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Original poster

Insane costs to run our home. Is there help on the way?

169 replies

SoupaDoupa · 12/12/2022 11:05

We are in the fortunate enough position to own our own 3 bed Victorian property. Over the years we have modernised it by adding on an extension (with lots of glass - so not great for keeping heat in (or out in the summer). We have also added in as much insulation as possible to the walls in the bedrooms and ceilings, the windows are all new wooden sash windows, we have wooden shutters I try and keep closed (no fabric curtains).

I have just checked our smart metre and we have already spend £6.28 this morning alone! I kept turning the heating off over night because our bedrooms luckily weren't absurdly cold, but our front room (north facing and always the coldest) got down to 13C!! I did have the tumble dryer on last night to dry a load of blankets I washed (son was ill) that I'll be using during the day to keep me warm while I WFH. DH and Son are upstairs in bed so it's just been my daughter and I up and about so far today. I've had a shower as well. Not used the stove or oven or anything. The heat was on this morning for maybe an hour.

I checked the smart metre and yesterday it tallied up at £19.88 for the day!!! 😳

The cost to heat and run the electrics for our home will cost us close to £600+ this month!?! This is crazy and unaffordable. As I said, I understand that we are in a fortunate position with our home, and there are many others struggling far worse than us. Will there be more help from the government? Is there an end in sight for these sky rocketing costs? (I know it won't be instant, but will they go down close to where they were within the next couple years?). Will there be help from the government?

What can we do to lower the costs? Husband says that all our bulbs are energy efficient. Right now I've got all the lights and heating off. We do have some things plugged in that's not in use like the main computer, the TV, sky box, play station etc. but there's not loads. The only things I'm actually using right now is my laptop for work that's plugged in and my Amazon Alexa to listen to some music.

OP posts:
TheLittlestLightOnTheXmasTree · 12/12/2022 11:08

It's the same for all of us. Though £20 a day is more than double than what we used yesterday!!

Doubt the gov will do much to help!

chocolateasaltyballs22 · 12/12/2022 11:10

I wouldn't be using the tumble dryer - dry your washing on airers. We replaced our washer drier with a washing machine when it died earlier this year.

EvilRingahBitch · 12/12/2022 11:13

How heavy were the blankets you tumbled? If they were proper blankets that would eat energy.

Soothsayer1 · 12/12/2022 11:13

TheLittlestLightOnTheXmasTree · 12/12/2022 11:08

It's the same for all of us. Though £20 a day is more than double than what we used yesterday!!

Doubt the gov will do much to help!

I'm sure the government and the aristocracy etc will be inviting us into their vast and numerous heated mansions very soon

MarshaBradyo · 12/12/2022 11:15

The government is just tax payer money and I doubt it will go beyond the £900 some received.

We’re not putting heating on in day when dc are at school.

Tdcp · 12/12/2022 11:15

We live in a small 2 bed and it's about £20 for the day if we left it on all day. I had ice on the inside of the french doors yesterday...

Original poster
SoupaDoupa · 12/12/2022 11:17

I do know the tumble dryer uses a lot of energy, but if I didn't use the dryer they would have taken a whole day or two to fully dry in our house so I wouldn't have had anything to keep me warm. It was 2 blankets. The dryer was on for about an hour. Luckily I don't wash and dry the blankets very often. It's just because my son was ill with them.

We do hang almost everything else though.

OP posts:
Original poster
SoupaDoupa · 12/12/2022 11:19

Tdcp · 12/12/2022 11:15

We live in a small 2 bed and it's about £20 for the day if we left it on all day. I had ice on the inside of the french doors yesterday...

Oh goodness. Ice!?! Thankfully we've not reached the point yet, but we do have a heck of a lot of condensation built up on the metal frames of the back glass patio doors.

OP posts:
EmmaAgain22 · 12/12/2022 11:19

OP "I kept turning the heating off over night because our bedrooms luckily weren't absurdly cold, but our front room (north facing and always the coldest) got down to 13C!!"

I used to rent a flat in a Victorian conversion, 13 is pretty good going. My modern heatbox flat was at 16 overnight. (No heating on).

sorry but the rental was how I learned not to buy that type of place unless you want huge heating bills. Can you install a fire or anything? Those places are impossible to keep warm. The heat hangs around the ceiling anyway.

I can't see the govt giving more help, they said nothing else and this is all part of their green agenda anyway.

Jadedbuthappy82 · 12/12/2022 11:20

Launderette (£4 to dry a massive load) might be a help if that's possible for you? I have no fridge freezer just a larder fridge, no washing machine or dishwasher, no tumble dryer, use hot water bottles and lots of natural fabric layers like wool. Two pairs of socks under slippers. Try to keep cooking to slow cooker and air fryer as much as poss. We live in an old 1800s hospital buildings that's been converted, single pane glass and gaps in our front door, high ceilings and boiler is a bit rubbish so I totally understandable how hard it is. Best of luck with it all but the launderette has saved me lots already these last few months and does seem to reduce the condensation a fair bit now I've not got damp washing hanging everywhere x

TheLittlestLightOnTheXmasTree · 12/12/2022 11:20

I hang clothes to dry and sometimes finish them off in drier if a bit damp

But an hour for 2 blankets? What were they made of?

TheLittlestLightOnTheXmasTree · 12/12/2022 11:21

That's where the bulk of your money went....the drier!

summer788 · 12/12/2022 11:22

What about thermal curtains

EmmaAgain22 · 12/12/2022 11:22

Oh yes, launderette...I remember doing that when the heating broke down and thinking I should use it more as it's good not to have wet washing around...couldn't be arsed to walk there though!

EmmaAgain22 · 12/12/2022 11:23

Oh cardboard on the windows is very helpful.

LemonSwan · 12/12/2022 11:25

Sounds about right. I have spent a lot of time fiddling and the best we can get ours is 12.50 a day for heat and that’s probably rounded to £20 with electric.

This is the average for a winter month though. So you have to understand the 600 is not every single month. But only really until feb/March latest. And that you will average it over next year IYSWIM.

I panicked. Then I rationalised it’s all about the average.

Tips I found from my fiddling. Try changing the flow rate down if you have a combi boiler although this will give you less heating power. For us it’s cheaper to heat the home to a constant temperature at a low flow rate rather than have to put the flow rate up and reheat the home after switching off at night.

Magenta65 · 12/12/2022 11:25

Why is your bill so high? With cooking, showers, washing and tumble dryer my electric is under £3 a day and thTs a bad day with everything going. I haven’t factored in gas as it’s not in the smart meter but still that’s a lot

Tunnocks2022 · 12/12/2022 11:25

13 at night is fine. Ours is the same at night, we’re all under duvets and blankets and nice and toasty. Agree that daytime heating is a challenge for sure

BadSantaToo · 12/12/2022 11:29

SoupaDoupa · 12/12/2022 11:17

I do know the tumble dryer uses a lot of energy, but if I didn't use the dryer they would have taken a whole day or two to fully dry in our house so I wouldn't have had anything to keep me warm. It was 2 blankets. The dryer was on for about an hour. Luckily I don't wash and dry the blankets very often. It's just because my son was ill with them.

We do hang almost everything else though.

I used the tumble dryer twice the other day and did 3 loads of washing and my electricity total was 4.20 for the day. It's usually about 3.20. I don't think a modern tumble dryer is all the devil they are painted out to be.

orangegato · 12/12/2022 11:33

There’s two of us and an hour of heating a day gets us to £15. Absolutely absurd that in 2022 people are effectively freezing. Frack away, boys.

Rookriver · 12/12/2022 11:36

Yes as PP said, you have to look over the entire year. This week will cost a lot because it's so cold.

Soothsayer1 · 12/12/2022 11:36

I guess we could all start using hand crank mangles to help dry washing without using electricity?

Ciri · 12/12/2022 11:37

Highly unlikely there will be more help. It's just the cost of energy right now. The tax payer can't continue to subsidise it for everyone. Other things in your budget will need to give instead.

TooExtraImmatureCheddar · 12/12/2022 11:37

I don't have a smart meter but it's been -6 outside overnight and it's currently -3. The heating needs to be on. It's 12 degrees in this room even with the heating on, and I have DD at home ill so the house has to be warm.

bluesky45 · 12/12/2022 11:41

Ours is about £3 a day. Little in the way of electric - oven for 20mins average a day, 1 wash load on cold, no tumble dryer, telly for a few hours a day, charge a couple of phones overnight, energy saving lightbulbs, turn everything off when not in use. Gas is on for total of 15mins shower a day average and for maybe 15mins on 1 hob ring a day average, plus probably 4hrs if heating a day total. House is currently 11 degrees. I'm cleaning to keep warm, DH is doing DIY. Kids are at school, heating will come on this afternoon for the kids coming home. We all wear oodies when at home. We are keeping it low but we are bloody freezing.