Energy Prices (Strictly NO referrals!)

fez · 13 Dec 2022 at 14:37

pastymuncher said:
We finally had our smart meters fitted last Tuesday and while they won't save me a penny because our use is already as low as possible, they do highlight the stupidly high cost of heating our home these days.

Fun watching money burn isn't it.

alexakasloth · 13 Dec 2022 at 14:40

fez said:
Fun watching money burn isn't it.

I check our usage every day (smart meter updates once a day), handy for figuring out what we can heat up to without going over our budget...sad watching how little it actually gets us!

Kill_Phil · 13 Dec 2022 at 14:44

fez said:
Fun watching money burn isn't it.

Yup just had my monthly bill through and it's depressing and that's despite cutting back by 30% on previous years usage..

Orcvader · 13 Dec 2022 at 14:55

fez said:
Fun watching money burn isn't it.

The fun part is realising when I'm on the PC it actually doesn't use much. What is the real energy burner is electric heaters which the girls of the house keeps insisting on using since "20c is too cold".

benjii · 13 Dec 2022 at 14:58

I just got an email from Shell about the January price hikes. Everything is staying the same except the unit cost of electricity is decreasing marginally, it'll save us a whole £10 a year!

413x · 13 Dec 2022 at 15:23

Next summer the one of the to do list tasks is to decide on solar or not and to figure out if any savings can be made with better insulation.

I'm not going to the replace windows though. But I think these are the main issue.

Currently substantially cushioned by a cheap fix. And very thankful for it. Ends in 2024 so got some buffer.

The amount we are using at market rates is certainly a concern.

ci_newman · 13 Dec 2022 at 15:29

413x said:
Next summer the one of the to do list tasks is to decide on solar or not and to figure out if any savings can be made with better insulation.

I'm not going to the replace windows though. But I think these are the main issue.

Currently substantially cushioned by a cheap fix. And very thankful for it. Ends in 2024 so got some buffer.

The amount we are using at market rates is certainly a concern.

Rather than replacing the windows, why not something like secondary glazing instead? Cheaper and could be done DIY

n111ck · 13 Dec 2022 at 15:36

pastymuncher said:
We finally had our smart meters fitted last Tuesday and while they won't save me a penny because our use is already as low as possible, they do highlight the stupidly high cost of heating our home these days.

Ive found with mine that having the heating on for 2 hours in the morning and 7 hours in the evening uses 50kWh and the house basically feels cold most of the time vs leaving it on all day using 65kWh and the house feels warm most of the time - suffice to say its left on all day now as it simply doesn't make sense to turn it off..

413x · 13 Dec 2022 at 17:31

ci_newman said:
Rather than replacing the windows, why not something like secondary glazing instead? Cheaper and could be done DIY

I don't even know what that is? These are double Glazed. But some how they just seem terrible.

Neighbours who have originals say same.

Doobedoo · 13 Dec 2022 at 17:39

413x said:
I don't even know what that is? These are double Glazed. But some how they just seem terrible.

Neighbours who have originals say same.

Tried thermally lined curtains?
Won’t help during the day but will make a difference in the evening.

SpeedFreak · 13 Dec 2022 at 17:56

Using about 70kw of gas per day, set and forget really.

ci_newman · 13 Dec 2022 at 18:43

413x said:
I don't even know what that is? These are double Glazed. But some how they just seem terrible.

Neighbours who have originals say same.

DIY Magnetic Secondary Glazing Kits | The Plastic People

Our magnetic secondary glazing kit makes secondary glazing simple. Tell us your measurements and we will even cut everything to size. Find out more!

www.theplasticpeople.co.uk

Secondary Glazing - High Quality Secondary Glazing

Our bespoke secondary glazing fits discreeetly behind existing windows. Secondary glazing supplied and fitted by Anglain. Get a free quote.

www.anglianhome.co.uk

You install another line of glazing (glass or perspex) on the inside of your windows, which is cheaper than replacing the frame itself

413x · 13 Dec 2022 at 18:45

ci_newman said:
DIY Magnetic Secondary Glazing Kits | The Plastic People

Our magnetic secondary glazing kit makes secondary glazing simple. Tell us your measurements and we will even cut everything to size. Find out more!

www.theplasticpeople.co.uk

Secondary Glazing - High Quality Secondary Glazing

Our bespoke secondary glazing fits discreeetly behind existing windows. Secondary glazing supplied and fitted by Anglain. Get a free quote.

www.anglianhome.co.uk

You install another line of glazing (glass or perspex) on the inside of your windows, which is cheaper than replacing the frame itself

Might be worth trying it in one room and seeing the difference

katie279 · 13 Dec 2022 at 18:50

kinetic747 said:
Agreed. I'm not knocking anyone who has the funds to purchase this equipment, I just think that there should be permanent subsidies for everyone to encourage their use. It's the same for insulation, the aim should be to get every house in the UK up to a minimum spec, preferably higher. Yes that would require government help, and lot's of it, but it would help reduce energy demand considerably and leave us less exposed to the ridiculous situation we're in currently.

Yeah, agree entirely - ideally I think this is where 'helpful taxes' should be used.

Phase 1 - new technology offer subsidies for higher incomes to effectively beta test new approaches
Phase 2 - if successful, offer subsidies for lower incomes to upgrade housing stock and higher income households pay for it themselves (as they can!) - money saved is ploughed into very low income households to upgrade for free.
Rinse and repeat

katie279 · 13 Dec 2022 at 18:53

MatsyLR said:
And who is going to pay for it? up until now the goverment has shown no intentions on doing anything (for multiple reasons, some of which will be pathetic)
Insulate Britian didn't help matters.

This is fair - although I think the point is about looking further ahead - ie if the government had spent the same money it's spending on basically paying people's energy bills at the moment, instead permanently decreasing bills through insulation, heating upgrades, solar discounts etc - then we wouldn't have these problems.

You're right re Insulate Britain - complete idiots - how you can protest something so badly you actually put people off the topic, requires spectacular ignorance! So they've not helped.

gingergundog · 13 Dec 2022 at 18:53

413x said:
I don't even know what that is? These are double Glazed. But some how they just seem terrible.

Neighbours who have originals say same.

Had the same when i moved into my new house, poor quality seals on the old double glazed.. has been much better with new windows.

squerble · 13 Dec 2022 at 18:56

There's only so much that can be done to improve existing housing stock though. Ideally we'd be knocking down all the awful pre-1940s housing (the endless terraced housing especially) with single-brick walls and starting all those areas over. We've made our bed by not having anything close to good building standards for over a century and now look where we are. People who can barely heat their house over 12ºC and are using obscene amounts of gas/energy to do so.

And before you quote me, yes I realise that practically this is an impossibility logistically and financially in having to turf people out of their homes so it's not going to happen

bigmike20vt · 13 Dec 2022 at 19:04

maybe not but at the very least ALL new homes should be as close to carbon neutral and well insulated.as possible. maybe not all but some of the new builds in the last decade are still pretty ***** and there is no excuse for that.

my parents house is a 1940s ex council house. there was nothing wrong with the bones of that house. it's double brick cavity wall so that
was absolutely primed for upgrading the insulation in the attic and walls (which they have done) and double glazing (which is also done)

MatsyLR · 13 Dec 2022 at 19:06

katie279 said:
This is fair - although I think the point is about looking further ahead - ie if the government had spent the same money it's spending on basically paying people's energy bills at the moment, instead permanently decreasing bills through insulation, heating upgrades, solar discounts etc - then we wouldn't have these problems.

You're right re Insulate Britain - complete idiots - how you can protest something so badly you actually put people off the topic, requires spectacular ignorance! So they've not helped.

When have the government ever looked at the long term though?
There is plenty of money floating around but the corperations/people/families who have it all want to keep it, not give it to the filthy common people.

bigmike20vt said:
maybe not but at the very least ALL new homes should be as close to carbon neutral and well insulated.as possible. maybe not all but some of the new builds in the last decade are still pretty ***** and there is no excuse for that.

Arn't all new builds in the last like 6+ years all B grade+ in terms of the EER/EPC rating from every single developer? I thought the only way to "improve" nowdays with whats available would be to add solar panels on top.

bigmike20vt · 13 Dec 2022 at 19:10

MatsyLR said:
Arn't all new builds in the last like 6+ years all B grade+ in terms of the EER/EPC rating from every single developer? I thought the only way to "improve" nowdays with whats available would be to add solar panels on top.

that may be the official standard but I read an article just last week where people were using heat detectors on new builds after finding they were struggling to keep their home warm and many of the houses were not up to code.

this was not what I was reading but is similar

New-build homes: why some owners are left feeling the cold

We investigate shoddy building practices that mean higher-than-expected heating bills

www.theguardian.com