Energy Suppliers
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I only WFH two days a week, the other three I'm in the office. Estimating around 2500kWh in day usage, 500kWh night usage (shifting washing machine and dishwasher runs to overnight), and about 2000kWh on the night rate for my EV (which is a Kona, getting 3.8mi/kWh over winter and getting about 4.8mi/kWh now in summer so based the figure on an average of 4.2mi/kWh).
I'm the biggest electric user by gaming most evenings but even on full tilt my PC is using about 250w so not a super high usage. Using a work laptop and a MacBook Air (15W) during the day so WFH usage is quite low too. Partner doesn't use much other than her MacBook and occasionally PC for some evening work. The dog just barks so no electricity there
house will be electric oven, gas hob, combi boiler, no electric showers, definitely no hot tub 
. 3-bed detached, 2017 build so well insulated so guessing about 9000kWh/year in gas, hopefully less as we've started timing our showers to reduce hot water usage, and the house currently has an upstairs/downstairs split heating system which would also be a help when WFH.I’m intrigued what electricity Fido uses?
I only WFH two days a week, the other three I'm in the office. Estimating around 2500kWh in day usage, 500kWh night usage (shifting washing machine and dishwasher runs to overnight), and about 2000kWh on the night rate for my EV (which is a Kona, getting 3.8mi/kWh over winter and getting about 4.8mi/kWh now in summer so based the figure on an average of 4.2mi/kWh).
I'm the biggest electric user by gaming most evenings but even on full tilt my PC is using about 250w so not a super high usage. Using a work laptop and a MacBook Air (15W) during the day so WFH usage is quite low too. Partner doesn't use much other than her MacBook and occasionally PC for some evening work. The dog just barks so no electricity there
WFH is not so bad. I have a laptop and my big 35 monitor on, gf has her laptop with 24 monitor
I got a full tado setup last year for heating. Seemed expensive at the time but glad of it now. So heating is room by room.
No electric car as we don't commute so not worth it.
Yea, see I still commute (not even in the car) and that's £750 for an annual pass on Merseyrail. I've budgeted on my max mileage (car leased on an 8k/an mileage), but realistically I should expect to do less than 4000 miles including trips to family etc, so I could reasonably expect our real-world costs to be lower than we've estimated.
If I ever get the options for permanent WFH I'll start working out the cost of 5 days gas usage vs the annual rail pass
How much did the tado setup cost, if you don't mind my asking? I think I worked out around £700 for the Drayton Wiser system which should operate the same as the tado system with individual room control etc. I just don't know how much gas I'd realistically save by heating one room vs only upstairs anyway, with the current "basic" TRVs set well, and how long it'd take to recoup that cost.
Yea, see I still commute (not even in the car) and that's £750 for an annual pass on Merseyrail. I've budgeted on my max mileage (car leased on an 8k/an mileage), but realistically I should expect to do less than 4000 miles including trips to family etc, so I could reasonably expect our real-world costs to be lower than we've estimated.
If I ever get the options for permanent WFH I'll start working out the cost of 5 days gas usage vs the annual rail pass
How much did the tado setup cost, if you don't mind my asking? I think I worked out around £700 for the Drayton Wiser system which should operate the same as the tado system with individual room control etc. I just don't know how much gas I'd realistically save by heating one room vs only upstairs anyway, with the current "basic" TRVs set well, and how long it'd take to recoup that cost.
I have a friend who commutes in the car. Her costs ar 300 a month. Petrol is so expensive. Only fill up about 2 times a month.
I think it's about 30 pounds a month for both of us in summer in terms of electricity units.
In winter I just heat the 2 rooms we work in during the day. So savings are less. But obviously it's significantly less than petrol.
Do wonder if you have an electric car and commute vs WFH and pay for heating what the difference is
It is a good question. Lots of different opinions on it. It's more for Comfort than saving money (originally why I got it) but it is hard to get a reliable with/without.
I'd say (I bought them all from CEX!) it cost me:
35*8 for the trvs
35*2 for wireless stat (in the bigger rooms the trv temp is too far out from ambient (tucked in a corner) so a stand alone stat works better.
100 for the base unit/bridge/main stat
So 400-500ish
I'm not sure of the exact price I paid for each one
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My electricity cost for the commute in the EV would only be £55/year, though I'd need to add £600/year in parking costs (even that's subsidised - city centre
) and there's talk of them binning off the staff car park so then standard city centre parking would go way higher. I'm paying £310/month in car lease too.Just looking on Screwfix, I'd be needing around £480 to get the Drayton Wiser system that could fit the dual-zone heating we will have. (£221 for the main kit, then 6x TRVs at £43 each). I was thinking I'd leave the traditional TRVs on the three bathroom rads (1 en suite, 1 family bathroom, 1 downstairs loo) but then I'd lose a lot of saving by running 3 extra radiators every time I'm supposed to be running a single one
so then push up to £610 to get all 9 rads on the system.
Soldato
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I've got the wiser and never even bothered with the radiator controls themselves
I would just get the system and see how you think it works. (probably buy the starter pack with 2 rad controls and the main unit you need)
I found with it being a lot more controllable as long as your main sensor(s) are in places that will typically be the ones you want most control over and will trigger the heating regularly then normal TRVs work absolutely fine everywhere else.
Our room stat is typically kept in the lounge, its the coldest room in the house due to number of windows and doors open, and as such that turns the heating on plenty often, most of the other rooms the rads don't even warm up once the house is up to temp
I guess your usage pattern of rooms could make a big diff and you may see benefit from the smart rads as well. Eg not heating x room in the morning
I was put off by people talking of being able to hear the rad valves being motor driven open and closed (you have to change batteries as well)
I would just get the system and see how you think it works. (probably buy the starter pack with 2 rad controls and the main unit you need)
I found with it being a lot more controllable as long as your main sensor(s) are in places that will typically be the ones you want most control over and will trigger the heating regularly then normal TRVs work absolutely fine everywhere else.
Our room stat is typically kept in the lounge, its the coldest room in the house due to number of windows and doors open, and as such that turns the heating on plenty often, most of the other rooms the rads don't even warm up once the house is up to temp
I guess your usage pattern of rooms could make a big diff and you may see benefit from the smart rads as well. Eg not heating x room in the morning
I was put off by people talking of being able to hear the rad valves being motor driven open and closed (you have to change batteries as well)
No wonder the bank asked me to justify my low cost of living.
This is my issue with electric cars. The upfront cost is just too high for a low mileage house like us.
We have a 3k bought outright Peugeot 207 auto sport. Fill up twice a Month. I keep being tempted by an electric but it's just too much of a cost for too little gain for us.
I avoid going to Cardiff most of the time due to ridiculous parking costs.
It's always good to have 1 or 2 rads off trvs. For us it's the ensuite and main bathroom towel rail rads. But there is a stat in there.
This is my issue with electric cars. The upfront cost is just too high for a low mileage house like us.
We have a 3k bought outright Peugeot 207 auto sport. Fill up twice a Month. I keep being tempted by an electric but it's just too much of a cost for too little gain for us.
I avoid going to Cardiff most of the time due to ridiculous parking costs.
It's always good to have 1 or 2 rads off trvs. For us it's the ensuite and main bathroom towel rail rads. But there is a stat in there.
I don't think I'd bother without WFH
The noise is not an issue. Batteries are not an issue either (changed once after moving to rechargeables)
My office is west facing and main stat is in a east facing room. So my room will bake and the heating will come on! And that was my initial foray into smart trvs
Yea, see to switch to just the base system I'd have to pay £221 and the only thing I'd actually gain is having internet access to the thermostats. Right now the house has a thermostat downstairs and one upstairs. The one downstairs is at the base of the stairs and upstairs one in the main bedroom, plus TRVs on pretty much every rad. I'd need to get individual rad control (needing the smart TRVs) to get that future cost saving. Definitely the option of not heating certain rooms in the morning or evening is the big advantage of getting the smart TRVs too. I just don't think it makes sense to switch to the base system as I effectively already have the same amount of control.
Main bedroom is south-facing and my WFH room is on the north side of the house so I would likely always have a cold office but warm bedroom, meaning the heat would never come on upstairs anyway (or it'd have to be cranked). The smart thermos could run the system just for the office (and it'd likely only run an extra hour or so). That's where the advantage comes in.
I know my car lease is quite the frivolity, but I had another car on finance before it anyway and I'm saving money each year with the EV. It will be reconsidered come renewal time in Dec '24. That said, I've gone EV for environmental reasons too, so it'd be hard to go back to a petrol car. Not to mention the fact I'd be torturing the car with short, sporadic journeys which is killer on ICEs but a forte of EVs.
If it makes sense it makes sense.
I wish it did for me too.
But we do the opposite.
Irregular long journeys (holidays, beach etc) so most journeys are 30-1hr and then some are 3-5hrs.
I feel It would have been a hassle. Filling up an EV around rural mid Wales trip.
Our use I feel is the opposite of what a typical eV is for!
Argh I'd completely forgotten that I'll need to buy an electric gel radiator for the garage conversion which is now a second reception room. Hadn't factored that into my electricity calculations think I'll have to run that one overnight on the cheap EV rate and then just turn the radiator on in the day if we use that room.
think I'll have to run that one overnight on the cheap EV rate and then just turn the radiator on in the day if we use that room.
My useage (for gas anyway) is similar to @xb8browney (Elec is 5508kwh/year and Gas 21000/year) in a 4 bed detached (built in the early 90's) We've cut back as much as we could, but when you have two people in their mid 70's living with you, then turning the temp below 21 degrees is a no go. They still sit there in blankets in the living room, even with the stat at 21/22 in winter. It doesn't help having the stairs in the living room so you can't really shut it off to keep the heat in, and being at the top of a hill the wind is always blowing and drafts coming down the gas fire flu, straight into the living room.
Gas meter still not working at all, and now as of yesterday electric meter isn't showing up online anymore just stopped sending readings early morning yesterday, electric still showing on the IHD though.
Why am I having such bad luck with these things.
Why am I having such bad luck with these things.
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Is it possible to predict what unit rate and standing charges are likely to be for the price cap in October? Currently it's predicted to be a 42% increase up to £2800. Could I just increase the current unit rates and standing charges to get a rough idea? It won't be 100% accurate.
Soldato
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For a generalisation yes
I am not sure, it seems hard to find if they expect an equal increase on both gas and elec, if I look at BG fixes the elec cost increase is a lower percentage than gas, which I think is the same trend we have seen up until now.
Its only educated guessing right now however.
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Thanks, I'll try and see what the percentage increases are based on the fixes to give an idea of the increase % of the cap.
It's the best you'll get.
No one knows how they'll load it. It should be clear. But it isn't