My electricity bill has just tripled: how about yours? Alternative suppliers?

[JoeyBoy]

So you can turn up to work in cycling gear and then you're sorted?

I will have to ask the actual cyclists how they prove they're genuine

 

[contadino]

Shaved legs

 

[sparkybird]

Not much chance of that round here, Here in True Blue Yokeland we live in a solid bastion of sexism, misogyny and 1950's era stereotyping. Flipping through the local Help ads all of the adverts (where an actual name is published) bar the nice lady who bakes cakes have male names.

That could be because female trades don't need to advertise in those ads, I had 10,000 flyers printed when I started and on retirement 9,998 were still in a box under my bed
Never short of work! USP innit

 

[Artaxerxes]

Not much chance of that round here, Here in True Blue Yokeland we live in a solid bastion of sexism, misogyny and 1950's era stereotyping. Flipping through the local Help ads all of the adverts (where an actual name is published) bar the nice lady who bakes cakes have male names.

Here in darkest Essex it’s much the same

 

[Artaxerxes]

That could be because female trades don't need to advertise in those ads, I had 10,000 flyers printed when I started and on retirement 9,998 were still in a box under my bed
Never short of work! USP innit

Probably more competent than the lads in mags tbf, build a better builder and the world will build a path to your door.

 

[existentialist]

What the approximate cost of a 5 min shower at home?

Worst case. The most powerful showers are rated at 10.5kW (let's call it 10kW). Running that for 60 min would use 10kWh, so 5 min is 1/12 of that, or 0.85kWh (let's call it 1kWh). Which, at current average prices, is going to cost about 28p

 

[prunus]

Worst case. The most powerful showers are rated at 10.5kW (let's call it 10kW). Running that for 60 min would use 10kWh, so 5 min is 1/12 of that, or 0.85kWh (let's call it 1kWh). Which, at current average prices, is going to cost about 28p

Depends - if the hot water is heated solely by an immersion heater (ie tanked) and gravity fed, then you need to heat the entire tank to usable temperature even if you’re only going to use a fraction of it in the shower. Ime usually takes about a hour to heat a standard insulated tank with a 3kW immersion, so that’s about 3kWh, or about 90p.

 

[existentialist]

Depends - if the hot water is heated solely by an immersion heater (ie tanked) and gravity fed, then you need to heat the entire tank to usable temperature even if you’re only going to use a fraction of it in the shower. Ime usually takes about a hour to heat a standard insulated tank with a 3kW immersion, so that’s about 3kWh, or about 90p.

I was assuming that the question was about using a cold water-fed shower - that's certainly how mine works.

 

[WouldBe]

Depends - if the hot water is heated solely by an immersion heater (ie tanked) and gravity fed, then you need to heat the entire tank to usable temperature even if you’re only going to use a fraction of it in the shower. Ime usually takes about a hour to heat a standard insulated tank with a 3kW immersion, so that’s about 3kWh, or about 90p.

If it's a 10.5Kwh shower it heats the water on demand.

 

[existentialist]

If it's a 10.5Kwh shower it heats the water on demand.

Mine's actually a 7.5kWh, and it does too. I know there are these showers that use hot water inputs and usually have a mixer/regulator, and then there's showers with booster pumps for extra pressure, and so on...it's never really simple!

 

[mod]

Octupus have been great so far. Recommended supplier. My monthly DD is £150 and thats more then i'm using so I'll be in credit come winter.

We both get £50 credited to our account if you use this referral link...

Octopus Energy

The UK's most awarded energy supplier. We're doing energy better - for you and the environment.

share.octopus.energy

 

[WouldBe]

Mine's actually a 7.5kWh, and it does too. I know there are these showers that use hot water inputs and usually have a mixer/regulator, and then there's showers with booster pumps for extra pressure, and so on...it's never really simple!

True but if it's only using a pump it will only be using a few watts. It would be one hell of a pump to be using 10.5Kwh.

 

[existentialist]

True but if it's only using a pump it will only be using a few watts. It would be one hell of a pump to be using 10.5Kwh.

As it happens, I'd wanted to do this calculation anyway, as I was curious how much a shower cost me

 

[platinumsage]

Octupus have been great so far. Recommended supplier. My monthly DD is £150 and thats more then i'm using so I'll be in credit come winter.

We both get £50 credited to our account if you use this referral link...

Octopus Energy

The UK's most awarded energy supplier. We're doing energy better - for you and the environment.

share.octopus.energy

Why would you recommend them other than because they give you £50? Am thinking of switching from EDF due to their antiquated billing system but not sure where to.

 

[prunus]

I was assuming that the question was about using a cold water-fed shower - that's certainly how mine works.

You said worst case

Actually until recently I had hot water heated by a wood burning stove. I reckon it cost a few quids worth of wood to get a tank fully heated. So that’s even worse.

And if you heat your water using a tokamak fusion reactor - those cost billions!

 

[existentialist]

You said worst case

Actually until recently I had hot water heated by a wood burning stove. I reckon it cost a few quids worth of wood to get a tank fully heated. So that’s even worse.

And if you heat your water using a tokamak fusion reactor - those cost billions!

Ah, I see where the misunderstanding arose, now! I was saying "worst case" as a prelude to rounding everything in unfavourable directions, given my assumption (yeah, I know), that the poster probably had a pure electric cold-feed shower. Hmm, that's assumptions for you

 

[Artaxerxes]

Earlier he told mumsnet to judge him by his actions not his bank balance.




Oh we certainly will buddy

 

[High Voltage]

You can't leave it like that, FFS tell us what you think it is.

Right, I've got "some" data (4 days worth) with numbers that I'm 100% happy with and as previously suspected the OWL reader is reading "about" 1KWh / day over compared with the number on the consumer unit

The OWL reader does give a reading to one decimal place whereas the consumer unit doesn't but even so, this discrepancy could be upwards of 30KWh / month. Readings will continue as will readings from the in-line meters that are gradually being worked around the house to get a plug by plug consumption

 

[existentialist]

Right, I've got "some" data (4 days worth) with numbers that I'm 100% happy with and as previously suspected the OWL reader is reading "about" 1KWh / day over compared with the number on the consumer unit

The OWL reader does give a reading to one decimal place whereas the consumer unit doesn't but even so, this discrepancy could be upwards of 30KWh / month. Readings will continue as will readings from the in-line meters that are gradually being worked around the house to get a plug by plug consumption

You are taking this seriously!

 

[High Voltage]

You are taking this seriously!

This is really winding me up, talk about looking for a needle in a haystack.

I don't mind paying for something if I'm using it, that's not a problem, what's the problem would be going into a pub and asking for "some cider" expecting a pint, being served a half and being charged for a small round and NOBODY being able to explain to me WHY? and I can't even measure what drink I've served or at least get the same measure twice on the bounce

I'm not even "that" (Oh! yes, I fucking am, but the sake of my sanity) bothered about tracking down the last 1KWh or so, but when I can't find HALF of what I'm using over night then that becomes a bit of a problem for me

 

[mod]

Why would you recommend them other than because they give you £50? Am thinking of switching from EDF due to their antiquated billing system but not sure where to.

Because my bills are now almost half of what I was being charged by Eon Next.

They use 100% renewable energy.

They've been really easy to deal with and always helpful.

 

[platinumsage]

Because my bills are now almost half of what I was being charged by Eon Next.

They use 100% renewable energy.

They've been really easy to deal with and always helpful.

Half price, sounds like a good deal.

 

[CH1]

OVO's website is not installing any confidence in their ability to come up with accurate figures, my balance yesterday is shown as -£136.12 and today as -£194.89, an increase of £58.77 in just 24 hours, they seem to just pluck random figures out of thin air, the useless fuckers.

View attachment 319697View attachment 319698

I got this shocker yesterday:

Looks like I'm just going to have to load a spreadsheet now.
As I commented up thread, suppliers now officially charge £48 per year per fuel extra (ie £4 per month per fuel) if you do not pay by direct debit.

But there may be a way out of this ESTIMATED BILL HELL.

According to Shell you can also have this - effectively monthly pay-as-you go

Does Ovo offer this? If it does maybe go for it.
I certainly am on Shell. Clearly Shell's bill estimator thinks I'm running a hotel in South London where all the guests will be in and out of the Sauna all day this coming summer.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Does Ovo offer this? If it does maybe go for it.

I honestly don't know, but once the complaint over the account is resolved between SSE & OVO, I expect my DD will drop a little from the current £125,* with a £500+ refund, so I'll be happy to stay on DD.

* They had increased it to £178, but dropped it back to £125 whilst the issue is being dealt.

 

[WouldBe]

This is really winding me up, talk about looking for a needle in a haystack....

I checked my smart meter last night and it was showing 35W being used. That was for the side lamp, PVR in standby, alarm, central heating controller, timer for pond pump, router and whatever little is used by motion sensitive lights in garden. That works out at about 720W per day just for background stuff.

It's surprising what little bits add up to.

 

[mod]

Half price, sounds like a good deal.

That's a combination of...

A. Being ripped off by Eon. Next (dont go near those cunts)
B. I'm not using heating now.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I'm not even "that" (Oh! yes, I fucking am, but the sake of my sanity) bothered about tracking down the last 1KWh or so, but when I can't find HALF of what I'm using over night then that becomes a bit of a problem for me

Clue's in your username pal.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Because my bills are now almost half of what I was being charged by Eon Next.

They use 100% renewable energy.

They've been really easy to deal with and always helpful.

They also let you send your own reading whenever you like. So if I'm flush one month I'll submit a reading for five weeks, and if I'm broke I'll just do three weeks.

We got a new fixed price deal in October that seemed ridiculous at the time as it was a 50% rise but it's now looking like we got off easy.

 

[Superdupastupor]

£190 per month over 10 months.

 

[bluescreen]

I checked my smart meter last night and it was showing 35W being used. That was for the side lamp, PVR in standby, alarm, central heating controller, timer for pond pump, router and whatever little is used by motion sensitive lights in garden. That works out at about 720W per day just for background stuff.

It's surprising what little bits add up to.

Don't you have a fridge?