Herbster Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Hi All: OH FINALLY read the ELECTRIC meters today, in spite of me begging for it to be done shortly after we moved in & then a month later when he complained the Hydro Heat meter was whizzing round of a night... The unit price is less than the regular tariff, so I thought of assumed for three (3) radiators, it wouldn't be that expensive, especially as we turn down the 'stats to 14 during the day & night & it's rarely been above 18/19 during the evening. Having just read the meter & entered the figures into Aurora's meter calculator for 82 days (20 days of which we used nothing - hadn't moved in) the shocking cost is over $440.00 JUST for 3 rads & the water boiler, which is turned down too! The other reading for the lights & sockets is reasonable, more than we're used to, but that's because this rental has non-efficient lights, ALSO, we don't even have an electric stove. :arghh: Our total bill for 82 days (20 of which the place was empty & no electric was used) is OVER $700.00 :cry: Needless to say the Hydro Heat is NOW off & I'm going to have to put on EVEN MORE layers.... Please, NEWBIES BEWARE. A very FROSTY Herbster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brickie Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 A kilo watt is a kilo watt, is a kilo watt, it all depends of the kilo watt usage of your appliances. You need to be aware of the wattage the appliances use, its just common sense to be aware. Its got me beat how you can put the blame on others for your ignorance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckbuchanan Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 I didn't want to hear that.... our heating has been up at 23 for the last 3 months (it needs to be - it's so damn cold and the house is so badly insulated!). Can't wait for that bill to come in now - thanks!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 If its any consolation to you our bill have now been put up to £147 per month! and more rises expected. Please also ber in mind we have had to have the heating on here a few times during the high summer! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongrel Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Hi All: OH FINALLY read the ELECTRIC meters today, in spite of me begging for it to be done shortly after we moved in & then a month later when he complained the Hydro Heat meter was whizzing round of a night... The unit price is less than the regular tariff, so I thought of assumed for three (3) radiators, it wouldn't be that expensive, especially as we turn down the 'stats to 14 during the day & night & it's rarely been above 18/19 during the evening. Having just read the meter & entered the figures into Aurora's meter calculator for 82 days (20 days of which we used nothing - hadn't moved in) the shocking cost is over $440.00 JUST for 3 rads & the water boiler, which is turned down too! The other reading for the lights & sockets is reasonable, more than we're used to, but that's because this rental has non-efficient lights, ALSO, we don't even have an electric stove. :arghh: Our total bill for 82 days (20 of which the place was empty & no electric was used) is OVER $700.00 :cry: Needless to say the Hydro Heat is NOW off & I'm going to have to put on EVEN MORE layers.... Please, NEWBIES BEWARE. A very FROSTY Herbster Great place tassie very beautiful Perth wa 65 days leccy bill $82 nuff said kalx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongrel Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 If its any consolation to you our bill have now been put up to £147 per month!and more rises expected. Please also ber in mind we have had to have the heating on here a few times during the high summer! I would haveb ripped heating control off wall and lobbed it in garden heatin in summer Malx aka Billy 6m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ms_Fi Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Energy prices are huge everywhere - when we first moved in to this house (3 bed mid terrace, well insulated) we read the meters after a month to make sure we were paying the right amount on the gas / electricity. The gas bill (for heating on at 10C every night) and the hot water on for 6 hours a day (and it's a combi boiler so supposed to be the cheapest around) was £100!!! and that was just for a month! Needless to say the whole damn lot got turned off after that and we just wrapped up in blankets every night. Comes to something when it's cheaper to run a halogen heater than it is a gas radiator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pinhead Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Well I'm currently paying £62 per month for gas & electric but that's still 3 times as much as I did in 2004. Gas prices went up 26% this week & 16 or 17% for electric, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbster Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 A kilo watt is a kilo watt, is a kilo watt, it all depends of the kilo watt usage of your appliances.You need to be aware of the wattage the appliances use, its just common sense to be aware. Its got me beat how you can put the blame on others for your ignorance? Right How rude are you?! Ignorance has got nothing to do it - I didn't buy these heaters & fix them to the walls... Every place I've ever been lived, I've known exactly how much the unit cost is for electricity & an average of my daily usage (which obviously goes up & down depending upon how many appliances you have & how often you run them.) In this case the meter/s - we have 2, are in a ridiculous position (even Aurora warned us they had problems reading them!) & for once I let someone else get their way, and not do a spot reading myself. These radiators are supposedly thermostatically controlled, so they are switching on & off all the time - so work that one out if you're so clever - and when we're out & it's not freezing they get turned down to 12 or lower & it is IS winter in Tasmania which is at least as cold at night as most places in UK - low single digits, although it is 10 outdoors & 16 in at present, after a gorgeous day, you're right Jo... Then you can factor in the rate of heat loss through the lack of insulation on triple aspect windows, (but allow for some variance due to drapery coverings or blinds) no insulation in the walls, (of which I have no control, as this is a rental & seems to be pretty standard operating procedure here!) but as you've been to our house and seen these these heaters and the lack of double glazing, etc., & can work out the temperature loss/gain over a 24 hr period you'd know precisely hoow much we'd use in a day! Our electricity use is normally the lowest of anyone I ever know, we never waste anything, including electric: these three (3) radiators for a 3 bedroom house, are what are installed by the Owners - by Aurora on the Hydro Heat plan - I KNOW how much it is per unit, and it IS cheaper than the normal electricity so sounds very reasonable, and now that we've actually taken the fixed wall-mounted rad off the wall I can see they are rated at 2KW/HR... But the charges, I hate to say are not straight forward - it is not a straight calculation of units used times cost per unit, that would be too easy - there are standing charges, charges for the first so-many days then a different charge for the next so-many days. All I'm doing is raising awareness - Personally, as consumers we are always vigilent of our usage - I check our water tank regularly, gas cylindar, turn off any unused appliance, never leave lights on or appliances on standby - do you know how many units your tv or whatever uses on standy alone? I've always lived by the old Adage waste NOT want NOT, but when it appears that something should be reasonably economic to run & then it turns out not to be so, one has to consider alternatives... But I do blame Aurora for not having a clear & simple tariff so that one kilowatt hour is the price of any other kilowatt hour! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongrel Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Bro in law 400 quid for leccy bill last quarter ( took fuse out of tumble dryer) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest retiringgraham Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Well not had to put my heating on yet and hoping not to untill late november Got to get somthing back for the loft instalation. Working full time and No kids at home have helped to keep the bills down But the price hike that was annouced last week in the UK was a killer blow up 25% Thats more than my pay rise this year Looks like going to get the wear out of my jumpers before I dump them all Not taking them to Oz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Well I'm currently paying £62 per month for gas & electric but that's still 3 times as much as I did in 2004. Gas prices went up 26% this week & 16 or 17% for electric, I want your supplier! EDF have just put ours up to £100 per month Electric and £47 per month Gas I have just been on USwitch and we are now changing. I told them we live in a 3 bed semi not a flipping palace. No tumble drier and no dishwasher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongrel Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Well not had to put my heating on yet and hoping not to untill late november Got to get somthing back for the loft instalation. Working full time and No kids at home have helped to keep the bills down But the price hike that was annouced last week in the UK was a killer blow up 25% Thats more than my pay rise this year Looks like going to get the wear out of my jumpers before I dump them all Not taking them to Oz Your last comment might come back and bite you in the bum graham bought 4 jumpers over here does get cold you know Malx aka Billy 6m Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ms_Fi Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 I want your supplier! EDF have just put ours up to £100 per month Electric and £47 per month Gas I have just been on USwitch and we are now changing. I told them we live in a 3 bed semi not a flipping palace. No tumble drier and no dishwasher. We pay way less than that (although it'll have to go up as we've just signed into a fixed price deal with British Gas that'll hopefully last us until we emigrate. We paid (pre fixed price deal) £44 a month for electric and we run a dishwasher, shower, tumble dryer, washing machine and cooker off that as well as everything else in the house. I guess with everything it's a case of shop around and get the cheapest deal you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Que Sera Sera Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 I reckon next door neighbour must be tapping into our supply! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AndyandYvonneD Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Energy prices are huge everywhere - when we first moved in to this house (3 bed mid terrace, well insulated) we read the meters after a month to make sure we were paying the right amount on the gas / electricity. The gas bill (for heating on at 10C every night) and the hot water on for 6 hours a day (and it's a combi boiler so supposed to be the cheapest around) was £100!!! and that was just for a month! Needless to say the whole damn lot got turned off after that and we just wrapped up in blankets every night. Comes to something when it's cheaper to run a halogen heater than it is a gas radiator. Hi A combi boiler doesn't always mean the cheapest form of providing hot water, yes they are up to 97-98% efficient, but the hot water you require comes from the bioler and not a hot water store. So the boiler initially has to use a lot of gas to heat the hot water up. Some of the later combi boiler's have a small storage vessel slung underneath the boiler, which the boiler tops the storage tempature up periodically. If you want total better efficiency regarding hot water then there's two options, a hot water store heated via solar pannels or a new system that attatches onto the top of the combi boiler. The flue gases that are expended from the boiler are passed through another heat exchanger using the last of the heat within the flue gases. This used to heat a hot water store(cylinder in laymans terms) or pre-heat the in comming cold water supply to the boiler, thus the boiler not have to fire for as long. If in the Uk, a competant heating engineer would be able to advise you of which system would be more applicable for you property considering building layout and occupancy etc. More over talking of renewable energy, the big thing comming up is biomass heating boilers. This is where natural materials such as wood pellets etc is fed into a heating boiler. This is a lot cheaper and will reduce the carbon footprint of the house massivly. Hopes this helps, if anyone needs any info on these products for the UK, i can supply links for the internet. madplumber Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Pinhead Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 I can't understand why people have their heating on all night when the're asleep, get a decent quilt it'll save you a fortune plus it's nice and snuggly. Water heating on for 6 hours a day! no wonder you're gas bill is so high. 30 mins in the morning is all I heat mine for & I still have hot water at 10pm at night. A lot is to be said for having energy saving bulbs & appliances, really cuts down on the electric bill. The new large plasma/lcd tv's use a lot more electric than the old CRT ones, especially if you leave them on standby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brickie Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Right How rude are you? Blunt maybe, rude no.. 13 cents per Kilo watt hour, you work out the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbster Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 Not really! I heard gas was going up 27% or something ridiculous - on top of all the other increases already this year.... HOw much is fuel oil/lt? I dread to ask? Obviously if we all know how much we are paying per unit, or per kilowatt hour then we can compare & contrast. When I first moved to Northumberland Nov, 04 I was horrified to discover we were on Economy 7 at something like 27p/unit & the old night storage heaters were GONE but the meter wasn't! As with this thing here it was flying round like a Whirling Dervish, and whilst we were in a rental then, as now, I called the utility company, got the meter changed & the tariff altered, when I was then able to switch to Southern Electric where I was charged a little over 6p for the very same unit. All our UK bills are packed away now, but I think when we left in May we were paying around 91/2p/unit.Here we don't have the luxury of being able to shop around for our electric, or open up the fire-place, as it is we use Dimplex heaters on the regular meter. Yes, commiserations, :sad: I know you've been suffering through another horrible British summer & agree it is sooo depressing.but how about all those GOLD MEDALS!?? However, we needed heat in the evening here in March. And, Aussie winters can be chilly depending where you are - just like Spain & Greece - (& probably thet kind of house you live in effects, too) - We can have some glorious sunny days, shirt sleeves & lunch on the deck, & the solar gain from all the glass indoors is amazing, so doors are open - but as soon as that sun goes down you do need some form of heat, the temps drop like a rock & 'cos many houses seem to be so poorly insulated all that solar gain is rapidally lost, especially in Tassie... And other days when it is raining & windy it can be just as cold & miserable as any English winter's day - I would think central heating engineers would be welcomed with open arms & red carpets! I've always liked a log fire & Rayburn, now they are even more attractive & practicable than ever! (Work out the kilowatt hour savings on those if you can!) A very chilly, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbster Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 Check out the rules for Hydro Heat! It's not like UK - where we could & did put our boiler on a timer! We couldn't even find the water heater here for days, it was boxed in in some dark, spider infested corner of the basement, but when we did, we turned it down! I don't think it's hot enough, but that's not what's using the juice... although the pipes aren't lagged, another waste of energy... Of course once you know how many units you've used you can work out roughly how much you've spent - but it's not just the same price all the time! And the point is that if you don't think you've been using much, you could be wrong - just because you're thrifty & diligent doesn't automatically mean you'll be rewarded with cheap utility bills. Also, the house is down to between 7 - 11 degrees at night, most nights at 3:30am it's a measly 7 degrees in the living room - by anyone's reckoning I'd hardly call that toasty. There are only 3 rads, small ones, for a three bedroomed house, so how can all 3 beds, plus living areas have heat??? :twitcy: We're all here to share & help each other by our experiences & knowledge - believe me, not I nor my OH will be making this type of mistake again, but if I can forewarn other unsuspecting consumers to just read their meters & keep regular readings especially when the weather changes or your use changes from the norm ( you have guests or are home with the flu or a broken leg for a week or two) - and especially for people like ourselves that have only been here a couple months & don't know how the electric just vanishes; then at least I'll have helped save someone else from having a nasty shock... If we'd been keeping the house at 22degrees day & night, windows open regardless (like some peeps I know) the water was boiling & we were all having endless baths or had even ever once had a bath, & always left everything on, then I would expect a big bill - but we don't & we haven't, as we NEVER have, so the only choice is to not use the installed heaters but find a more efficient, heating solution... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbster Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 I can't understand why people have their heating on all night when the're asleep, get a decent quilt it'll save you a fortune plus it's nice and snuggly. Water heating on for 6 hours a day! no wonder you're gas bill is so high. 30 mins in the morning is all I heat mine for & I still have hot water at 10pm at night. A lot is to be said for having energy saving bulbs & appliances, really cuts down on the electric bill. The new large plasma/lcd tv's use a lot more electric than the old CRT ones, especially if you leave them on standby. PS: We don't even have a tv! Analouge, plasma or LCD! And that's not where the issue lies, it's with the HYDRO HEAT! (Which is just for the heat & water!) We always use energy saving bulbs, although that's another debate, & unfotuntely this house has silly multiple low-voltage in the living areas, we only have calor gas for the stove but that's NOT what's causing the massive bill - it's just these 3 silly little electric radiators - they're not even like the old night storage heaters that actually continue to radiate heat once the supply has gone... It's just if you see them, see $$$ signs & use something cheaper instead! Don't be taken in by them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbster Posted August 24, 2008 Author Share Posted August 24, 2008 HiA combi boiler doesn't always mean the cheapest form of providing hot water, yes they are up to 97-98% efficient, but the hot water you require comes from the bioler and not a hot water store. So the boiler initially has to use a lot of gas to heat the hot water up. Some of the later combi boiler's have a small storage vessel slung underneath the boiler, which the boiler tops the storage tempature up periodically. If you want total better efficiency regarding hot water then there's two options, a hot water store heated via solar pannels or a new system that attatches onto the top of the combi boiler. The flue gases that are expended from the boiler are passed through another heat exchanger using the last of the heat within the flue gases. This used to heat a hot water store(cylinder in laymans terms) or pre-heat the in comming cold water supply to the boiler, thus the boiler not have to fire for as long. If in the Uk, a competant heating engineer would be able to advise you of which system would be more applicable for you property considering building layout and occupancy etc. More over talking of renewable energy, the big thing comming up is biomass heating boilers. This is where natural materials such as wood pellets etc is fed into a heating boiler. This is a lot cheaper and will reduce the carbon footprint of the house massivly. Hopes this helps, if anyone needs any info on these products for the UK, i can supply links for the internet. madplumber Thanks madplummer - Some good sense spoken here - that's what I'm waiting for a biomass heating plant; & when & if ever we can afford to buy our own home, here in Tas, (as in Tasmania!) I would dearly like to have one fitted. What would you recommend? I can't see the point to wasting anything if I can avoid it - which goes down to making compost from our veg peelings or feeding it to the starving wallabies in my garden to stop them eating my/The Owners geraniums, for they must be desperate as nothing usually eats those plants! What I hate & find so upsetting is the thought of spending all this money & still being cold &uncomfortable so most of it has been a terrible waste of EVERYTHING - $$, energy, valuable resources... I just haven't got the value of all those $$$ Kilowatt hours in comfort & warmth... A downside of these large open plan living spaces! We live in a lovely spot, with million $$ views but it sure takes a fortune to maintain! Unless your home is properly insulated & planned money will just disappear with the sunset... :spinny: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mongrel Posted August 24, 2008 Share Posted August 24, 2008 Thanks madplummer - Some good sense spoken here - that's what I'm waiting for a biomass heating plant; & when & if ever we can afford to buy our own home, here in Tas, (as in Tasmania!) I would dearly like to have one fitted. What would you recommend? I can't see the point to wasting anything if I can avoid it - which goes down to making compost from our veg peelings or feeding it to the starving wallabies in my garden to stop them eating my/The Owners geraniums, for they must be desperate as nothing usually eats those plants! What I hate & find so upsetting is the thought of spending all this money & still being cold &uncomfortable so most of it has been a terrible waste of EVERYTHING - $$, energy, valuable resources... I just haven't got the value of all those $$$ Kilowatt hours in comfort & warmth... A downside of these large open plan living spaces! We live in a lovely spot, with million $$ views but it sure takes a fortune to maintain! Unless your home is properly insulated & planned money will just disappear with the sunset... :spinny: Kn ow what you mean about the houses we go outside in the evening because its warmer!!! Malx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herbster Posted August 25, 2008 Author Share Posted August 25, 2008 It is often like that - I don't know what they built these places from (in the 70's) but it looks like brick on the outside, & it IS brick on the outside under a real tile roof! So you'd think not too different from UK.... My point is, for Blunt instruments (without one - sharp end that is! Sorry :idea:) that if you lived in a Styrofoam box it is bound to cost much less to keep at a comfortable temperature - whether hot or cold - than if you were heating/cooling the same size single-paned glass or cardboard box. Therefore, I would suggest, politely, to peeps that have recently relocated, esp. if you don't have an energy rating on your abode, then at least, after a week or two of average usage, READ THE METERS so that you can take/make any cost-saving measures or increase usage accordingly... Just don't be taken in by the appealing looking 16c/unit, & heat with impunity! For of course, once the bill arrives telling you how many units you've consumed it's too late to economize or use other , more efficient heating solutions. :jiggy: Amen.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Redaussies Posted August 25, 2008 Share Posted August 25, 2008 That was a very informative post and well worth noting. I think ther are a lot of people in Britain who think things are cheaper here in Oz and come into the lets all go to Oz World with sunglasses on believing all will be rosey. I know I was like that at first. Apart from petrol I haven't seen anything that is part of our daily life cheaper. Thats notto say other people are the same. Utility prices generally all over the World are on the up, no matter where you try to hide. The Electricity had been going through the roof in terms of cost back home. Gas prices seemed to be stable for me but the Electricity was going mental. Now here in Queensland I'm just awaiting our first billing encounter. We have Air con and heating a reverse cycle thing, not quite sure what to describe it as. We only have a gas hob, the rest of the house is Electricity driven, and the Winter months here have seen the heating on most mornings and evenings. I imagine in the Summer the Air con costs must generate a larger electricty bill. I don't think for one minute there will be a saving in this area here in Oz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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