Energy bills

It's probably correct because electricity is extortionate. She needs to find a cheaper method of heating her flat.

That sounds expensive. We are in a three bed mid terrace and we are on all electric paying £155 a month. The electric heaters are on for about six hours a day when it’s cold. Usually spend about £8 a day on electric in the colder months; about £1.50 the rest of the time. The heaters replaced storage heaters, which were much better and cheaper! But some people didn’t realise that they were supposed to change tariffs so were paying even more. My neighbour is on E7 but her storage heaters don’t work and she uses oil heaters which will be expensive.

NotSpaghetti Ah, I did my caculatins on a 2kw oil filled radiator. We currently heat our kitchen with one, until the heating for our extension is done.

But I must reiterate the importance of insulation. We have managed to halve our energy consumption over the years by a systematic programme of insulation and draft reduction, we have a very old house (550 years) and its Listed status does limit what we can do, very little double glazing, for example but it is surprising how effective roof insulation and draft proofing can be and we have put internal secondary glazing on quite a number of windows.

Having come to the thread late I skipped past some reading and then did as you did M0nica - made a rough calculation based on 3kw electric convection heaters and it was way more. Then realised about the expensive daytime tariff and went back and read the thread (?) before I posted! I saw you'd done something similar so gave up. But, there's also the standing charge - could be up to 35p a day depending on supplier which could add a further £10.50 per month.

I think we need more info to be truly helpful here.

Hamster might be worth looking at warm homes discount scheme .

Interesting point NotSpaghetti. I read it as 'replaced' , but on closer scrutiny it isn't that clear and you are right, FarNorth about the price of the units.

The price I used was our home standard tariff, not the storage rads plus radiator top-up, but either would explain the very high bills.

Can she use the storage heaters as background heat (which is what they are made for) and then "top up" with the radiators. It sounds like she's got both? ...or did she have the storage heaters removed?

M0nica yes, and if she simply stopped using the storage heaters and started using ordinary radiators instead, she may still be on the storage heater tariff (Economy 7 or suchlike) meaning that daytime units are very expensive.

Farnorth OP said quite specifically that her mother did not like storage rads and she had chosen to replace them with electric radiators.

Having reread OP's post. I realise that I queried what type of flat she had, when OP stated that it was a purpose built block, but how well insulated it is will depend on its age and whether any insulation has been retrofitted. Also how much outside wall does the flat has and which way it faces. A flat with 2 outside walls facing north and east will be a lot colder and more expensive to heat than a flat with one outside wall facing south.

If your mum has a storage heater tariff, based on most of her electricity usage being overnight for the storage heaters, her daytime cost per unit will be very high.

Check if that's what she has and if she can change to a basic tariff which charges the same at all times of day & night.

Thank you MOnica for your clear calculations. I can see why my heating costs so much now. When I sit down in the evening I have an electric blanket to keep extra warm.

That one was exhausting enough.

Wow MOnica. Well done! You wouldn’t like to check mine would you?

Sorry, should have been addressed to hamster58

travelnanTo be honest, it does not sound unreasonable. Her flat is being kept to a very high temperature, I think that 21 is meant to be the standard high for domestic premises. The previous sentence is absolutely not a criticism but a statement of the temperature domestic heating systems are designed to reach.

Because she has chosen the heating she has, it is using high price day time electricity and to reach the 23 temperature and maintain that temperature the heating is probably on and using electricity most of the time to keep the flat at that temperature, but let us say, cycling on and off as these heaters do, it is on 10 hours a day.

I have done the calculation. The radiators are probably 2 kilowatts, which means they use two kw of electricity an hour, 2 x 2kw radiators means hourly electricity consumption is 4 kilowatt, for l0 hours a day at a charge of 16.55p a kilowatt (what I currently pay on an annual contract)

gives 2kw x 2 radiators x 10 hours a day x 16.55p a kw = £6.62 a day. Over a 30 day month that is £198.60. Presumably the heating isn't on all year, but that makes the £175 monthly payment quite possible.

The other thing is : how well insulated is the flat. Are the windows double-glazed and draft proof? Are the walls insulated? either external cladding or cavity wall insulation, depending on the construction methods. If she is in a top floor flat how well insulated is the roof void?

If she is in a conversion flat in a house built 100 years ago or more, with no cavity walls, no double glazing, even if it isn't the top floor it will cost two or three times as much as it would if she lived in a retirement flat, recently built to a high thermal efficiency.

Would a heated blanket help and then maybe the ambient temperature could be lower?

I think convector heaters are 20p per hour - could you persuade your Mum to try them?

Are the bills based on actual meter readings or estimates Hamster58 ?

Oh dear hamster 58 have just noticed your Mum went to LookAfter my Bills and is signed up with Peoples Energy. At the moment I am having problems with LAMB basically they signed me up with two different providers, one being Peoples Energy and the other Utility Point, both of which have taken direct debits from my account. I am just wondering if they have not done something similar with your Mum, it may be worth enquiring of LAMB, although from my own experience it is very hard to get a response from them. I would never recommend LAMB to anyone, best sort it out yourself. I really don't know why I contacted them myself I am usually much more on the ball, senior moment!. I do feel your Mum is paying an awful lot but as previously said its probably the electric radiators.

Hi again everyone. Thanks so much for the comments so far. Hetty58 that did tickle me about the dummy thermostat!! Mum is with People's energy and it was found for her by Look After My Bills but nothing much changes price wise. I do know those radiators are not helping but it was her choice and as long as she's comfy and can afford it, at almost 91 I wouldn't want to mess things up. I just want to be sure things are being logged correctly, so may ask the company if they can help in checking that.....

I would say that it is the electric heaters which are the main cost. After a water leak in my mums house which brought ceilings down, we had decorators in during the winter who needed to use two electric heaters while they were working and in less than four weeks weeks we paid over £400 for the electricity they used! The house was empty so no other energy usage. Fortunately the insurance company refunded us the cost!

I too am with Octopus a 2 bed house, I live alone all bulbs are LED I pay £57 a month. I’d also guess it’s the electric heaters putting the cost up.

Sounds exhorbinate to me. I am in a 2-bedroom flat, gas and leccie. Use a lot of electricity as I do love my 'gadgets'. (alexa, laptop, etc. tv in living room and both bedrooms, humax, dvd player, etc. etc. ) Gas is just used for CH and water. I do not stint on heating, etc. but pay around £55 per month for both. And, this includes the use a tumble dryer weekly - all cooking done by leccie, although have dispensed with large oven, use combi microwave for that.

I am with Octopus, 3 bedroom modern house and I pay £60 a month for gas and electricity. I know it is small but every bulb is a long life 10 year one.

I think you need independent assistance but I am not sure who you would approach for help.

I'd blame the electric radiators - as the storage heaters just won't come on above the set temperature. The other things won't add much, although a mini-cooker could be useful.

I'd certainly get the meter checked for accuracy (sometimes they're faulty) and check for any draughts too.

I expect your mother just feels chilly when her circulation slows due to inactivity, though.

My mother was always too hot or too cold - so constantly (obsessively) adjusted the thermostat for the central heating. Why not add/remove a cardigan, blanket or dressing gown instead?

When my parents moved to a bungalow, my father installed a dummy thermostat - and hid the real one. We were all sworn to secrecy!