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Original poster

Energy cost

17 replies

Toomboom · 23/12/2019 09:36

Not sure if this is the right section, move if not.
I moved with my adult son into this rented house in September. Small two bedroom mid terraced house. It is all electric and on economy 7 meters. We took over the energy company when we moved in , Spark energy. I was advised that £39 was more than enough, we agreed on £50 as I felt this was far too low. Within weeks I was in debt to them [ first time ever with an energy company ] of £150.
Increased dd to £100 per month. They now are asking for £220 per month!!!
I have two heaters on, nothing else, no heating upstairs. I use washing machine and dishwasher overnight as this is when it is meant to be cheaper. Also an immersion heater which is on overnight.

I just don't know what to do anymore. I can't afford the £220 a month. This is double what I paid in my previous house which was bigger. It is winter, we can't do without heating

I have contacted customer services who are worse than useless, they agree this is a lot of money for the size of the house, but other that are no help.

I have never had economy 7 heating before, and probably don't understand it properly, but surely as a small house it shouldn't be costing this much? Can someone please help.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 23/12/2019 10:51

I wouldn't leave your immersion on overnight. Put in on for an hour or so before you need hot water. Do you have storage heaters? Google how to use them effectively. Are you on an economy 7 tariff where you give 2 sets of readings?

Teachermaths · 23/12/2019 11:06

Turn your immersion off all night.

Take regular meter readings.

Are you at home all the time?

£220 is an incredibly large amount of money. I'd compare this to your usage.

nannynick · 23/12/2019 11:11

There are different setups, you need to know what the flat has. ECO7 in my flat is completely different circuits and only things connected to that is Storage Heater and the Lower element in the hot water cylinder.

Turn down the temp on the hot water or don't have on all the time. Consider how much hot water is really used - washing machine, dishwasher, shower - they all use cold feed these days and heat their own water.

Original poster
Toomboom · 23/12/2019 11:49

Yes it is storage heaters. There is no way I can put a timer on the immersion heater as it has a fixed switch to the wall, not a plug socket. I have tried putting it on for an hour or so at a time, but it doesn't heat the water enough.

Can't turn the heat down on the hot water either as it is all sealed and there is no way into it. I have checked and tried to do this. Showers is an electric one just used twice a day [ for 2 of us ].

My son and I work back to back shifts. I am out all day, he is out all night. When he is home there is no heating on as he is in bed.

I am on economy 7 tariff and have to give 5 readings. I update my reading daily to Spark energy. We have been here less than 4 months and completely regretting moving here. I can't keep up with these costs and as I said customer services just don't want to help.

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 23/12/2019 11:55

Do you know how to effectively use your storage heaters? What do you need hot water for if you have electric showers? If it's just for dishes then the immersion doesnt need to run all night.

mencken · 23/12/2019 15:08

Spark went bust last year so this surprised me - but it seems that Ovo are still selling under this toxic brand. You are probably with them because they give a bung to estate agents. no, they won't want to help, they were always like that. You need to change ASAP.

first job : do a comparison. Remember the savings model is a lie, knock up a quick spreadsheet with unit cost, standing charge and what you use and then compare with the costs offered.

second: check you really are on economy 7 and what the times are - sometimes they are split. The peak rate will be very high so you need to work at not using high consumption stuff at those times.

try and find a supplier that does economy 10 which is good for storage heaters. And yes, make sure you are using them correctly. Plus the usual of thick curtains, (try the charity shops once the tat has gone) draught excluders etc.

some GCSE physics calculations will tell you how long an immersion heater takes to heat your tank. Remember to do the washing up in one chunk once a day, don't keep running cold water into the tank.

what is the EPC on this place?

Original poster
Toomboom · 23/12/2019 18:43

@mencken
Thank you for this, it is very helpful. Yes, this was done through the letting agent. EPC is D66, not sure if that is good or bad?

Maths isn't my strong point [ I have dyscalculia ], but my son is home for a couple of days, so I will get him to work things out for me.
I will be looking into changing suppliers ASAP, just concerned that I will find my self in the same boat.

OP posts:
PerkingFaintly · 23/12/2019 18:54

If no disabilities or special needs, in your situation I would just switch the immersion heater off permanently and do any stray washing up once a day with water heated in the kettle (not up to boiling). You have the dishwasher anyway, so this won't be much.

It sounds like the only change apart from that is that you'll be washing your hands in cold water. This is very survivable, and sounds like almost your only use of the immersion tank, which is quite expensive to run.

PerkingFaintly · 23/12/2019 18:59

But NB there is some risk in hefting kettles of hot water around, so if it's something you can't do safely because of strength or the layout of the kitchen, then please ignore my suggestion.

A nasty burn or scald is the last thing you need.

mencken · 23/12/2019 19:10

EPC not brilliant although perfectly legal - but you had the EPC before deciding to rent, I'm afraid. No property is A rated but next time look for a B or a high C, and of course gas heating is cheaper to run and more controllable.

most immersion heaters are 3kw, same as a kettle, although obviously heating a lot more water. Your tank will probably be set at 60 degrees or above (Legionnaires disease rules).

I think finding the economy 7 hours, (call your generator company, not Spark) trying for an economy 10 tariff, best use of the storage heaters and a supplier switch (if for no other reason than to get away from Spark) should make a difference. The cost sounds incredibly high for a two bed house that isn't actually that warm.

economy10.com/overview/list-of-suppliers/

BarbaraofSeville · 24/12/2019 09:33

I'm guessing it's mostly the immersion heater. That doesn't need to be on all night. If you have an electric shower and a dishwasher, you should need hardly any hot water. Main thing is hand washing, but to be honest, I'd just manage with cold and lots of soap.

Boil the kettle for cleaning the kitchen. I often do this anyway, because it takes ages for the hot water to come through from our combi boiler, and it just seems like a huge waste of water.

Definitely check the numbers you've given. Also maybe check what it costs to run the immersion heater by making a note of the numbers before and after it's been on when no other heat source like shower, storage heaters or oven/hob are running.

mencken · 24/12/2019 11:46

most uk immersion heaters are 3kw, i.e. use 3 units per hour. Multiply unit cost by 3 to get the running cost of the heater for each hour it is on.

the unit costs should be on the bill, or here: OP will need to enter her postcode.

sparkenergy.co.uk/our-prices

BarbaraofSeville · 24/12/2019 12:11

So that's about 50 pence an hour, or £4 per night if it's on for 8 hours, or £120 pm just for the immersion heater Shock

Plus the cost of running the storage heaters, shower, all other appliances and the standing charge, so I can see how they're asking for £220 pm, which backs up what I said previously about not using the immersion heater much, if at all and certainly not keeping it on all night.

Dr1v1ngh0meforxxxmas · 24/12/2019 15:47

Storage heaters are one of the least efficient ways of heating
Do you have lined curtains ?
I've got a curtain Infront of the front door, helps stop heat loss
Do you have double glazing on windows ?
Do you cook every day on electric cooker

Look on some comparison sites for cheaper electric supplier

Dr1v1ngh0meforxxxmas · 24/12/2019 15:50

On your bill you should have

A standing charge per day
A charge per kilowatt
You may also have a second, cheaper charge for Economy 7 which is cheaper after midnight
If you change supplier, there may be an exit fee too

Kaboni19 · 26/12/2019 22:20

Apologies if this has already been mentioned but are you sending meter readings?
Because if you're not, estimations will be used instead which can be incorrectly estimating high usage.
Also check if you're direct debit is at the level it is because of how much energy you're using or whether the company is trying to keep you in high credit.
That theory is great for some people as you can use the credit to pay for energy later on in the year but not if you're struggling.
And yes do double check you're on an E7 tariff - when you're given your bill it should show the unit rates you're being charged.

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