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Yay!! My bath cost 4p!!

26 replies

FusionChefGeoff · 05/11/2022 11:31

I love love love baths and was psychologically preparing myself to switch to showers.

Just did a before and after on the smart meter and it's only gone up by 4p GrinGrinGrinGrin

It's just a little thing but I can get us all clean (DS will jump in after footie!) and I'll be toastie warm for a bit too.

OP posts:
Obia · 05/11/2022 11:35

How do you heat the water for a bath?

Yarrawonga · 05/11/2022 11:37

Was it a cold bath?

FusionChefGeoff · 05/11/2022 11:39

It's a very new combi boiler and I've kept it shallow so guess it didn't have to fire for very long.

That, or I'm going to check in post bath and find out there was a massive lag for some reason but I boiled the kettle and saw that register so hoping I don't have a huge shock waiting for me downstairs Grin

OP posts:
Bangkokbaby · 05/11/2022 11:39

Is it a gas boiler? The engineer that fitted our smart meter warned us that the gas readings didn't update immediately, it can take a few hours to get an accurate reading to your display.

Bangkokbaby · 05/11/2022 11:40

Our electricity readings are immediate, but the gas isn't.

FusionChefGeoff · 05/11/2022 11:40

@Bangkokbaby noooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!

Ok I'll keep an eye - no heating planned today so any increase will be bath related - oh dear I've got an anxious few hours ahead of me then!!

OP posts:
MarigoldMoonStone · 05/11/2022 11:41

Please update us :)

Obia · 05/11/2022 11:41

Bangkokbaby · 05/11/2022 11:40

Our electricity readings are immediate, but the gas isn't.

100% this.
Electric is instant on smart meter, gas isn't. Sorry

FusionChefGeoff · 05/11/2022 11:51

SadSadSadSadSadSadSad

Will update but feeling very silly now! Oh well at least I know for all future experiments.

Our fix only just finished so that's why this is all new to me

OP posts:
LiquoriceAllsort2 · 05/11/2022 12:02

There will probably be a lag..

Gas smart meters use the electric meter to send the readings so usually only update every so often.

SirenSays · 05/11/2022 12:04

Gas updates every half hour on the hour usually.
Baths are great but getting out of a warm bath in winter is hellish 🥶

ofwarren · 05/11/2022 12:04

Following to see the results later on
So shit that we are all having to do things like this 😔

Pixiedust1234 · 05/11/2022 12:06

Well I learnt something new too OP. I would have assumed both updated reasonably quickly, after all you were in the bath between both meter readings.

Please update.

serenghetti2011 · 05/11/2022 12:22

I only have a bath - hate it
isn’t too bad but can’t wait to have a shower again

frozendaisy · 05/11/2022 12:35

If it updates for more it still might be worth the bath.

Hugasauras · 05/11/2022 12:48

We are about £1.50 a day for hot water on new rates. That generally covers a full adult bath, a child's bath, and a shower and incidental hot water for hand-washing etc. Ours is a system boiler with cylinder so not quite as precise as a combi.

Hugasauras · 05/11/2022 12:54

Our gas is about 2-3 hours delay from use to showing on display.

FayeGovan · 05/11/2022 12:59

Dont feel bad @FusionChefGeoff , you enjoyed your bath and youve taught a lot of us something.

Theoldwoman · 05/11/2022 13:03

You surely don’t share the same water do you.? That’s pretty yuck if you do.

Pixiedust1234 · 05/11/2022 13:17

Theoldwoman · 05/11/2022 13:03

You surely don’t share the same water do you.? That’s pretty yuck if you do.

I guess you werent around pre seventies then. A family of six used to have the one bath on a Sunday night only. Its still in living memory for many.

Dic · 05/11/2022 13:24

Theoldwoman · 05/11/2022 13:03

You surely don’t share the same water do you.? That’s pretty yuck if you do.

Me and DH always share. I add bubbles and a tiny bit more hot if I go in second. Not grim at all. How dirty do you think people are? We bath and shower daily.

FusionChefGeoff · 05/11/2022 13:24

Yes we share the same water - very 'unsqueamish' in this house.

Ok I can report back - gas registered a 60p increase which I can deal with once a week Grin

OP posts:
Blondeshavemorefun · 05/11/2022 13:28

60p a bath so if had one daily every month cost would be £18.60 a month

GasPanic · 05/11/2022 13:32

Very unlikely you would get a whole bath for 4p !

Assuming 40 litres of water, with temperature rising from 10 degrees (cold tap water) to 50 degrees (hot water) that would take :

40 x (50-10) x 4200 = 6,720,000 joules.

Divide by 3,600,000 to get joules into kWh = about 2kWh.

So even if the heating process was 100% efficient it would take 2 kWh or about 20p at the new rates. Physics says no to the 4p claim, unless you like your baths a bit on the chilly side.

By the time you take into account that you probably need more water and the heating inefficiencies, you are probably looking at more like double that or 50 to 60p.

Still you can be pleased that your new combi boiler is probably the most cost effective way of getting your bath, which you should feel pretty good about :)

scaredoff · 05/11/2022 14:02

Estimates I have read say that a shower is only cheaper than a bath on the assumption that it's under about 10 minutes. That's the approximate crossover point by which the shower will have used as much water as an average bath. That might be fine for those used to (or determined to get used to) 3 minute showers. Not for me though.

And actually if a bath = 60p = £218 to bathe every day for a year, and a five minute shower = 30p = £114 for a year anyway, I'll take the bath any day. For the price of one decent meal for two in a nice restaurant with wine, you've got the difference between just functionally getting clean, and a year's worth of one of life's simplest most beautiful pleasures, letting go of some of the shitty life we're all having to endure each day.

Perspective! The greater part of our insane gas bills is central heating, by far.