Utility bills... How much to you budget monthly?

Trying to plan our UK budget as best I can so we know how much we can devote to rent. We are a family of 4 and we are looking to rent a 2-3 bedroom flat in Newcastle.

How much do your average utility bills run?  (water, electricity, natural gas)

I have read a number of complaints on these boards about flats being insanely cold in the winter due to poor insulation...  Is there anything specific I should be looking out for in the property description, good or bad?

How much do your average utility bills run?  (water, electricity, natural gas)

I have read a number of complaints on these boards about flats being insanely cold in the winter due to poor insulation...  Is there anything specific I should be looking out for in the property description, good or bad?

Try to get a place with double-glazed windows. 
And if I were you, I'd be looking for gas central heating as well... electric heating is SO expensive, and IMO, not all that great.  For some reason, gas central heating feels warmer and cosier!

There are just the 2 of us in a draughty old 1-bedroom flat, paying £66 per month for electricity, and £20 a month for gas (we only have a gas fire in 1 room).  Water is included in our council tax bill (I think this is only for Scotland), so we don't pay seperately for that.

There's this:
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_199725
http://www.homeheathelpline.org.uk/

With energy savings tips:
http://www.homeheathelpline.org.uk/energy-saving-tips/

More modern homes, those with double glazing, central heating and places with newer installed boilers will reduce your energy costs, as Tracey points out. 

Watching with interest...

Averages per month for the year:

Water 30
Electricity 45
Gas 50

3 people (DH, me, and DH's adult son) in a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath house.

I think our utility bills are rather cheap. The house is 3 years old, so double glazed windows, central gas heating and the house is "brilliantly insulated", as my DH says. It is a *very* warm house. It is also a semi-detached, so we get part of the warmth from the house attached on one side.  We rarely run the clothes dryer, don't have a dishwasher, try to do big loads of laundry to save water, etc.

However, as we both don't like the heat, we do run fans, and even a portable air-conditioner when it gets too warm. When we run the A/C, the electric bill goes up about 15-20 (but that is rare).

We were just in a very draughty mid 1800s 1 bed conversion flat and spent:

£23 per month for water (rates - no meter). You can pay this yearly if you want to just get it over with.

£95 per month combined for gas and electric (dual fuel bill w British Gas). Note how this is the same amount as the previous poster who was in a 4 bed house.

If you do fall in love with a well done conversion, definitely make sure the windows are double glazed and fitted correctly, that the doors are sealed and fitted properly and find out what kind of insulation has been put in, especially in any roof spaces or conversions. Older properties could mean no insulation in the walls as it will just be the brick between you and the outside. In my in-law's 1600s thatched cottage, the walls in some areas are 4" thick and no insulation. Thank god for under floor heating!

Also, open fire places are a huge way to lose warm air. Luckily you can get balloons to put in them to seal when not in use (see amazon), but I don't know how well those work. In future, I will be going for wood burning stove over open fire place every time.

£60 for Gas and Electricity.
£20 water
£75 council tax

£70 for Gas and Electric
£25 water
£62 phone internet tv
£29.10 for tv license

£70 - gas/electric
£25 - water
£40 - phone + internet, including £5.20 for inclusive calls to USA; we prepaid the phone line rental, so £10 of the £40 total has already been 'paid'. The annual prepay with BT saves a chunk.
TV license
TV is off-air freeview, not cable or Sky

We have an 8 year old 3-story townhouse, so it is very energy efficient. This was a deliberate choice; cottages are lovely, but can be cold and expensive unless you can use a wood stove.

£70 for Gas and Electric
£25 water
£62 phone internet tv
£29.10 for tv license

Tv License is closer to £13 pcm

I currently pay:

~£70 gas and electricity (paid quarterly, so that's an average)
£21 water
£40 TV/phone/broadband
£12 TV licence (it was £29 until last month)

Tv License is closer to £13 pcm

It depends how you are paying... when you first take out a TV licence and you are paying by direct debit, you pay for the entire first year of the licence in the first 6 months (so maybe 5 payments of £29 per month or 6 payments of £24 perhaps, depending on your payment plan).

Then after you have paid off the first year, it drops down to the standard monthly payments of about £12.

It depends how you are paying... when you first take out a TV licence and you are paying by direct debit, you pay for the entire first year of the licence in the first 6 months (so maybe 5 payments of £29 per month or 6 payments of £24 perhaps, depending on your payment plan).

Then after you have paid off the first year, it drops down to the standard monthly payments of about £12.

Oh that's nice to know that it will go down   I was going to say...if its closer to £12, I wanted to know why we've had direct debits of 29.10 taken out every month.

Oh that's nice to know that it will go down   I was going to say...if its closer to £12, I wanted to know why we've had direct debits of 29.10 taken out every month.

From the TV licencing website regarding paying by monthly direct debit (http://www.tvlicensing.co.uk/pay-for-your-tv-licence/payment-methods/direct-debit-pay1/):

Monthly*    

You'll usually pay for your first licence within six months, in instalments of around £24 per month. (If we have to spread the cost into four or five monthly instalments, the cost may be slightly higher). From then on, you pay for your licences in 12 monthly instalments of just over £12 - six before your licence is due and six after.

Just one of the ways to help make paying more convenient at no extra cost.

*Only available for colour licences.

Ahhh, see I didn't set it up. Hubby set it up when he moved in a couple of months before we got here, so I had not a clue! Thanks for that!

It depends how you are paying... when you first take out a TV licence and you are paying by direct debit, you pay for the entire first year of the licence in the first 6 months (so maybe 5 payments of £29 per month or 6 payments of £24 perhaps, depending on your payment plan).

Then after you have paid off the first year, it drops down to the standard monthly payments of about £12.

Yeah, I guess, but for budgeting terms, you'd call it more £13 than £29.

I never had to pay it in advance like that, but they do charge me an admin fee for paying in arrears.