Gas & Electricity

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Was that the first time it’s been on? Ive ended up with covid this week and put our heating on for the first time on Tuesday. The full day was around £12 in gas. Since then it’s been left on and averaged about £7 a day. So I think it used a lot more that first time to get the house up to temp

For a while, yes. It took forever to get up to temperature.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Wife was interviewing at home yesterday. Having the heat on for 7 hours cost us £11.

And it’s going up next year. Madness.

Spot the odd day out.

 

[Deleted member 77198]

Bulb have just sent me an email to say, because of credit in my account and my low usage so far this Winter, they’re putting my gas+electric payments down to £16.83 per month (which takes into account the £67/m from the govt).

 

[Deleted member 77198]

It had not occurred to me until I read a press story today, the taxpayer picks up the gas and leccy bill for MPs second homes. Humph.

Our taxes only go towards the country’s deficit every year. Our taxes go to nothing else.

 

[Fiftyyearsandcounting]

My daughter tried to persuade me to install a smart meter, she had one fitted last year. I told her I didn't see the need, I keep a spreadsheet and take regular readings, so I know within pennies what my bill will be every month.
Called me an "Old Luddite" (and worse) and claimed her energy bill had reduced a lot since installing one.
She called me today to say her "smart" meter had failed to include electricity usage for past 4 months and now has a back-charge of round £350!
Also, stop energy supplies claiming smart meters are free, everyone's bill includes a charge to cover the rollout (estimated £10bn-£13bn for 30m homes).

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

My daughter tried to persuade me to install a smart meter, she had one fitted last year. I told her I didn't see the need, I keep a spreadsheet and take regular readings, so I know within pennies what my bill will be every month.
Called me an "Old Luddite" (and worse) and claimed her energy bill had reduced a lot since installing one.
She called me today to say her "smart" meter had failed to include electricity usage for past 4 months and now has a back-charge of round £350!
Also, stop energy supplies claiming smart meters are free, everyone's bill includes a charge to cover the rollout (estimated £10bn-£13bn for 30m homes).

It seems incredible to me that so many people know of people with smart meter issues.

Pretty much half the meters in the country are smart, so it puts the 10 or so peoples’ stories on here that know of smart meter issues into a bit of context.

With or without a smart meter, you’d probably notice that touve not used any electricity for 4 months.

 

[Blue Maverick]

It seems incredible to me that so many people know of people with smart meter issues.

Pretty much half the meters in the country are smart, so it puts the 10 or so peoples’ stories on here that know of smart meter issues into a bit of context.

With or without a smart meter, you’d probably notice that touve not used any electricity for 4 months.

Fucking pain in the arse, trying to get mine fixed for 6 months they’ve done fuck all, unplugged the display within 24 hours I get a text saying they will estimate my bill because they can’t get a reading, no you won’t you can send someone out to read it you cunts.

 

[Alan Harper's Tash]

Fucking pain in the arse, trying to get mine fixed for 6 months they’ve done fuck all, unplugged the display within 24 hours I get a text saying they will estimate my bill because they can’t get a reading, no you won’t you can send someone out to read it you cunts.

We moved to a house with the older kind, so we can’t see what’s happening in real time, but Bulb get our meter readings daily, so we can look the next day at what we used the day before.

I’ve missed out on the shit installation of them and gremlins as a result. Sounds grim what has happened to you.

 

[Citizen of Legoland]

I downloaded the Loop Smart Meter app this week (works with most smart meters it says) and it’s got some good features. I particularly like the Solar Panel simulation it can do to see approximately how much saving it would offer if installed.

Out of interest for others they have a page showing the average usage per different household/residents which shows how wasteful homes (& people) really are with energy.

Compare energy use: are you a big spender?

You may know how much energy your household uses each year, and at what cost. But have you any idea how that compares to other, similar homes?

blog.loop.homes

We are going to be around 60% usage this calendar year compared to a typical home like ours. Our boiler is 15 years old too.

The app itself doesn’t do a full year on year comparison as it only keeps 13 months of data (data protection, maybe), which is surprising, but I have my own app that tracks all my smart meter data from Octopus. I’ve had data for 15 months and in the overlapping 3 months I am down 20% in electricity (no idea how I managed that) and 5% in gas compared to the same period (doing comparison this way irons out energy fluctuations caused by temperature drops, different sunrises/sunsets etc). It will be interesting to see if I can retain these reductions.

 

[trumpton]

Out of interest for others they have a page showing the average usage per different household/residents which shows how wasteful homes (& people) really are with energy.

We are going to be around 60% usage this calendar year compared to a typical home like ours. Our boiler is 15 years old too.

Tables like that are pointless in my opinion. Its only the average use of their users, how ever many that is.

There is no such thing as a typical home anyway, too many variables: location, age of occupants, gas vs electric cooking, electric shower vs shower running off boiler/immersion heater etc.

Just look at your own consumption and try and reduce it.

My gas usage, slotted into that table, is that of a 1 bedroom flat with 1 occupant. My electric usage is a 5 bed house with 4 occupants!