Electricity usage

[benf31]

I have just received my quarterly electricity bill which shows that I am using an average 18.43KWh a day. I have a 2 bed mid-terraced house with no gas and live on my own. Is this good/bad high/low?

[Hymie]

Given that the bill covers September – November, it is not an unreasonable usage amount, especially if you bath each day, and have heating on during the waking hours you are at home.

The figure you quote works at to an average of 770 Watts for every hour of the day. Bear in mind that an immersion heater will consume 3,000 Watts and hour, as will a three bar electric fire. Cooking also consumes lots of energy.

Should you want to cut down your usage, I would strongly recommend you purchase an energy meter, displaying your precise electricity usage. They can be purchased for less than £30. They consist of a battery operated unit, with a current clamp which is attached to the house in coming mains cable. A remote unit (connected via radio waves) displays the actual power draw, most will show this in Watts plus a monetary value – allowing you to determine which of your appliances consumes most energy, and whether you can live without them.

Don’t waste time switching off low energy light bulbs – you can run a twenty Watt bulb all day (24 hours) for less than 5 pence.