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Topic: electric/gas bills  (Read 2030 times)

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electric/gas bills
« on: April 24, 2009, 01:29:06 AM »
We are moving to Edinburgh in August and were wondering about how much an electric and gas bill per month for a 3 bedroom flat would be. Any estimate would help. Thanks


Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #1 on: April 24, 2009, 09:05:11 AM »
Not much help, but i live in Glasgow in a 1-bedroom flat, and pay £24/month for gas and £26/month for leccy.


Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2009, 09:24:24 AM »
Depends on a lot of things:  is the flat double-glazed, are the ceilings high, how old is the boiler, how old are the radiators, what appliances will you be running, what floor is the flat on, is it carpeted throughout, is there a shower in there (power shower) or just a bath, and do you like wearing jumpers?

We live in a Victorian-era house and the leccy isn't so bad considering how we run the dryer with three little kids. 

But we also like wearing jumpers.   ;)


Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2009, 10:11:53 AM »
Depends on a lot of things:  is the flat double-glazed, are the ceilings high, how old is the boiler, how old are the radiators, what appliances will you be running, what floor is the flat on, is it carpeted throughout, is there a shower in there (power shower) or just a bath, and do you like wearing jumpers?

We live in a Victorian-era house and the leccy isn't so bad considering how we run the dryer with three little kids. 

But we also like wearing jumpers.   ;)

Excellent points, of course!

Not much help, but i live in Glasgow in a 1-bedroom flat, and pay £24/month for gas and £26/month for leccy.

large windows - single-glazed and very draughty
very high ceilings
100-year old building
2nd floor flat
no power shower
immersion water heating (electric)
1 gas fire in lounge
1 electric panel heater in bedroom
1 3-bar electric fire in draughty bathroom
electric blanket on bed, used 9 months of the year
computer on (almost) 24/7
no tumble dryer
« Last Edit: April 24, 2009, 10:13:51 AM by Q-G »


Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2009, 10:28:48 AM »
Also, it makes a difference, too, if someone's going to be home all day.  If no one is, it's easier to keep the bills down. 


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Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2009, 11:06:02 AM »
Hiya

As already pointed out by the very capable QG and Expat in Scotland, theres a number of variables so it's very difficult to even give ballpark figures.
In addition to those variables theres a few more - is the boiler old? or a recently installed more efficient model with Corgi cetification to prove safe and proper install? is the property well insulated? (thats in conjuction to which floor its on, ground floor flats cost more as heat rises) do you have lots of 'large load' electrical items such as Big fridge, freezer, clothes drier, dishwasher, kettle, microwave, electric showers?  and then all the secondary type load items, Tv's & peripherals, Computers and peripherals, personal electrics and then all the 'smaller' drain items - mobile chargers, clock radios etc etc.
for Gas, do you do alot of home cooking? family members number? a tip I always read about is to turn the thermostat down maybe a couple degrees to keep a slightly lower even temperature and the 'extra' layer clothing thing in addition to that, it always makes sense to analyse heating requirements and set the timer to match accordingly.
Energy costs are predicted to rise in the longer economic view, but in the short term with the price wars with the various energy companies, you should find 'switching' relatively easy if you find better deals elsewhere.

Cheers! DtM! West London & Slough UK!


Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2009, 11:25:36 AM »
Another thing to keep in mind is that many electric and gas companies charge you less if you pay by direct debit, BUT, the debit is usually based on an estimate of usage rather than actual usage, so you need to keep an eye on and a record of what you are actually using and adjust accordingly or you could wind up with a whopping great bill after a year or so or if you go to switch companies.


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Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2009, 12:45:38 PM »
In addition to those variables theres a few more - is the boiler old? or a recently installed more efficient model with Corgi cetification to prove safe and proper install?

Please note that as of 1 April 09, CORGI ceased to be holders of registered gas installers.  Gas Safe now holds and manages this register.

Additionally, if you know the manufacturer, make and model of your boiler, you can look up its efficiency on the Sedbuk database.
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Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #8 on: April 24, 2009, 02:14:07 PM »
While we are on the subject, how would you expect to a pay for gas and electricity for a 2 bedroom terraced house in York (North Yorkshire)

double glazing
electric shower
gas oven
empty most of the day



Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #9 on: April 24, 2009, 02:29:37 PM »
If you're in a rural village at all there's also the possiblity that you'll have an oil or propane tank rather than mains gas. In our village and all the villages around us that's how it is. We think (having only just moved) that it's around £70 a bottle. Unfortunately a bottle doesn't appear to last very long! Our friends near by have a oil tank that they have to have filled periodically.


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Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #10 on: April 24, 2009, 02:41:13 PM »
While we are on the subject, how would you expect to a pay for gas and electricity for a 2 bedroom terraced house in York (North Yorkshire)

double glazing
electric shower
gas oven
empty most of the day



That fits the description of our house (except it's in Sheffield, not York) and when we moved in, npower started us on £45/month (£25/month for gas and £20/month for electricity.)  However, our actual usage is a bit more than that- probably £55/month or so normally for electric + gas, spiking a bit higher during the coldest months.
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Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #11 on: April 24, 2009, 04:00:24 PM »
If you're in a rural village at all there's also the possiblity that you'll have an oil or propane tank rather than mains gas. In our village and all the villages around us that's how it is. We think (having only just moved) that it's around £70 a bottle. Unfortunately a bottle doesn't appear to last very long! Our friends near by have a oil tank that they have to have filled periodically.

They're moving to Edinburgh.  There will be mains there.

We have LPG out here and have a tank that's filled periodically, though, so I know what you mean!

Those wee bottles would be gone in a flicker here!



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Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #12 on: April 24, 2009, 04:25:20 PM »
They're moving to Edinburgh.  There will be mains there.

We have LPG out here and have a tank that's filled periodically, though, so I know what you mean!

Those wee bottles would be gone in a flicker here!



Many years ago, a old house of mine was heated this way too.  We all had oil tanks in our little village area.  We all decided to ring a alternative provider for the oil and asked them to quote us for supplying the whole area.  It was about 9 houses in total.  We had massive savings all round from doing this as they offered great discounts for suppying all of us rather than the odd few.   :)
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Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #13 on: April 24, 2009, 08:16:35 PM »
Lucky for us, our landlord rents a tank from a provider, Calor, and when we run low, we just ring them up and in a few days they show up and refill it.

No one has mains gas even in the next few villages. 

Some people round here have oil-fired, but it's dearer than the gas.

We turned the heat off a couple of weeks ago as it's been warmer this year than last year and the tank is full now but we want to make sure it's 50% full for when our landlords return as that is what is was when they left.

Shouldn't be hard, though, because we don't turn the heating on until October, anyhow.

But we also have a big supply of jumpers.  ;)


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Re: electric/gas bills
« Reply #14 on: April 24, 2009, 08:31:42 PM »
Many small (and some not-so-small) towns and rural areas have no mains gas.  Calor is one of the biggest providers of LP gas, but there are others, generally offering two different options - Either you just pay a small deposit on a portable bottle or two which is replaced with a full one at intervals, or you can have a fixed tank installed on your property which a tanker visits to refill periodically.

http://www.calor.co.uk/home/index.htm

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