges are much higher now - but I still can't believe my latest bill is £145! Since this time last year we've had a baby and come off our fixed deal. The amount of washing in this house (2 adults, 2 kids, 1 infant) is insane so I suppose the tumble dryer and dehumidifier is making a big difference but I don't think I can stop using them without serious mould issues.

Is this normal now and I just have to budget for this? I've just checked the reading myself on my meter and apparently I've used 40 kwh since yesterday! Is that to be expected? Electric cooking here as no mains gas but oil boiler.

How/can I cut down?

We've got a smart meter. Anything that heats water uses a lot of KWs but only while it's actually heating. So, for example, when you put your washing machine on it will start to heat the water to the temperature selected. Obviously a 30° wash uses a lot less electricity. Once it reaches temperature the machine uses relatively little electricity. Boiling the kettle obviously uses a lot of energy but for a relatively short time. You can reduce the KWH used by only putting in the amount of water you need at the time so it boils much quicker. The tumble dryer will obviously uses a lot of energy as it's blowing hot/warm air onto your washing so heating constantly.
I can't remember our exact daily winter months usage (as we've got solar and battery now) but think it was maximum 19kwh per day (we have oil heating too).

OP, I'm no expert on what activities and devices use the most lecky, but here are some suggestions and questions:

Boiling the kettle is very expensive. Try to limit it a bit (eg, everyone have drinks at the same time or put some hot water in a flask to use next time).

We keep showers very short indeed - no luxuriating in the lovely warm water! Just get clean and get out. Baths - I have a 'wartime bath' - not much water, and again, I wash and get out. Sounds miserable, I know, but if you're after thrifty tips...

Yes, I bet the dehumidifier and other devices which are on for a long time are adding up. Could you open windows sometimes (even just a bit) instead? We do this even when it's cold - just a bit of ventilation helps.

Washing: I know it's a nightmare with a family, but I always wear a least one t-shirt under a jumper and don't wash my jumpers very frequently. I always change into un-smart clothes when I get home from anywhere and this preserves my posher clothes for longer in terms of getting dirty and general wear. (I'm not in the least unhygienic, I assure you, but I was once shocked by an American friend who, I discovered, just put everything in the wash even if she'd only tried it on and decided not to wear it. )

We don't have lots of gadgets (don't have a tumble-dryer) so maybe we avoid expense a bit in that way - but I'm really not sure how much these things use. We try not to leave loads of things on standby, though (TV, radio etc) and turn them off at the socket when not in use. Also, I'm like the late Queen in that I'm obsessed with turning off lights in rooms we're not using.

Someone more knowledgeable is bound to say I'm wrong about some of these things...but this is just my offering!

40 KWh seems so high to me. I've just checked and we averaged 6KWh a day in November. Only 3 of us, no tumble dryer or dehumidifier going admittedly, but I am working from home all day with computer screens running etc. I just struggle with how yours can be more than 6 times that unless something isn't right.

I echo other posters in suggesting you turn everything off and turning things back on gradually to see whats causing any spikes.

Daily baths, daily tumbling and running a dehumidifier almost 24/7 isn't going to be cheap.

If you're using a tumble dryer, what's the reason for using the dehumidifier too? Opening the windows for 10-15 minutes a day would be just as useful and free. I know it's cold but if you do it just before you leave for work and set the heating to come on just before you get home, it shouldn't impact you much at all.

How many wash loads/drying loads are you doing a week?

I have cut back drastically and saved a lot.

Sounds about right. My fixed finished Feb, my DD doubled to pay for what I use now, which is no different

Do you use an immersion for hot water?

If so how long is it on and is the thermostat correctly adjusted? Ours costs a fortune if left on so we only run it for an hour or so at a time.

If you are having baths using an immersion that is going to be expensive.

We saved a fortune just by swapping our lightbulbs for energy efficient ones. Have you had your boiler checked recently? Our gas check person left the back up boiler on (immersion?) when I came and it cost lots!

Hi OP. I used to work in operations at an energy company so hopefully I can be of some help! 40kwh sounds like an incorrect reading based on your most recent bill (it'd be much higher if that was your daily use), obviously not sure what's happened but could you have been reading the gas meter or made a mistake with the reading?

Your recent bill sounds about right for the average household given the increase in prices over the past few years.

I would advise getting a smart meter fitted if you haven't already, it'll allow you to keep an eye on usage without checking the meter (they come with a small device you can keep in your home that displays your usage and cost, usually you can decide on displaying daily, weekly, or monthly figures) and they update hourly. It should mean no surprises as you always know what to expect from your bill, and can help you make small adjustments in your usage. Your energy supplier will fit one for free.

Secondly I would contact your energy supplier and discuss a fixed rate and see if it would be cheaper. Always use a comparison site to check for cheaper rates before fixing in - you might find a better deal elsewhere!

Finally- check your estimated annual consumption figures for the past year (these should be somewhere on your recent statement). These should help you get some perspective on whether your usage is average or high. You can find the national averages online, I think they're based on a 2 bed home (but don't quote me on that - it's been a while since I've looked at them myself!)

Personally I've found the extra cost a nightmare too, its difficult to reduce it when you still need to live, and i work from home now so theres the cost of that to factor in... I've just accepted it's the way things are for now and re-bugeted accordingly (which is a little easier to do if you're on a fixed contract as you have a rough idea of the cost for the year.)

Sorry OP, just re-read that you have no gas. That bill does seem a little on the high side if thats the case. Faulty meters a v rare but can happen so if you think you've read the 40kwh correctly, I would recommend contacting your supplier, faulty meters are rare but can happen and the supplier should have a process for that.

Thank you so much for all the help and ideas everyone!
Some answers:

• Dehumidifier and tumble dryer is just because we have So. Much. Washing. It goes on a clothes horse which is in front of a radiator and the dehumidifier nearby and that takes the worst of the wet out. Then 8-10 hours later I tumble it to finish it off. This often seems to take ages though- I think our tumble dryer is not very good which is a shame because its not very old. We got rid of our v old vented one and got a condensing because husband was very worried about black mould from open window while drying but the old one did dry things in a fraction of the time.

We have at least 2 loads of washing a day, often 3.

• dehumidifier running so damn often because husband insists it's to combat mould. We have been fighting black mould in kitchen and bedrooms for years. This is an old granite house and there's no extraction fan in the kitchen so stuff really builds up.
• I open windows every single day, recently only for 10-15 mins but normally at least 30 mins. I can't bear a stuffy house. However, husband thinks this makes the mould worse (very damp area).
• I've been using the dehumidifier/tumble to dry because radiators are rarely on. I've been prioritising the oil because electric used to be cheaper and there's no price cap on oil. But have just checked the tank and we're doing v well on oil so need to probably have more heating and less dehumidifier.
• my meter is smart and sends the readings automatically but when it was fitted they sent the wrong device with it, and then shrugged their shoulders so I've never had the little device you can monitor your usage on. Very annoying.

I had no idea there could be a back up immersion heater, I will check that! And double check my readings. 40kwh does seem, by consensus, to be way too much.

@TotHappy

Just on this bit - my meter is smart and sends the readings automatically but when it was fitted they sent the wrong device with it, and then shrugged their shoulders so I've never had the little device you can monitor your usage on. Very annoying.

Have you got your electric companies app on your phone? I've got a smart meter but no doodad too, by I can still break my usage down by hour on the app. If you keep note on when you've got your dehumidifier / tumble dryer on during the day, you can compare it to the figures the next day in the app.

And if your electricity company don't have their own app, you can use Hugo https://hugoenergyapp.co.uk/ to keep an eye on things.

That's an insane amount of washing every day!

Are you washing all clothes after 1 wearing?

Why do you have so much washing? How many people live in your house?

Are you washing every towel after using it once? That kind of insanity?

Read the PP who talks about wearing clothes more than once. 2 loads of washing a day is unnecessary, surely? We're a family of 4 with 3 of us using sports kit weekly, we wash bedding and towels weekly but still only 1 load per day. I wear trousers and jumpers for 1-2 weeks before washing, changing t shirts every day.

We are very very high users. 2/3 loads of washing a day, each is tumbled, 3 TVs on probably 10 hrs a day, fan oven in use probably 1.5hrs a day, we're charging all sorts of things including wheelchair, our hot water is heated by electricity (and we have 2 immersions). And one of us has a fancy body dryer in their bathroom.

I'm averaging 24kw a day.

15- 20 wash loads a week plus drying is your problem.

Can you explain why you are doing this much?

40kwh a day is VERY HIGH. You need to track daily use (others have advised how above) and try and find out where is is all going.

40kwh at price cap will cost around £350pm. Your latest bill of £145 isn't coming close to that.

You are doing a lot of washing, is it all necessary.

An average of 40kwh per day without some obvious hulking draw like an electric car/hot tub or immersion heater is nuts.

We're on a smart meter and can see when the washer, dishwasher, tumble dryer, kettle, plug in heaters etc have all been on in a day it sends the numbers rocketing. Far more so than lights, tv on standby etc.

If you have a garden can you use a washing line? (Not always easy in December I know). We did without a tumble dryer over the summer until recently as the old one had broken down for the umpteenth time. We replaced it in October with a heat pump one which seems cheaper.

We have 2 loads a day most days as ds1 still wets the bed and more often than not his duvet is soaked - there’s 2 adults 2 kids here. Drier also on most days, but we did buy a heat pump one this year - our average useage is around 12-14kwh a day at the moment and that’s with the Christmas lights on too. I’d definitely check for water immersion heater etc.

we specifically buy A+ rated appliances now too as they really do make a difference

Like some PPs we are a high use family with a big house, electric ovens, big fridges and freezers, and a large hot water cylinder run on electric. We average 20 to 22 kWh per day

At the lower end I’m running round the house turning off extraneous lights and unplugging chargers, and at the higher end I’m occasionally tumble drying or have the oven on for ages. It’s a remarkably slim margin though - only 10% difference between the two extremes, so very hard to cut down. There’s little difference between summer and winter too

I agree about laundry though; I just wash things when they’re grubby but DH and I mostly wfh which does make it a bit easier

The one thing I will suggest is looking at your washing machine spin speed, mine is 1600 and comes out almost dry. I know sometimes people put their machine on for another spin to remove more water. My tumble dryer is then on for just over an hour, a 9kg load for both machines. I also cut my machine cycle down twice so it is much shorter, I think it is 1hr 15mins. Gets clothes clean but the clothes aren't dirty like children's clothes would be with food etc.

It might be worth looking into energy monitor plugs, mine are Tapo available from Amazon and they are also timers too through the app so now they control my lamps coming on automatically.