Energy thread

mully79

morstar said:

mully79 said:

I did some maths on my old folks usage. They’re still on an old fixed for now. Last January they used 10000kw of gas. (A third of their years usage) which is over a £1000 for the month at todays prices. 😐

Those stately homes sure aren’t cheap to run.

Its a standard 3 bed semi but of course they run the heating 24 hrs a day as they still pay peanuts.

Lot of people are going to sleep walk into huge debt this winter if it drops below zero. last January was the coldest for 10 years.

orraloon

Had a chat today with the owner of a rather lovely hotel plus gastro restaurant here in Vlaanderen. They are on a fixed deal for electricity that expires end Nov at €3k per month. Sounds a lot but, 10 rooms, heated outdoor pool, sauna, kitchen, etc. Their estimated monthly bill will then rise to €23k per month. Twenty three! Challenging times for businesses as well.

morstar

mully79 said:

morstar said:

mully79 said:

I did some maths on my old folks usage. They’re still on an old fixed for now. Last January they used 10000kw of gas. (A third of their years usage) which is over a £1000 for the month at todays prices. 😐

Those stately homes sure aren’t cheap to run.

Its a standard 3 bed semi but of course they run the heating 24 hrs a day as they still pay peanuts.

Lot of people are going to sleep walk into huge debt this winter if it drops below zero. last January was the coldest for 10 years.

Obviously the stately home comment was tongue in cheek but that is a lot of gas in one month for a 3 bed semi.
I presume they keep it very warm and / or have poor insulation.

I thought last winter was pretty mild throughout. The prior winter stayed cold for endless months in a way I can’t ever recall. Not the coldest I’ve known but just no let up. I am desperately hoping that isn’t repeated this year.

surrey_commuter

mully79 said:

morstar said:

mully79 said:

I did some maths on my old folks usage. They’re still on an old fixed for now. Last January they used 10000kw of gas. (A third of their years usage) which is over a £1000 for the month at todays prices. 😐

Those stately homes sure aren’t cheap to run.

Its a standard 3 bed semi but of course they run the heating 24 hrs a day as they still pay peanuts.

Lot of people are going to sleep walk into huge debt this winter if it drops below zero. last January was the coldest for 10 years.

mully79 said:

morstar said:

mully79 said:

I did some maths on my old folks usage. They’re still on an old fixed for now. Last January they used 10000kw of gas. (A third of their years usage) which is over a £1000 for the month at todays prices. 😐

Those stately homes sure aren’t cheap to run.

Its a standard 3 bed semi but of course they run the heating 24 hrs a day as they still pay peanuts.

Lot of people are going to sleep walk into huge debt this winter if it drops below zero. last January was the coldest for 10 years.

That seemed staggeringly high so checked mine and was surprised it was as high as 3,500. That is 4 bed detached at about 20 degrees so it really shows the value in knocking the thermostat down.

My parents bask in about 26 degrees so am scared to ask what their bills look like

mully79

Yep, Over 70 and health reasons so they do have the thermostat a little high.

Think its suprising how much you can actually use when it gets really cold.

pangolin

1152kWh last Jan. Terraced though. And kept at a temp that might kill Rick.

pblakeney

1334kWh for January. Semi detached kept warm enough that some say is too warm. No heating upstairs other than bathroom though, and 100% wfh.

pangolin

Is yours well insulated pb? We have empty wall cavities.

briantrumpet

pblakeney said:

1334kWh for January. Semi detached kept warm enough that some say is too warm. No heating upstairs other than bathroom though, and 100% wfh.

I heat on 'lectric, and mine's 1506kWh - for 4 Dec to 31 Mar 😃

briantrumpet

Well now, that's interesting... my monthly usage (via a smart meter) is showing I used £22 of electricity in August 2022, despite my electric being turned off completely for the whole month... starting to smell a rat... looks like the meter is reading a base of £22 usage every month... hmm...

Pross

Maybe that’s how much electricity the meter is taking to run itself!

morstar

We were 2,100 for January which was just under 25% of the last 12 months so yes, it must have been a cold month.
A long cold winter will definitely hurt.
I think that was probably with a houseful at home during the day though whereas this January it will just be me wfh in the day. As the temp has dropped, I’ve been Layering up.
Despite being on an affordable fixed rate, I feel it is both prudent to adjust to using less and also a responsibility.

briantrumpet

Pross said:

Maybe that’s how much electricity the meter is taking to run itself!

Same month last year was £9.

rick_chasey

briantrumpet said:

Well now, that's interesting... my monthly usage (via a smart meter) is showing I used £22 of electricity in August 2022, despite my electric being turned off completely for the whole month... starting to smell a rat... looks like the meter is reading a base of £22 usage every month... hmm...

Yeah if you look at your bill there’s a standing charge that’s x per day.

Mine for gas it: 25.9p for day and 36.1p for electric.

Works out around £21 a month so checks out

briantrumpet

rick_chasey said:

briantrumpet said:

Well now, that's interesting... my monthly usage (via a smart meter) is showing I used £22 of electricity in August 2022, despite my electric being turned off completely for the whole month... starting to smell a rat... looks like the meter is reading a base of £22 usage every month... hmm...

Yeah if you look at your bill there’s a standing charge that’s x per day.

Mine for gas it: 25.9p for day and 36.1p for electric.

Works out around £21 a month so checks out

Ah, that makes more sense, though silly it goes in a graph for 'energy usage'. August 2021 was £9.

briantrumpet

Clicking on different buttons, I now see that I somehow used 22kWh in August 2022, and none in August 2021... not sure how that happened, unless I had a very tidy burglar who came in and made a few cups of tea each day, leaving no trace.

Stevo_666

briantrumpet said:

Clicking on different buttons, I now see that I somehow used 22kWh in August 2022, and none in August 2021... not sure how that happened, unless I had a very tidy burglar who came in and made a few cups of tea each day, leaving no trace.

Do you turn your fridge off?

rick_chasey

briantrumpet said:

Clicking on different buttons, I now see that I somehow used 22kWh in August 2022, and none in August 2021... not sure how that happened, unless I had a very tidy burglar who came in and made a few cups of tea each day, leaving no trace.

Smart metre?

briantrumpet

Stevo_666 said:

briantrumpet said:

Clicking on different buttons, I now see that I somehow used 22kWh in August 2022, and none in August 2021... not sure how that happened, unless I had a very tidy burglar who came in and made a few cups of tea each day, leaving no trace.

Do you turn your fridge off?

Yup, all turned off at fusebox.

Actually, more digging around on the EDF 'Energy Hub' section of my account, finding the hourly usage graphs, it looks like the 'smart' meter had no connectivity for a long period, so I suspect that 22kWh for August was an 'estimate' (aka 'Make up a number and double it'). I might take the precaution of doing my own reading next time I'm away for an extended period, just to check what's going on.

pblakeney

pangolin said:

Is yours well insulated pb? We have empty wall cavities.

No clue to be honest. Seems to retain heat so I guess it must be.

pblakeney

briantrumpet said:

Stevo_666 said:

briantrumpet said:

Clicking on different buttons, I now see that I somehow used 22kWh in August 2022, and none in August 2021... not sure how that happened, unless I had a very tidy burglar who came in and made a few cups of tea each day, leaving no trace.

Do you turn your fridge off?

Yup, all turned off at fusebox.

Actually, more digging around on the EDF 'Energy Hub' section of my account, finding the hourly usage graphs, it looks like the 'smart' meter had no connectivity for a long period, so I suspect that 22kWh for August was an 'estimate' (aka 'Make up a number and double it'). I might take the precaution of doing my own reading next time I'm away for an extended period, just to check what's going on.

I wouldn't worry too much as it will be evened out by your next actual reading anyway.

surrey_commuter

How do those of you withot logburners put upwith the cold? it is 18 degrees inside and after two hours my fingers are going numb.

shirley_basso

18 is more or less fine for me. I may put a light quilted jacket on if wfh (I am the only one there).

So far this winter I reckon I have used 6 or so hours of heating.

Pross

I'm feeling a bit chilly in my little office todsay I have to admit. Will probably get a hoody on in a bit. The main house is still OK and upstairs windows are open. So far this year I've had one evening where we chucked the gas fire on for half an hour and an evening where I had the CH on. I'm certainly not in a position where I need to be uncomfortably cold yet, my current bills are lower than they were last year by quite a bit.

rjsterry

surrey_commuter said:

How do those of you widithot logburners put upwith the cold? it is 18 degrees inside and after two hours my fingers are going numb.

Turtle neck + layers.

rick_chasey

surrey_commuter said:

How do those of you withot logburners put upwith the cold? it is 18 degrees inside and after two hours my fingers are going numb.

Good hard bike ride at lunch works wonders I have found.

pblakeney

surrey_commuter said:

How do those of you withot logburners put upwith the cold? it is 18 degrees inside and after two hours my fingers are going numb.

Merino v-neck if required.

monkimark

My heating is only set to 18.5 degrees maximum but I very rarely wfh so it's mainly just my wife who it affects and I suspect that she boosts it a bit during the day in the winter.

Years of working in construction site offices has got me quite used to working in the cold, my last office was a metal container and didn't have a timer for the heaters so I either had to leave the heating on overnight and burn the planet or turn it on when I arrived and accept that it would be properly cold during the winter.

Plenty of cups of tea is the solution to cold fingers.

surrey_commuter said:

How do those of you withot logburners put upwith the cold? it is 18 degrees inside and after two hours my fingers are going numb.

briantrumpet

I suspect there's also a psychological element to how warm we feel... in the French house in winter, if I can get it to 17C with the woodburner, it feels toasty warm, but in the summer, 25C indoors is pleasantly cool.

I think that it is possible to somewhat re-educate your body/mind not to find a slightly cooler house in winter truly cold, but equally I suspect that different people's tolerances do naturally vary... whether that's down to physiology, psychology, or conditioning, I've no idea.

Counting down the days now... three weeks and a day to go to my usual November target... looking good for the coming week.

pblakeney

briantrumpet said:

...
I think that it is possible to somewhat re-educate your body/mind not to find a slightly cooler house in winter truly cold, but equally I suspect that different people's tolerances do naturally vary... whether that's down to physiology, psychology, or conditioning, I've no idea.
...

On the phone with a guy about work. He is soon to head off on holiday in Malta as usual. He will be in shorts and t-shirt, locals will be in full parkas. Sure we've all seen similar.