How is my kWh energy consumption so high??! (question for geeks)

[ScillyGirls]

I'm the first owner of a New Build property and have been there for 5 years. The energy is Electricity only - no gas. My flat is a very small 2 bed - 550 square foot with just 3 radiators. I don't have any unusual reasons for using electricity - just the computer and regular kitchen appliances and standard led lighting, and I live alone.

I'm with the company Utilita, and the bills have always been high, but have doubled since the cost of living went up.

Using the past year as an example, my energy consumption is stated on the bill as 8,832 kWh.

According to various websites, the average annual consumption for a 1/2 bed is just 1,800 kWh. Is this true? Can I ask what your annual consumption is for comparison? I don't understand why mine is reading several times that amount.

My bill for the past 12 months was £2,800, which might not sound a lot to some, but I am one person in a small flat, and websites such as British Gas say that average usage for my situation leads to bills more in the region of £660.34 (although that sounds very low to me).

I tried to get to the root of this on several occasions but the customer service from Utilita was hopeless and they wanted to charge £100 for a service person to visit.

Finally today they have agreed to have someone attend to inspect the meter next month, although I have looked at it and it does give the same reading as stated on my bills. I'm wondering if it is an electrical fault of some kind, and perhaps I will need to hire an electrician instead?

Admittedly, practical issues such as these are not my forte, but I would appreciate hearing from anyone else in a similar sort of situation to compare what your energy consumption is. Is mine outrageously high or perfectly normal? If it is normal then perhaps I am just signed up to a monstrously high Tariff with Utilita (It is the 'Smart Energy Tariff' on a 'Standard Unrestricted' Service Type, whatever that means!). Or maybe this is just what we are all being made to pay? Several friends and relatives have indicated that I am paying considerably more than them though. And they have a partner and kids in larger properties.

To be honest, I am hoping that there has been some sort of fault whereby the meter has wildly overestimated my usage and that I will be refunded for 5 very expensive years, but I won't hold my breath!

Thanks in advance to anyone who shares their experience for comparison.

How is your water heated?

Is the example you found the example for a flat with no gas? Electric heating is very expensive and heating hot water for showers/baths etc is expensive too

How long is your heating/ hot water on for every day?

Thanks for your replies guys.

@atlaz @xyz111
There is a water boiler and an Immersion Heater in my cupboard. The water is very hot - scaulding - and is on all day and night I presume, but I was told that the temperature is set to the manufacturer's eco setting. I've also suspected that the water might be the cause of the high usage and will be asking my plumber's advice when he comes tomorrow to do a general boiler service.

@Youcancallmeirrelevant I thought the figures were form houses with electric only (from Ofgem), but I could be mistaken. It's why I'm curious to see what figures others who only use Electric are getting.

Appreciate your responses and you're probably right to suggest the water has something to do with it.

Immersion heater will do it. Turn it off now and get a timer switch fitted or get organised so you turn it on just before you need it and remember to turn it off.

WHO LEFT THE IMMERSION ON??!!!!! was the sound of my childhood

Any appliance that produces heat uses the most energy. If cooking easy meals, I would invest in an air fryer for quicker cooking.

Mines just under 5000kwh electric per year PLUS hot water and central heating on top (4 people at home all day, old terraced house)

You think your immersion heater is on all day?! That will be the cause then! It just needs to be on a timer for a couple of hours, and boosted later in the day if needed. Electric heaters are very expensive too, so running them for hours will also cost.

@FusionChefGeoff it was "who left the bloody immersion on" round my way 😂

Hi, I live in a small 2 bedroom flat by myself with electricity as my only source of energy. Your immersion heater will be using loads of energy if you are keeping it on all day, its like a large kettle constantly boiling, each time your water cools down, the heater will kick in to warm it back up so I think this maybe the source of why your bills are so high. Mine is timed to come on about 1.5 hours a day, this gives me a shower and some for washing up. In the winter I am quite frugal with the wall heaters, only using them for an hour maybe before work and a couple of hours in the evening. All other times, I fill my hot water bottle! For comparison my usage is about 1120kw per annum. Hope this helps.

It’s the immersion. You don’t need it on for more than an hour a day.

I have a condensing boiler that heats the hot water tank. I have a good jacket on the tank to keep the heat from escaping. I have the hot water on for 45 minutes a day. From that, we get two showers and a bath. It costs approximately 50p to heat the tank.

You may have a 2 system water heating currently set up

1. a tank can be heated by the main boiler on a timer, it will have its own temperature thermostat.
2. the immersion heater on the water tank will likely have an on / off switch. It will have its own separate thermostat on it but it is like keeping a kettle hot 24 hours a day if left on. It is usually only used to briefly heat the water or to be used as a back up of your boiler has broken. You switch it on and off manually.

Immersons can be like a giant kettle so very electricity heavy.

I suggest you find out how the hot water is being heated boiler vs thermoset.

If it is boiler- check the timer for the times you need hot water and check the thermostat ( needs to be at 60’ to prevent legionella) and adjust accordingly. Then turn immersion off and use manually when needed.
if it is my immersion only- buy a timer unit switch and get it changed so you can set the times ( so you don’t have to remember to switch on and off). There is a thermostats dial under the top Cover - usually set at 60’. As other posters say- you can get to know how long it takes to heat the tank to keep the timer down. A well insulated tank will keel the water hot for a numbers of hours.

Ps I know this as when I bought my first home, I had no idea what the switch for the immersion was and kept it on for ages thinking it was needed for the boiler. Say no more !

Thank you so much guys - I am a total airhead on things like boilers and heaters (although I have TRIED to understand them), so will take a while to digest your advice, but I will print it out now and also run it past the boiler service man when he comes tomorrow. I have tried to figure out the Immersion system before, tried several ways, and different switches, but ended up with cold water. Really appreciate all your advice!

If you ended up with cold water then you found the correct switch, you just need to turn it on an hour before you want a bath/shower either manually or with a timer.

Also this isn't a question for 'geeks' - how rude. Energy and power use is basic GCSE physics.

If it is the immersion heater you’ll need to plan ahead/get into a routine. For example put it on for an hour at the most prior to having a shower/bath then wash your pots and any other jobs needing hot water within a couple of hours while it’s still hot.

I’ve had to change the way I do things since the hikes, as has many people. It’s crap.

Why do you need a while to digest the advice. Turn your immersion off. Turn it on for an hour each day. Save yourself thousands of pounds. All that money you've wasted

YOU KEEP YOUR IMMERSION ON 24/7??!!! Bloody hell, yes that will do it. I can hear my mother spinning in her grave right now. Turn the bloody immersion off! Soundtrack of 1970s Lancashire, right there.

I’ve always used hot water bottles, even before the price hikes I was frugal and because I find them cosy for bed and could never stand the heating in at night. I was once in the chemist to get a couple of new ones and an old guy asked me why I was buying them! I told him they were to keep me warm, he replied “that what radiators are for”. I wonder if he buys them now.

Turn the immersion heater off and use the water in the tank with a bath or shower.

The following day take a meter reading before switching it back on.

Take another meter reading an hour later.

This will give you a rough idea of how much electricity you are using to heat the tank.

In my experience it's the most expensive way to heat water. It's a bit like having your kettle running most of the time. That's a maximum draw of electricity.

I think you've found the reason for high bills.

I work for an energy company.

That is a very generic estimated annual consumption, your energy fluctuates depending on usage. For example, your external radiators will use more energy than average.

You can conduct something called a creep test. You should take a picture of your meter reading, turn your fuse box off and wait 10 mins, take another picture. If your usage has increased considerably that would indicate there is something wrong with the meter. If it doesn't then it's your usage.

Your water is scalding and you didn't think that might be connected with large electricity bills

Only good things can come from truning the immersion off, don't faff about with research, do it now

Do you own the apartment ?
If so, would the apt mgmt co let you install a heat pump ?
They generally give 300 - 400 % efficiency when used for space heating. ( There are some that can also be used to heat water....but that gets a bit complicated & might not be worth your while )

I have turned it off now, there are two Immersion switches in my cupboard next to each other numbered 1 and 2 (Therma Q Evocyl), presumably 2 is the booster. What I meant was that I'm trying to understand and digest how the system works rather than just turning off and hoping for the best.

I tried doing this several months ago but when I switched the booster off and just had number 1 on, it didn't really seem to affect the usage on my smart meter, and then when I tried turning both off, the water eventually started running cold. I did consult the handbook and instructions online, I just don't understand them and got nowhere with them. Unfortunately it is my first time with an Immersion and I was just ignorant. I do better when I have an actual person showing me what to do. But yes, I know I have wasted thousands of pounds, I have asked for help from multiple sources over the years, but ended up having to ask Mumsnet who seem to be far more helpful than the 'experts'!

Thanks all!!!

Do you have gas at all? If you're all electric you might be better on an economy 7 tariff.

The "average estimates" they use are usually for one fuel and assume you use both gas and electricity so they won't apply to a property with only one fuel type.

I'm in a 2 bed flat electricity only, my annual usage is about 5,000kwh (just checked). My heating and hot water comes on overnight and I pay less per unit during those hours.

I'd look around and move from Utilita, esp. if they don't have any economy 7 tariffs. You might need your meter changed.