On 15/08/10 09:20, sweetheart wrote:
I know this is cheeky but I wondered if anyone would be willing to give
me a "price comparison" for their electric usage?

I'm in a 1 bedroom flat, all electric. I'm on an Economy 7 tariff with
EDF which charges 5.34p/unit night, 11.05p/unit day. The first 238 units
are 17.66p.

According to the most recent bill, this quarter I used 7.73 units/day
for a total bill of about £20/month. Last quarter I used 24.93 units a
day (about £50/month). The difference being not needing the storage
heaters on this quarter.

He wants me to stop using my washing machine which goes on once a week -
or maybe twice if I have anything big and my usual wash is 40 degrees
although I occasionally use the higher wash rates for bed clothes and
towels.

If it's a modern washing machine, I suspect it will use less hot water
(and therefore electricty) than washing clothes by hand. Probably less
than 1 unit of electricity for a 40 degree wash.

You could halve the cost by running the washing machine at night on
cheap rate electricity.

There's a table of power consumption vs energy rating he

http://www.appliancesonline.co.uk/bl...ing-costs.aspx

He wants me to use the dishwasher less - I put it on every other day at
normal ( 55 degrees) wash and he wants to switch the emersion heater off
altogether - it goes on for an hour each night to provide water for
cleaning and washing every day.
He says our bill is high ( the DD is £26 a month ) but I cant see where
its going other than on things I need now.

The immersion heater will be 3kW, so if you're running it for an hour at
night that should be about 15p/day.

It sounds to me like you're not using a silly amount of electricity at
the moment. It would be worth seeing if you could switch to a cheaper
tariff if you're paying much more than 5p per night unit and 10p per day
unit.

Regards,
Richard.

In message , sweetheart
writes

"Roger Mills" wrote in message
...
On 15/08/2010 10:26, sweetheart wrote:

"The Wanderer" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:40:13 +0100, Andy Cap wrote:

I'm also sorry to appear flippant, BUT, you problem is not the
electricity but your husband.

Ditto all wot he said.

Do you manage the account wholly on-line? Most suppliers now offer a
discount if you opt for a fully on-line managed account. I get an
extra 10%
discount on my account.

No, to do this would be cheaper I know - about £30 cheaper but to be
honest I have a phone bill on line and its a pain. I can never see what
we are paying. I like to get the bill and see it. At least that way I
know whats going on.

I don't understand that. You may not get a paper bill in the post -
but with most suppliers you can access a bill online and print it out
if you wish. That is certainly true with my BT phone bills and my
Scottish Power and Southern Electric energy bills.

That has not been my experience with either BT or videophone ( my
mobile phone). The bills are erratic.

Regularity seems to just the same. I used to get a paper bill as well as
the online ones for BT the paper bill would come through the door within
a few days of the online one being ready.

When I do see the bill it isn't like having a paper copy in my had to
read. I can rarely make sense of them

As has been said, you can always view a pdf (I always save a copy of the
pdf copy locally as well) or print it out.

Finally online bill management seems to mean you have no right of
recourse to speak to anyone, it has to be done online.


I wouldn't say never, there are too many options out there. But none of
mine suppliers. (BG, Npower and BT) Bg is a web specific tariff, were we
don't get the option of paper bills, but I can still phone someone up
with a query. The others are just paperless billing options for
discount. I can still ring them.


But bottom line is, I would like a bill sent . I am old fashioned and
want to sit and read it .

Fair enough. But you are paying for that. Don't know what tarrif you
might be on, but for us with BG we would pay about £150 pa more on the
standard tariff compared to the online one we have

Re the original question. FWIW, I think your consumption is reasonable.
I'd guess that maybe 2/3 consumption goes on heating and HW then around
300 GBP for all the rest seems reasonable.

I think you are right in you belief that there aren't significant
savings to be made given that you seem to be using stuff sensibly. Sure
you might trim a little off by using washing machines/DW less - but you
still ahev to washup/do washing, but there are limits. eg. I'd not
consider a couple of hours of immersion heater a luxury. Boiling water
every time you want HW is a faff,as is having to plan ahead for wanting
a shower or bath

For a possibly not very helpful comparison We are a family of 4 - 2
kids, around a lot in the day. Gas for HW and CH. Largish 4 bed
Victorian house, with probably too many computers etc and lights getting
left on.

Annual consumption up to end of July was about 8200 kwh, which on our
tariff (Click energy 6) was about GBP 725
--
Chris French

In article
..com, js.b1 scribeth thus
OP... Iron has a thermostat.
- 70% duty-cycle @ 2kW @ 1/2hr @ 180x per year
- 0.70 x 2 x 0.5 x 180 = 126kWhr = £12.60.

Reducing it 50% brings it down to £6.30 per year.
Not much for a 50% reduction - but no point ironing things that do not
need ironing.


Water Meter!!
The Rateable Value charge may be £470, Assessed Usage charge may be
£420, but Water Meter may be £200. Now that could be an easy way to
save £800 over 4 years. That is 1 year free electricity in a very bad
(2009) winter after basic insulation changes have been made.

Cash in Banks.
Cash is earning 0.1%, sadly the govt shut the NSandI Index Linked
Savings Certificates (RPI Index Linked + 1%) which is just an insult -
or smart considering how high inflation will be over the next 10 yrs.
Even so ING offers about 3% and so do others so do not lose even that
seemingly small 2.5-2.9% potential.

Can you save £20/month into a broad equity-multi-asset fund?
You could put 20/month into an ISA fund such as Cazenove Multi-Manager
Diversity, www.trustnet.com will let you chart it, you simply set up a
D/D to buy it. Avoid Absolute Return funds or UK Index funds because
the UK FTSE is now quite tired in terms of 81% global income (not UK)
and frankly not likely to give a good return unless you time a 2008
crash event and hold for a very long time. Try to save 20/month for
5yrs and it at least gives a good reserve for events. Particularly if
you tell no-one about it, then it is not "assumed to be part of the
pot". If you can do 50/month that really will make a difference after
5yrs, a useful chunk that can swat otherwise horrible bills.

E7 has the benefit of no maintenance, no £2000 boiler cost, no
radiator replacement and so on -- but it does require good insulation
to work properly.


Ummm ..

... ever thought of publishing the good economic householder guide;?....
--
Tony Sayer

What I really needed to know as per my original question is are my
electricity costs exorbitant in terms of other peoples or is my OH being
unrealistic in his expectations of reducing it further?
That's why I gave the figures.


Ever thought of asking the neighbours if they have similar properties?..
--
Tony Sayer

"js.b1" wrote in message
...
On Aug 15, 4:33 pm, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:
According to some posters I ought to be able to reduce the bill to nothing
then? But that isn't realistic is it?


Do you have Loft + Cavity Wall + Below Wood Floor Insulation?

If the answer is "no" to all 3 then you could save £400/yr on your
electricity bill.

But I have already pointed out we are insulated to the hilt above and beyond
all specifications. So this cannot apply. Sorry.

"chris French" wrote in message
...
In message , sweetheart
writes

"Roger Mills" wrote in message
...
On 15/08/2010 10:26, sweetheart wrote:

"The Wanderer" wrote in message
.. .
On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:40:13 +0100, Andy Cap wrote:


Fair enough. But you are paying for that. Don't know what tarrif you might
be on, but for us with BG we would pay about £150 pa more on the standard
tariff compared to the online one we have

Its about £30 difference a year between what I have and a paperless billing
tarrif with BG



I think you are right in you belief that there aren't significant savings
to be made given that you seem to be using stuff sensibly. Sure you might
trim a little off by using washing machines/DW less - but you still ahev
to washup/do washing, but there are limits. eg. I'd not consider a couple
of hours of immersion heater a luxury. Boiling water every time you want
HW is a faff,as is having to plan ahead for wanting a shower or bath

Thanks.

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
What I really needed to know as per my original question is are my
electricity costs exorbitant in terms of other peoples or is my OH being
unrealistic in his expectations of reducing it further?
That's why I gave the figures.


Ever thought of asking the neighbours if they have similar properties?..

Ah, well aside of the fact I dont know my neighbours well enough for that, I
am afraid we do not have similar properties.
I live in a rural hamlet and all the houses are different.

My one neighbour has a 1980's built four bed house and the other a two bed
1977 built house . Both use wood fires for heating.

I have a large detached bungalow on a smallholding with two beds ( could be
three if some enterprising family wanted to shuffle up in the sitting room
using it as a diner or even using the kitchen as a diner instead of having
it as a large room and having separate kitchen and dining rooms. Mine was
built in 1958. There were no other houses around back then. There was a
small build of houses further up the valley in the 1980's but they are not
comparable in any way.

But as I said, I really would not feel able to ask.

"sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote in message
...

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
What I really needed to know as per my original question is are my
electricity costs exorbitant in terms of other peoples or is my OH being
unrealistic in his expectations of reducing it further?
That's why I gave the figures.


Ever thought of asking the neighbours if they have similar properties?..

Ah, well aside of the fact I dont know my neighbours well enough for that,
I am afraid we do not have similar properties.
I live in a rural hamlet and all the houses are different.

My one neighbour has a 1980's built four bed house and the other a two
bed 1977 built house . Both use wood fires for heating.

Really.

Sis has a wood fire, but only because it's pretty. She has to turn the CH
on for heating

tim

"tim...." wrote in message
...

"sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote in message
...

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
What I really needed to know as per my original question is are my
electricity costs exorbitant in terms of other peoples or is my OH being
unrealistic in his expectations of reducing it further?
That's why I gave the figures.


Ever thought of asking the neighbours if they have similar properties?..

Ah, well aside of the fact I dont know my neighbours well enough for
that, I am afraid we do not have similar properties.
I live in a rural hamlet and all the houses are different.

My one neighbour has a 1980's built four bed house and the other a two
bed 1977 built house . Both use wood fires for heating.

Really.

Sis has a wood fire, but only because it's pretty. She has to turn the CH
on for heating

I think both have central heating running from the woodburners. I know they
get logs from those around who cut trees every winter.

My one neighbour is a real greenie type and he recently changed from oil to
this wood fire but he only has one main living room even though the house is
four beds ( was two bed but previous owners chopped the bed rooms in half
and made it a four bed ) .

I suspect oil was too expensive.

The other neighbour is elderly and has always used coal fired central
heating from a multi fuel fire with back boiler.
He has E 7 but doesn't use much.

On Aug 15, 5:45*pm, "tim...." wrote:
"js.b1" wrote in message
#1 Loft Insulation, £50-99-199.

Dunno where they get this figure from.

Type "Loft Insulation" into Google. Price for labour & glasswood
insulation for a 3 bed semi (easy access, 45m^2 loft area) varies from
£0 (free) to £199 depending on financial circumstances.

Sis has just been quoted 2,500 of which only 300 was the labour.
As she has specified some "allergy" free stuff I assumed that
she was over paying for materials but I checked and even
the cheapest stuff came out at almost 1500.

Does she specifically need anti-allergy stuff?
You can get glasswool in foil bags (useful vapour barrier) with a few
perforations. PIR to 165mm for 45m^2 is about £700-800, I think it is
200-220mm now for 2010 regs. Blown in polystyrene is not so good in
well ventilated lofts (stream of polystrene beads blowing out in
stormy weather and looks like a mountain range inside).

Anti-allergy stuff may move her into more exotic materials where price
competition is simply not present.

On Aug 15, 5:37*pm, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:
But I have already pointed out we are insulated to the hilt above and beyond
all specifications. So this cannot apply. Sorry.

Sorry, missed that, stripping wallpaper between posting the past few
days :-)

In which case what temperature are you running?
You can pick up a cheap LCD inside/outside thermostat and they can be
handy for fine-tuning storage heaters - even automatic ones.

Females in a living room without radiant heating tends to need a
higher temperature with convective heating than a male. For example
with a gas fire 21oC is "about right" and 22oC is "way too hot, open
the door". Conversely with convective heating 23oC was required and
23.5oC felt "about the same, but missed the radiant heat". Did a lot
of tests in 2009 winter.

Npower in NW are circa 4.9p unit including VAT for E7 with £50+50
(dual fuel) annual discount on top. That is not the cheapest, I think
that is 4.5p at the moment AND the NW is one of the most expensive
areas for E7 (classed as North Wales ironically).


ok, what about water meter?
Rateable charge is probably £450, water meter charge for 2 people is
probably £200-250. You can reject the meter in the first year if you
wish, but the next occupier has to have meter-based readings.

In article , sweetheart
hotmail.com@?.? scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
What I really needed to know as per my original question is are my
electricity costs exorbitant in terms of other peoples or is my OH being
unrealistic in his expectations of reducing it further?
That's why I gave the figures.


Ever thought of asking the neighbours if they have similar properties?..

Ah, well aside of the fact I dont know my neighbours well enough for that, I
am afraid we do not have similar properties.
I live in a rural hamlet and all the houses are different.

My one neighbour has a 1980's built four bed house and the other a two bed
1977 built house . Both use wood fires for heating.

I have a large detached bungalow on a smallholding with two beds ( could be
three if some enterprising family wanted to shuffle up in the sitting room
using it as a diner or even using the kitchen as a diner instead of having
it as a large room and having separate kitchen and dining rooms. Mine was
built in 1958. There were no other houses around back then. There was a
small build of houses further up the valley in the 1980's but they are not
comparable in any way.

But as I said, I really would not feel able to ask.


Ever thought about going LPG gas or solid fuel heating or would that be
too much up front Capx spend?..
--
Tony Sayer

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , sweetheart
hotmail.com@?.? scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...



Ever thought about going LPG gas or solid fuel heating or would that be
too much up front Capx spend?..
--
Tony Sayer

It would be a lot of mess opening up fire places and OH would do it - and I
have had problems just getting him to fix a bathroom after 15 years of
living in this house.

But I suspect it would cost more to run anyway and OH would embargo me
making a fire. I can at least put some heating on when he isnt looking.

He thinks we can live in the cold. I have recurrent chest infections ( and
pneumonia ) as a result. I am supposed to have a winter room temp of 21
degrees (C) but he insists on no more than 15 degrees or we have to turn
off all the heating except in the sitting room.

I also need warm bedrooms in winter but he doesnt allow that at all. Whe
the mould gets too bad I am ill and then he puts the heating on for a couple
of days for me.
He just wont spend the money.

"js.b1" wrote in message
...
On Aug 15, 5:45 pm, "tim...." wrote:
"js.b1" wrote in message
#1 Loft Insulation, £50-99-199.

Dunno where they get this figure from.

Type "Loft Insulation" into Google. Price for labour & glasswood
insulation for a 3 bed semi (easy access, 45m^2 loft area) varies from
£0 (free) to £199 depending on financial circumstances.

As she has a bungalow it is more than twice this area *(though 45sqm seems
small for a 3 bed semi).

But I still don't see how it can be done for 199. Material costs at B&Q are
around 350 pounds and then there's the labour.


Sis has just been quoted 2,500 of which only 300 was the labour.
As she has specified some "allergy" free stuff I assumed that
she was over paying for materials but I checked and even
the cheapest stuff came out at almost 1500.

Does she specifically need anti-allergy stuff?

Her children do (not that they live there very often now)

tim

On Aug 15, 7:49*pm, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:
He thinks we can live in the cold. I *have recurrent chest infections ( and
pneumonia ) as a result. *I am supposed to have a winter room temp of 21
degrees (C) *but he insists on no more than 15 degrees *or we have to turn
off all the heating except in the sitting room.
I also need warm bedrooms in winter but he doesnt allow that at all. *Whe
the mould gets too bad I am ill and then he puts the heating on for a couple
of days for me. He *just wont spend the money.

Deja Vu? This seems identical to a question some months back?

With the insulation you have AND the electricity spend you should be
getting higher temperatures than that.

How many 3.3kW storage heaters do you have?
- 3.3kW NSH charging 100% for 120 days (Nov Dec Jan Feb)
- 24 units @ 5.5p inc VAT x 120 = £158.40
- Typical charge 90% so nearer £140.

If you have 5 such heaters your maximum bill is 5x £158.40 or £792.
That is 14,400kW at 100% efficiency for gas bungalow bods.


Re mould...
1) Fit a kitchen & shower extractor
2) Do not try washing on a radiator
3) Consider a dehumidifier

You do not get colds or pneumonia by low temperatures.
You WILL suffer badly if the humidity is too high re breeding ground
for bugs.

On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 10:23:35 +0100, sweetheart wrote:

I am sorry I did make a mistake there. The DD is £26 a week. That is
for everything since we dont have any other form of fuel at all.

All electric and total energy bill of £1300 or there abouts. Oooo I
wish. £600/year for electric but add 4,000l of oil at 40p (or more
per litre) so another £1600+, so thats an energy bill of around
£2,200+/year. Fuel Poverty? Yep that's us...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Aug 15, 8:04*pm, "tim...." wrote:
But I still don't see how it can be done for 199. *Material costs at B&Q are
around 350 pounds and then there's the labour.

It is *government subsidised* :-)

There would be a surcharge for double 45m^2, probably £199-249 extra.


Does she specifically need anti-allergy stuff?

Her children do (not that they live there very often now)

Is the loft actually used or is this under a boarded-out loft?

The government subsidised deals are for "plane jane 300mm rockwool".
It has gone up since 2007, I think it was 250mm then and is now 350mm
or something just short of "lift the ridge tiles, pour in, refit ridge
tiles".

On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 11:19:24 +0100, MuddyFork wrote:

I second the recommendation to get a whole-house electricity monitor. I
like the CurrentCost ones, not least because they also tell you the
temperature.

And they are dead easy to interface to a PC for data logging.

My electricity bill has dropped since I got one.

It might have made a marginal difference, but with the data being
logged and a local web page of each days consumption you can work out
what is taking the power in the long term rather than in short peaks
like the kettle. The worst culprit is my old, slow PC, that chomps
through about 150W with the (LCD) monitor, have that on for 16hrs a
day and it uses 2.4 units...

--
Cheers
Dave.

In message , tim....
writes

"js.b1" wrote in message
...
On Aug 15, 5:45 pm, "tim...." wrote:
"js.b1" wrote in message
#1 Loft Insulation, £50-99-199.

Dunno where they get this figure from.

Type "Loft Insulation" into Google. Price for labour & glasswood
insulation for a 3 bed semi (easy access, 45m^2 loft area) varies from
£0 (free) to £199 depending on financial circumstances.

As she has a bungalow it is more than twice this area *(though 45sqm seems
small for a 3 bed semi).

But I still don't see how it can be done for 199. Material costs at B&Q are
around 350 pounds and then there's the labour.


It's subsidised by the council ( if that still happens) or the power
companies.

We had ours done via nPower in the December 2008. For a 250mm topup it
cost £229 for the max 80m^2 allowed under the offer (plus jackets for
two cold water tanks). We paid an extra £65 for an extra 10m^2.

My parents had their done for free a few years ago - either because they
are pensioners, and/or my Dad gets disabled living allowance.
--
Chris French

sweetheart wrote:

That has not been my experience with either BT or videophone ( my mobile
phone). The bills are erratic.

Have you had a look at 18185 as a way of reducing phone costs?
Works very well for me.

http://www.18185.co.uk

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

It would be a lot of mess opening up fire places and OH would do it - and I
have had problems just getting him to fix a bathroom after 15 years of
living in this house.

But I suspect it would cost more to run anyway and OH would embargo me
making a fire. I can at least put some heating on when he isnt looking.

He thinks we can live in the cold. I have recurrent chest infections ( and
pneumonia ) as a result. I am supposed to have a winter room temp of 21
degrees (C) but he insists on no more than 15 degrees or we have to turn
off all the heating except in the sitting room.

I also need warm bedrooms in winter but he doesnt allow that at all. Whe
the mould gets too bad I am ill and then he puts the heating on for a couple
of days for me.
He just wont spend the money.


Has he got the money to spend?. Sounds like if your getting chest
infections because of mould then thats a serious problem. Perhaps either
too much moisture in the building or too many cold surfaces for it to
condense on..

FWIW we have a rented property and the occupant of one of the rooms
always had a mould condensation problem but then again she'd never open
the windows to ventilate the room. However we did, as this was solid 9"
brickwork line the external walls with Gyproc board, cost around a
couple of hundred pounds plus my time but these made quite a difference
overall combined with a vent in the window...
--
Tony Sayer

On 15 Aug, 09:20, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:
I know this is cheeky but I wondered if anyone would be willing to give me a
"price comparison" for their electric usage?

My house is a large 2 bedroom bungalow. I say large because we have large
rooms and a *big kitchen dining room and extra big sitting room *as well as
two double bedrooms.

There is no gas main where I am so I use all electric - economy 7

*The bill for this last year has come to £1086 . That includes the central
heating last winter. *The company is British Gas - so not the cheapest I am
sure but given its E7 none of them come in greatly cheaper for my area
(Cornwall) so I have stayed with who I know since they have been no trouble.

My eco conscious and money miser husband thinks our bill is high and wants
me to look for ways to cut it. *I cant find any.

He wants me to stop using my washing machine which goes on *once a week - or
maybe twice if I have anything big and my usual wash is 40 degrees although
I occasionally use the higher wash rates for bed clothes and towels.

He wants me to use the dishwasher less - I put it on every other day at
normal ( 55 degrees) wash *and he wants to switch the emersion heater off
altogether - it goes on for an hour each night to provide water for cleaning
and washing every day.
He says our bill is high ( the DD is £26 a month ) *but I cant see where
its going other than on things I need now.

My mum tells me her leccy bill is higher *than ours yet she uses a coal fire
central heating system ( but *my parents are old and need the heat so do
supplement it with electric fires and she has a much bigger house).

I just wondered what other people who are all electric in a comparable
situation might be paying.

Sorry to be a pain.

I don't use gas at all. We have no central heating just a small wood
burning stove. But we have massive insulation, 600mm on roof and outer
walls and quadruple glazing. We only need the stove for very cold
weather. The advantage of insulation is that it needs no
maintenance.
We have a solar heating panel for hot water, you might consider
this. You might consider an instantaneous electric shower if you
haven't got one. These jug things save a lot compared with a kettle
for hot water because you can heat just a cupfull of water if
required.
My electricity bill is £180/quarter.
We have a large three bedroom bungalow.

"js.b1" wrote in message
...
On Aug 15, 7:49 pm, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:


Deja Vu? This seems identical to a question some months back?

I asked about condensation some months back and about electricty prices in
general

With the insulation you have AND the electricity spend you should be
getting higher temperatures than that.

No, OH has taken the fact we are insulated as an opportunity to drop the
heating down so we dont have them on very high - to save money. But he
still says we are paying too much and using too much, but I cannot see how
( and I dont know where he gets his figures unless its money box on radio 4)

How many 3.3kW storage heaters do you have?
- 3.3kW NSH charging 100% for 120 days (Nov Dec Jan Feb)
- 24 units @ 5.5p inc VAT x 120 = £158.40
- Typical charge 90% so nearer £140.

We have two 3kw heaters. Both are new. OH thought the old ones were leaking
electric ( costing too much).

I asked about it here at the time.
We also have 2x 1.5 Kw storage heaters in the bedrooms but OH only allows
one of them to be on in winter.

and a 2.5 kw in the dining room which is rarely on again because he wont
allow it.
So what we actually have on is 2x1.5 kw's and 2x3 Kw's. Both as low as he
can make it.

When I get cold I will ask to have the halogen heater put on ( 500 w)


Re mould...
1) Fit a kitchen & shower extractor

Had both of those done

2) Do not try washing on a radiator

How would I wash on a radiator then? ;-) I never dry anything on the
radiators ( which is what I am sure you are saying)

3) Consider a dehumidifier

That is something I have thought about but not bought. OH says it wouldnt
do any good ( does he know? I dont know)

You do not get colds or pneumonia by low temperatures.

No, but I have a bad chest as a result of a previous bout. Any infection
will trigger me in a cold and damp home especially with the mould. The mould
spores get onto my chest and makes me ill too. But OH doesnt listen. The
mould breeds in cold and damp in our house - put the heat on and it goes
away. Until my OH went of this eco / cost binge we had the heating on in
winter and never had any mould in any room. Now we have it all over the
house and frankly the place stinks of must.

"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:20:08 +0100, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:

snip
There is no gas main where I am so I use all electric - economy 7
snip
The bill for this last year has come to £1086 .
snip

Unless I've missed it, you don't give the split between what your bill
is for daytime electricity and cheap rate overnight electricity i.e.
what you use on night store heaters, running your washing machine,
dishwasher, immersion heater, etc. (you do run them overnight I hope,
with time clocks).

No I didnt give the spilt but its roughly half and half . The night usage
being slightly higher ( I guess that covers the fact I do mostly -
occassionally I need to run a dishwasher or washing during the day if I need
things in a hurry) .

I am beginning to think the only things left to be running this bill up are
the fridge and the freezer and such which have to run all day and all night.
I only have a fridge and a freezer, so I guess its them?
They are new so they dont run away with the electric.


Do your night stores have a 4pm boost,
because IIRC that can be at daytime rates and can be really expensive.

No, we are straight E7 at night.


We're also in Cornwall, on E7, Southern Electric, paid by DD. 3 bed
bungalow with dormer room, DG and loft insulation but no cavity wall
insulation, just two of us home all day (retired). Gas CH supplemented
by very occasional electric heating (the odd fan heater on in the
autumn evenings before the gas CH is switched on), electric cooking
(hob+oven, microwave), one fridge, one freezer. Dishwasher run every
night, washing machine for clothes say twice per week (no tumble
drier), immersion on every night, all three on timers for E7. We have
one night store heater but haven't used it for a couple of years (used
to have three but I took the other two out years ago). A few
low-energy light bulbs, but some filament ones also. Excess hot water
from the kettle is stored in a big thermos flask for next time (must
save a penny or two!).

FWIW, our total electricity bill for May 2009 to May 2010 was £642,
less about £30 for DD discount. The units/cost breakdown between cheap
rate and daytime rate was 2773 units/£151 night rate against 3116
units/£491 day rate. Night energy rate currently (oops, sorry!)
5.45p/unit, and day rate 18.83p/unit for first 1000 units/year then
14.33p/unit thereafter.


Thanks for that. It gives me some sort of guide.

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...

He just wont spend the money.


Has he got the money to spend?. Sounds like if your getting chest
infections because of mould then thats a serious problem. Perhaps either
too much moisture in the building or too many cold surfaces for it to
condense on..

This is moot. He says we havent. He scrutinises all the bills and claims
we cannot afford them.

However, I work , although its only part time. I get about £906 month take
home in a standard month. If I work overtime I can get maybe £200 more
sometimes but that cannot be counted on.

My husband retired a couple of years ago and gets a pension of £830 month
after tax from his ex employer. He also has an interest payment of £121
month coming in from investments.currently ( but that cant be totally
relied on either as it could go down in the future - but not for at least 12
months) . We do not get any benefits and he is not old enough for a state
pension and cant claim pension credit.

We have no mortgage. The electric bill is as I said. No other fuel. Our
biggest monthly bill is the council tax at £128 a month and the house
insurance at £20 a month ( just gone up)
We run a car ( I have to go to work).

If you are asking do we have money in the bank to pay the bills - then , yes
we do. But other half believes we have to save as much as possible because
one day we will be bankrupt because we spend it.

I am not sure what ( other than christmas presents ) we do spend it on. In
fact, we dont. The bank balance shows that but OH is a "saver" . He wont
spend on anything. He has become more obsessed since he retired.

"harry" wrote in message
...
On 15 Aug, 09:20, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:


I don't use gas at all. We have no central heating just a small wood
burning stove. But we have massive insulation, 600mm on roof and outer
walls and quadruple glazing. We only need the stove for very cold
weather. The advantage of insulation is that it needs no
maintenance.
We have a solar heating panel for hot water, you might consider
this. You might consider an instantaneous electric shower if you
haven't got one. These jug things save a lot compared with a kettle
for hot water because you can heat just a cupfull of water if
required.
My electricity bill is £180/quarter.
We have a large three bedroom bungalow.

Thanks. My last bill was £220 for the quarter but we don't have a wood
burning stove.
So I am wondering if we are really high.

sweetheart wrote:

No, OH has taken the fact we are insulated as an opportunity to drop the
heating down so we dont have them on very high - to save money. But he
still says we are paying too much and using too much, but I cannot see how
( and I dont know where he gets his figures unless its money box on radio 4)

No, but I have a bad chest as a result of a previous bout. Any infection
will trigger me in a cold and damp home especially with the mould. The mould
spores get onto my chest and makes me ill too. But OH doesnt listen. The
mould breeds in cold and damp in our house - put the heat on and it goes
away. Until my OH went of this eco / cost binge we had the heating on in
winter and never had any mould in any room. Now we have it all over the
house and frankly the place stinks of must.

As others have said, your power use doesn't seem excessive, and
the penny-pinching you report your OH as imposing appears
unreasonable.

Are you seeking evidence to enable you to discuss matters
rationally, or simply moral support? I'm not sure that being
right keeps one warm.

From the tone of your postings, the chance of OH being persuaded
that he is wrong, even in the face of logical evidence, seems
remote.

As one who has often been accused of behaving logically, when an
emotional response might have been more appropriate, it seems to
me that your choice comes down to accept the situation or change
it.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

He scrutinises all the bills and claims we cannot afford them.

He wont spend on anything. *

He has become more *obsessed since he retired.

I think this is sounding more and more like a relationship problem
than a diy problem.

Allowing your partner's health to suffer because of a reluctance to
spend money is despicable. Your partner's health and wellbeing should
come *first* above all other concerns.

But perhaps the root of this is about adjusting to retirement (an
early medical retirement?), whilst you continue to work and bring in
money?

Perhaps your relationship is different, but I think for most people
financial planning and spending priorities are mutual decisions.

In article , sweetheart
hotmail.com@?.? scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...

He just wont spend the money.


Has he got the money to spend?. Sounds like if your getting chest
infections because of mould then thats a serious problem. Perhaps either
too much moisture in the building or too many cold surfaces for it to
condense on..

This is moot. He says we havent. He scrutinises all the bills and claims
we cannot afford them.

However, I work , although its only part time. I get about £906 month take
home in a standard month. If I work overtime I can get maybe £200 more
sometimes but that cannot be counted on.

My husband retired a couple of years ago and gets a pension of £830 month
after tax from his ex employer. He also has an interest payment of £121
month coming in from investments.currently ( but that cant be totally
relied on either as it could go down in the future - but not for at least 12
months) . We do not get any benefits and he is not old enough for a state
pension and cant claim pension credit.

We have no mortgage. The electric bill is as I said. No other fuel. Our
biggest monthly bill is the council tax at £128 a month and the house
insurance at £20 a month ( just gone up)
We run a car ( I have to go to work).

If you are asking do we have money in the bank to pay the bills - then , yes
we do. But other half believes we have to save as much as possible because
one day we will be bankrupt because we spend it.

I am not sure what ( other than christmas presents ) we do spend it on. In
fact, we dont. The bank balance shows that but OH is a "saver" . He wont
spend on anything. He has become more obsessed since he retired.


Seems to me you he and thee need to talk..

OK thats not the easiest thing to do but seems it needs to be done.

You said that he helps out his sisters, if so how does he do that on a
pension?..
--
Tony Sayer

On Aug 16, 8:45*am, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:
OH thought the old ones were leaking electric ( costing too much).

Sigh. If under 20yrs old they would have been fine (money saved).


So what we actually have on is 2x1.5 kw's and 2x3 Kw's. *Both as low as he
can make it.

Which means charge is set to #1.
The difference between #1 & #6 is quite substantial when it is cold.
Worse, it means the fabric of the house can not get warm (heat store).

Ok, 2x 1.5kW + 2x 3kW = 9kW
- Maximum winter bill is 120 days of 100% charge (#6 & supercold)
- 9kW x 7hrs x 120 days = 7560 units = £415.80

The difference between running at #1 v #6 is about £100 at most.


When I get cold I will ask to have the halogen heater put on ( 500 w)

Ah, that will be 6p/hr to run, and does very little.

6p/hr gets you 0.5kW during the day.
6p/hr gets you about 1.2kW overnight on E7 - better value.
Thus forcing you to use peak heating is not economic.


3) Consider a dehumidifier

That is something I have thought about but not bought. OH says it wouldnt
do any good ( does he know? I dont know)

It would, but they draw about 250W (0.25kW) or 2.5p/hr.
Buy one with a humidistat, run for 6hrs/day over 120 days = £18.
Problem is he will turn the humidistat to "turn on only if 90%
humidity" :-(


Now we have it all over the house
and frankly the place stinks of must.

Hmmm...
What ventilation do you have re wall vents?
Are your floors solid concrete or wood - if it is wood you might have
a wet underfloor problem?
I assume the gutters are all clear and not overflowing onto the walls.

wrote in message
...


Allowing your partner's health to suffer because of a reluctance to
spend money is despicable. Your partner's health and wellbeing should
come *first* above all other concerns.

But perhaps the root of this is about adjusting to retirement (an
early medical retirement?), whilst you continue to work and bring in
money?

Perhaps your relationship is different, but I think for most people
financial planning and spending priorities are mutual decisions.

Its not a relationship problem. Its DIY because I love him to bits. I
wanted comparisons because I need to know whether I am being profligate and
what sort of figures are realistic.
DIY is a good place for information like that. After all everyone is
anonymous and its a cheeky question to ask people what their bills are.

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , sweetheart
hotmail.com@?.? scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...


OK thats not the easiest thing to do but seems it needs to be done.

You said that he helps out his sisters, if so how does he do that on a
pension?..

They plead poverty , he gives them money from our savings. Simple.

On 8/16/2010 7:19 AM, sweetheart wrote:

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , sweetheart
hotmail.com@?.? scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...


OK thats not the easiest thing to do but seems it needs to be done.

You said that he helps out his sisters, if so how does he do that on a
pension?..

They plead poverty , he gives them money from our savings. Simple.

You need two separate bank accounts.

On 16 Aug, 12:15, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:
Its not a relationship problem. Its DIY because I love him to bits.

In that case, is there anywhere to fit a wood burning stove? There's
normally plenty of scrap wood around you can burn so running costs are
low and they can chuck out plenty of heat.

Matt

sweetheart wrote:

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...
In article , sweetheart
hotmail.com@?.? scribeth thus

"tony sayer" wrote in message
...


OK thats not the easiest thing to do but seems it needs to be done.

You said that he helps out his sisters, if so how does he do that on a
pension?..

They plead poverty , he gives them money from our savings. Simple.


I feel that getting some 3rd party to assist might work. Someone who OH
would listen to and respect and who would see both sides of the story.

If OH listens to his sister's requests, can you talk to them about what
seems to be a very real health problem and use them to persuade him to
change his ways - even a bit.

You say you love him to bits but it does sound rather that this is not
reciprocated with his attitude to money and your health?

Do you have the same GP? Would he listen to the GP if he was told your
health was suffering?

Bob

sweetheart wrote:



They plead poverty , he gives them money from our savings. Simple.

Ah. So its like the labour government, in miniature.

matthelliwell wrote:
On 16 Aug, 12:15, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:
Its not a relationship problem. Its DIY because I love him to bits.

In that case, is there anywhere to fit a wood burning stove? There's
normally plenty of scrap wood around you can burn so running costs are
low and they can chuck out plenty of heat.

Matt

wood burning stove in bedroom, is fantastic.

Dries air, ventilates room, warms room. MMM.

AND is cheaper than CH because it only heats that room by and large.

HOWEVER installation is generally a grand at least, to be SAFE.
And beware burning too much scrap or you will soot up the chimney.

On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:20:08 +0100, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:

snip





Do you put your dishwasher, washing machine, and drier all on timers
so that they use the Economy 7?

If not - you need to as it will make quite a difference.

"JMS" wrote in message
...
On Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:20:08 +0100, "sweetheart" hotmail.com wrote:

snip





Do you put your dishwasher, washing machine, and drier all on timers
so that they use the Economy 7?

If not - you need to as it will make quite a difference.


Yes, they do all go on during the cheap rate except very occassionaly in an
emergency

Its not a relationship problem. Its DIY because I love him to bits.

But does he love you enough to give you his last Rolo?

Or at least enough to put another shilling in the meter for the sake
of your health?