| Energy advice needed!! 19:11 - Feb 7 with 2278 views | qpr85 |
Hello Gentlemen and ladies,
I have an immersion heater in my house. I currently rent so can not change the tank. I have just done a reading and my bill is £280 more than the £300 I've paid for in the last 3 months. Does this sound about right?
The immersion heater has been set to come on in the morning and back on again in the afternoon/evening until the kids are in bed. So about 6 hours total for the whole day.
I make sure the kids turn lights off and tv's are turned off if they are not watched what the hell am I doing wrong??
It's a 4 bed detached house if that helps/matters.
Your help would be much appreciated. |  | | |  |
| Energy advice needed!! on 20:04 - Feb 7 with 2229 views | kensalriser |
Heating water with electricity is a lot more expensive than with gas. Lights and TV etc will be pennies in comparison.
Have you looked at switching energy supplier to make sure you're getting the best deal? You could consider switching to economy 7 which gives you very cheap rates for 7 hours overnight, but at the cost of high daytime rates. |  |
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| Energy advice needed!! on 20:22 - Feb 7 with 2217 views | qpr85 |
| Energy advice needed!! on 20:04 - Feb 7 by kensalriser |
Heating water with electricity is a lot more expensive than with gas. Lights and TV etc will be pennies in comparison.
Have you looked at switching energy supplier to make sure you're getting the best deal? You could consider switching to economy 7 which gives you very cheap rates for 7 hours overnight, but at the cost of high daytime rates. |
Thanks mate yeah I'm looking at changing suppliers but was hoping someone could help with the best way to use an immersion heater. I know it's a lot more expensive heating water with electric and have a landlord (and rightly so) that won't spend money on a new combi boiler as the immersion is working fine. It's just bloody expensive for me. | | | |
| Energy advice needed!! on 20:26 - Feb 7 with 2207 views | AndyB |
Are you sure it's switching off? Or that the switch is in timer mode and not in continuous mode? |  | | |
| Energy advice needed!! on 20:43 - Feb 7 with 2185 views | HantsR |
Hi there. I still have an immersion heater in the house (fairly large 4 bed detached) but only use it as backup to the gas-fired central heating. I just wonder about your 6 hours a day? If I use it, the water is usually quite hot in about 15 minutes. Given that most dishwashers and washing machines are cold feed then you might want to know how much instant hot water you really need? Also, as suggested, see if the timer is working ok and also, check your thermostat is working and isn't set too high - 50 deg is usually ok (I think, but haven't checked). |  | | |
| Energy advice needed!! on 21:02 - Feb 7 with 2166 views | jonno |
| Energy advice needed!! on 20:43 - Feb 7 by HantsR |
Hi there. I still have an immersion heater in the house (fairly large 4 bed detached) but only use it as backup to the gas-fired central heating. I just wonder about your 6 hours a day? If I use it, the water is usually quite hot in about 15 minutes. Given that most dishwashers and washing machines are cold feed then you might want to know how much instant hot water you really need? Also, as suggested, see if the timer is working ok and also, check your thermostat is working and isn't set too high - 50 deg is usually ok (I think, but haven't checked). |
Agree with Hants, sounds like the thermostat is not switching off the heating element. It should only take 15/20 mins to heat up a water cylinder to the required temperature. Try switching the immersion off once the water is hot enough. Heating water using electricity is very expensive. |  | | |
| Energy advice needed!! on 21:08 - Feb 7 with 2154 views | GloryHunter |
Are you saying you paid £300 for three months, and now you're paying £280 +£300 (=£580) for another three months? And does this also include electric space heating?
If it's an all-electric house (ie no gas central heating) then £1600 to £2000 per year for a four-bed detached doesn't sound too bad.
Also, is this for electricity you have actually used, or are you on a direct-debit "budget" scheme, where the supplier takes your money up front every month? |  | | |
| Energy advice needed!! on 21:45 - Feb 7 with 2118 views | Suffolk |
Sounds like a faulty thermostat to me. Check your water tank in the loft to make sure it is not full of warm/hot water. |  | | |
| Energy advice needed!! on 22:30 - Feb 7 with 2074 views | Lblock |
Immersion heating is a tad archaic but I suppose if you've no gas then this is one of your routes.
It's inefficient as it's storing energy you may never use and then effectively dumping it if / when you dont.
If it's costing you an EXTRA OVER £300.00 a quarter = £1,200 EXTRA a year.
I'd offer to go 50-50 with the Landlord for a Combi if you're staying for 2 years then its a no brainer surely? (But be prepared for 2 days of mess and upheaval)
As noted above though do have a check and see if everything is in working order |  |
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| Energy advice needed!! on 09:36 - Feb 8 with 1989 views | pomanjou |
| Energy advice needed!! on 20:43 - Feb 7 by HantsR |
Hi there. I still have an immersion heater in the house (fairly large 4 bed detached) but only use it as backup to the gas-fired central heating. I just wonder about your 6 hours a day? If I use it, the water is usually quite hot in about 15 minutes. Given that most dishwashers and washing machines are cold feed then you might want to know how much instant hot water you really need? Also, as suggested, see if the timer is working ok and also, check your thermostat is working and isn't set too high - 50 deg is usually ok (I think, but haven't checked). |
THIS. |  |
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| Energy advice needed!! on 10:59 - Feb 8 with 1954 views | Juzzie |
I popped into a central heating/plumber place the other week to get a couple of knobs for my boiler and the guy said that electric combination boilers are now moving to replace gas ones.
He said they are getting more efficient (certainly moreso that an immersion heater) and ideal for places that don't have a gas supply especially as they can supply both hot tap water & central heating saving on whatever methods you use to heat the home.
I reckon gas combination boilers are probably better for houses and electric combination boilers for flats. |  | | |
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