Gas/electricity usage - single mum

[Aloneandconfused11]

Ok, so this is all new for me really. Please be kind.

I’ve just come out of an extremely abusive marriage which included full control on finances. I’ve had no idea the cost of things and then the cost of living happened after he left.

Like everyone, finances are extremely tight but my electricity and gas seem to be through the roof. I’m with British Gas if that makes a difference.

I live in a 3 bed semi, that’s poorly insulated, ridiculously damp, cold and covered in mold.

I want to find out if my usage is OTT. It’s just myself and my small 4 year old living here.

In 2 days I’ve used 21kwh of electricity and 6 units of gas. Is this a lot? I turn everything off and I try not to use the heating but it’s freezing cold and so so damp I’ve now put it on in the evenings.

I do use heated blankets in our bed as it’s so cold too. This is probably are only luxury?

We perhaps have the TV on too much which I could cut down but realistically we do nothing but try and survive.

Is my usage for one adult and one small child a lot? We cook all our meals here and share our showers to cut on costs.

Just looking for advice and confirmation I’m using too much.

Many thanks

If you cook electric and have an electric shower then 21 kwh certainly isn't a lot. Even if the shower's not electric it wouldn't ring alarms for me.

I'll see if I can find a link for the detail for the cost per hour for domestic appliances but unit of electricity, 1kw, is the amount an old fashioned 1 bar fire would use in an hour.

The things that suck it up fast are heating appliances like kettles, washing machines/dryers and such like. A modern flat screen TV or a laptop use next to nothing.

Do you have LED light bulbs and a rigorously enforced policy of turning off lights in empty rooms etc?

Damp can be a beggar as one thing that fosters it is lack of ventilation and of course, if it's cold, we keep windows and vents closed.

Citizens Advice are usually a good start point for energy advice though what exactly is available will be down to local funding:

https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/

Scroll down for help on saving money etc.

Hello, it doesn't seem a lot. My usage for the last 9 days has been Elec 76kwh and Gas 51 units - 4 bed bungalow. I'm fairly frugal with my heating as I live alone and don't overly feel the cold so have mainly had the heating on to keep the house at an acceptable level to avoid damp. I also run a dehumidifier which is great for helping avoid damp and drying clothes indoors.

That sounds about right for the type of house you describe living in.

I am glad you got away from the abusive relationship OP.

Is that with electric shower, any little heaters, tumble dryer? Electricity is about three times ours but we don't have any of those. Gas looks normal.

Now home and checked my 'leccy. From 10/10 to 09/11 we used around 8 units a day. Couple, mid sixties and semi retired living in a reasonably well insulated modern 4 bed house. CH is gas as is the hob, everything else is electric except for the shower in the en-suite. Other, in family bathroom, which my OH uses near daily, is an 8kw electric jobby.

All lights are LED and, having had a house like Blackpool Illuminations for years I've latterly adopted my Father's lights off policy.

You can't really tell based on two days though. If I did a couple of loads of washing and used the oven then my electric would spike that day. You need at least a week. Same with gas if the temperature varies, it's been cold the last couple of days so you'd want to look at the month really.

Are you a tenant? If you are then your first job is to get your landlord to do repairs to sort the damp and mould (it's his investment that he's devaluing if he doesn't) and if he doesn't sort it then report to environmental health. The council may also provide grants for insulation etc.

what do you use for heating? Gas or electric

You don’t use much gas. I use double that by the time I get up in the morning.

i don’t use much electricity as it between 3-5khw a day.

10 kWh/day for electricity is about average.

Gas isn't such a simple calculation as you have to multiply 6 by a whole load of other numbers to get to the amount of units you've used.

It's really cold at the moment, so if you put the heating on, it might seem like you use a lot, but it balances out in the summer, when you use very little.

Don't worry about the TV (or wifi, phone charging etc - they use nothing in comparison). The cost is mainly made up from use of anything that heats your home or makes hot water - including the tumble dryer.

It will probably take a while for you to find your feet with budgeting, but I really recommend Moneysaving Expert. You can get advice on everything such as setting a budget, making sure you're getting all the help you're entitled to, reducing costs where possible so you have more money left over for food and hopefully even a few treats. There's even a financial education course.

But do you have any real life help you could turn to? Family, friend etc?

Definitely get advice about the damp, you shouldn't have to live in a damp home. If it's just you and a small child, can you close off two of the bedrooms and share one room? You might even co-sleep to share warmth?

Just wear a nice fur coat indoors and you'll never feel cold again