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Original poster

How much per day is your gas/electricity costing?

84 replies

WombatChocolate · 04/12/2023 10:34

Hi. I’ve become too interested in watching the smart meter to see what my daily spend is. Just wondered what others are spending.

For context, 3 bed house with gas CH and gas cooker. We have heating on for an hour in morning and about 5 hours in evening with thermostat set to 18.

  • electricity is fairly constant for us as not impacted by weather…around £1.50 per day - including probably one run of either dishwasher or washing machine.
  • gas - in the cold spell over weekend cost £10.50. (It was on an extra couple of hours as so cold) Most of Nov was costing about £7.50

Am on the standard tariff. Do these seem high/low/normal compared to what you guys are spending

OP posts:
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6
Combusting · 04/12/2023 10:52

3 bedroom, 3 living/reception rooms - family of 2 adults 2 kids, with lots of WFH for both adults.

Electricity by far higher than yours at a fiver ish a day but no tumble drying and laundry once a week. This could be because electric oil filled heaters, blankets etc were being used.

Gas much lower - cold snap Saturday gas was £5.50.

Bromptotoo · 04/12/2023 10:53

Two of us in 4 bed. Semi retired so no day when we're both at work. Gas CH and hob. Oven is electric. Dishwasher on most days, washer and dryer perhaps 2-3 loads. We wash clothes separately from each other due to sensitive skin etc. needing special detergent.

Thermostat set at 18. Heating on at 6, off 9-midday and 2-4, off at 9pm. HW on for 2-3 hours split between am and pm.

Other than lighting - all LED - not much to change leccy use per day winter v summer

Last month we used approx 240 units of electricity so around 8/day.

Gas October to November was approx 1360kw/h so around 45/day. That'll be a lot more this month as we've had a cold spell when we cancel the heatings day time pauses.

Original poster
WombatChocolate · 04/12/2023 14:20

Thank you.

Im hoping it won’t be much more than £10 a day in total for gas and electricity over cold spells. That’s already over £300 per month! Hoping the very cold spells are short lived and days costing us about £13 like Fri and Sat will be offset by slightly warmer days which will cost perhaps £8-9??

OP posts:
Musiclover234 · 04/12/2023 14:44

Over the cold spell we’ve been averaging £6ish a day or less (for both) if not washing/using dryer. The heating has been on more up to 17 for a good 7/8 hours a day as temps here were -2/3 some days not achieving much over 0 for long

I have found having the heating set and left at a low temp like 16/17 for a bulk of the day rather than a few hours boost here and there was cheaper.

Should add only two of us, one wfh and I work shifts so in the house 3/4 days a week. Low electricity use. Direct debit £130 per month. With credit from summer.

Precipice · 04/12/2023 14:51

We don't have a smart meter, but paid 171.something for November for gas and electricity together, so about 5.70/day.

3 bedroom flat, two-storeys and with a living room that has half a long wall of window, also with gas CH and gas cooker. We have the heating on all the time, just adjust it a little on the thermostat. It's at 20-22 during the day and ranges between 18-20 at night.

WannabeMathematician · 04/12/2023 14:51

£13.50 on electric on Friday. But we had the heating on all day because we have a heat pump and a large house. No gas used though!

stealthsquirrelnutkin · 04/12/2023 14:58

I'm disabled, can't move easily, suffer from rheumatism and asthma, and home all day. No tumble drier but a heated water bed, aquarium, and CPAP machine. My electricity stays much the same all year round, about £2.50/day, last month the gas (including standing charges) averaged £3.40/day to keep the house at 21 degrees when I am up, and 16 degrees during the night.

Last winter I reduced the thermostat to 19 degrees during the daytime, trying to compensate with cashmere wristwarmers, a heated throw and heated shoulder and neck pad. That did reduce my gas bills, but my rheumatism was a lot worse, it took 3 months to shake off a cold, and black spots of mould started to grow on the walls in the bedroom and front hall despite good ventilation and regular airings.

I've decided that it makes better sense to cut back on everything else, so I can keep the heating on.

HuntingoftheSnark · 04/12/2023 15:02

My electricity is about £1.50 - £1.70 a day. Gas £1 maximum unless I put the heating on - little point as it's a 1737 converted flat with sash windows. I heat it for the property not for me.

However over the weekend my Smart meter has shown increasing amounts even though I have used NO hot water or heating. I have notified eDF.

Noddy21 · 04/12/2023 15:07

My gas and electricity combined is between 12.50-14.50 per day! It’s ridiculous

Bedmagnet · 04/12/2023 15:17

We're in a 4 bedroom bungalow, over the weekend we've used £8ish a day on gas & £4 on electric.
Used the washing machine & tumble dryer both days over the weekend.

We've also found leaving the heating on 15 constantly & turning it up for a few hours in the evening cheaper than having the heating on a timer. Last winter we were using £15 a day in gas having the heating come on for timed periods compared to £8 having it on all the time.

stripeyreds0cks · 04/12/2023 15:21

£5 on each per day, we're a large household with 3 teens though so our electric is always at a higher use with all the laptops/gaming etc.
The gas isn't usually as high but typical December weather 🤷‍♀️

Devilsmommy · 04/12/2023 15:21

2 bed flat 2 adults and a 14mo. Electric is £3 a day and gas is about £4/5 in this weather because I have to keep heating on all night set at 22 as my little one refuses to have a blanket on him😭

Wiccan · 04/12/2023 15:28

3 bed large ish home . 2 of us and dog .
Around £4 gas and £2 electricity per day includes using washing machine and dryer once a week .

XDownwiththissortofthingX · 04/12/2023 15:36

1 bedroom new build flat, just me. Combined bill is £2.50 daily or thereabouts at this time of year. Flat barely ever gets cold enough to need the heating on. It was extremely cold outside the weekend just past, but an hour in the morning and an hour at bedtime is plenty to keep the place perfectly comfortable. I put carpets and a thick underlay down when I moved in, I use draft excluders and thick curtains. It takes a good while for heat to dissipate, and I don't particularly feel the cold in any case.

iusedtohavechickens · 04/12/2023 15:43

Highest so far has been £18.54 for the day 🫣

Beenalongwinter · 04/12/2023 15:48

Relative has an all Electric newbuild two bed ground floor flat.
I monitor his usage with the E-on app. Currently just under £10 a day on cold days and £3-£5 per day when the weather is mild.

We live in a barn conversion and we
Spend £3,600 on electric 1200-1600 on heating and another £200 on coal
Plus £200 on logs or briquettes if the temperature really drops.
Fuel costs rise significantly for us once the temperature drops below zero.

Notcontent · 05/12/2023 01:51

Mine is similar to you OP. My electricity use is pretty constant and low. I assume most of my appliances are probably quite energy efficient. gas usage is very low in the warm months but high in winter - I am assuming it may be £250 per month for gas over winter.

Rainbow1901 · 05/12/2023 09:11

At the moment between £7.50 and £10 per day but we run a fish tank and fish pond all the time and PCs. That is for both gas and electricity - we also look after GCs so have to keep the house reasonably warm for them but when the solar panels are feeding in on bright days we do any washing or gadget using when it is free.
The thermostat is set slightly lower to maintain the warmth. We find it cheaper that way but if the weather is good and sunny we throw open the internal doors around the house as the back rooms are really warm if the sun is shining and spread the heat around for free.
We are also well insulated as we took advantage of one of the government freebies a few years ago when we had the solar panels fitted and the insulation topped up throughout the house.

GasPanic · 05/12/2023 13:09

stealthsquirrelnutkin · 04/12/2023 14:58

I'm disabled, can't move easily, suffer from rheumatism and asthma, and home all day. No tumble drier but a heated water bed, aquarium, and CPAP machine. My electricity stays much the same all year round, about £2.50/day, last month the gas (including standing charges) averaged £3.40/day to keep the house at 21 degrees when I am up, and 16 degrees during the night.

Last winter I reduced the thermostat to 19 degrees during the daytime, trying to compensate with cashmere wristwarmers, a heated throw and heated shoulder and neck pad. That did reduce my gas bills, but my rheumatism was a lot worse, it took 3 months to shake off a cold, and black spots of mould started to grow on the walls in the bedroom and front hall despite good ventilation and regular airings.

I've decided that it makes better sense to cut back on everything else, so I can keep the heating on.

Edited

Having to heat to 19C to prevent mold is crazy.

I run my house much lower in temperature than that (sometimes lower than 15C) and never see any mold. I keep it very dry though, less than 50% humidity.

I think your problem is humidity. Too many people seem to think heating is the only consideration in house environment management.

Whereas in actuality humidity needs to be managed as well. My guess is that if you got a decent dehumidifier you would be able to run the house at lower temperatures, stop mold and save money.

Original poster
WombatChocolate · 05/12/2023 17:34

Mould often occurs too from drying clothes indoors and not ventilating enough. It’s so difficult in winter…you don’t want to open the windows as it’s so cold, it if you don’t ventilate, the moisture drying out of wet clothes clothes creates the problem.

The worst situation is for those on very low incomes in properties with poor heating and thin walls and no tumble drier. Often they seek to only have the heating on an hour or two a day because of cost. Their washing hangs on aiders and radiators and takes ages to dry due to limited heating. The poorly insulated walls don’t keep heat in and get damp quickly. Mould grows. Such houses or flats might well need 19 degrees on a very regular basis to prevent it, or laundry taking to the laundrette to avoid moisture in the air. Or yes, a good humidifier..another expense to by and costly to run.

OP posts:
User2856948 · 05/12/2023 17:44

Electric about £2.50-£3 a day, no idea about gas but probably quite a lot as the heating is on all day 18-21c

Notcontent · 05/12/2023 23:54

Can I just add that dehumidifiers are not that expensive to run. Ok, it would probably add up if you had one 24/7 but I use mine for a few hours every time I dry clothes inside and the cost is insignificant. But I guess they are an investment as a decent one will be around £200 or so.

Original poster
WombatChocolate · 06/12/2023 08:12

Pleased to have had some slightly warmer days, with gas costs dropping back from their peak of last weekend to about £7.50 per day.

In my mind, Jan and Feb are the coldest months. There will be some cold snaps in Dec but also these slightly warmer days.

What I am making sure I do is adjust the timer temporarily when it’s very cold - an extra 30 mins in morning, an extra hour in evening, or if in all day, having it on low at 15 most of the day until eve when it is raised back up, BUT I keep an eye on the weather forecast and when I can see the next day will be warmer, the timer is all adjusted so it’s back to the shorter hours. How bloody boring and tedious, but I think this vigilance means on the warmer days I save a few quid and avoid slipping into having it on more when it’s not needed.

OP posts:
Fairylightgirl · 07/12/2023 12:54

2 bed semi but with a garden office and utility room.

electricity wise were on a prepayment meter and use no more than £2.50 a day with WFH, xbox, tumble drying, dehumidifier and electric panel heaters in the office for WFH.

Gas - we submit meter readings every Sunday and our house is quite warm. £12 a week at the moment which is hot water for dishes, showers, bathtime and obviously heating (set to 19.5c)

Fairylightgirl · 07/12/2023 12:57

We found the best cure for mould is using thermal paint internally.

We had one wall in the bedroom that had a condensation issue and our bedroom humidity was around 88%. we've had trickle vents retrofitted and used thermal paint on that one wall (external wall). Humidity is now around 59% and no more mould. The temp in the room is much warmer.