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Huge electricity bill

howyenow95

Hey everyone hope this is an ok place to post this

I just got an electricity bill from airtricity for 240 euro. I recently renewed my contract with them and availed of the 24% discount and also recently moved into a new granny flat type accommodation which is considerably smaller than my last rental (3 bed semi). This bill is more than I ever paid in my last house that had a lot more electricity usage. My new place just has a bedroom, small kitchen and bathroom. I use the washing machine about once a week, rarely use the dryer, and in general don't use much else above boiling the kettle, taking showers and other small things. However I do have ATC electric radiators that I have on often enough, but have heard good things about their cost to run so I had hoped it wouldn't cause a surge in the bills but it seems likely they're the culprits. It still seems excessive as I only have 2 of them but usually only have one on for a few hours in the evening.

I'm just wondering if anyone here has any insight, tips, experience etc with airtricity etc so I can get my head around this.

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Comments

colm_mcm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118876274#Comment_118876274

Because they’re being marketed as being more efficient to run than other electric heaters. People are throwing storage heaters that run on night rate electricity and putting these in, when in reality a €50 oil filled radiator or convector heater is going to eat through electricity at the same rate.

When I say efficient, I mean there are no losses, not that they’re cheap to run.

2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118877125#Comment_118877125

Exactly.

Efficiency is the ratio of input energy (electricity) devided by output energy (heat). For electric heaters the efficiency is very high (almost 100%). However the cost of electricity very high per unit (around 3 times that of gas).

My advice:

1) Do not use pre pay electricity meters. Unit rates are far, far higher.

2) Avoid any form of electric heating as much as possible. This includes the immersion, tumble dryer and electric heaters.

3) Install a device (such as an Owl) so that you can monitor the electricity usage.

4) Change supplier every year.

[Deleted User]

Just to add to the two posts above. The only electrical heating that can be more efficient than regular electric heating are heat pumps. Regular electric heating is 100% efficient. Heat pumps can be up to 400% efficient

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058240101/huge-electricity-bill

My last bill is 380 euro.

Thats just the world we are in at the moment though.

2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118896941#Comment_118896941

I don’t mean to be pedantic but what you are describing is the coefficient of performance or COP.

[Deleted User]

Well yes. A heat pump can put out up to 4kw for 1kw required to run it

Pistachio19

@howyenow95 has your discount been applied? Did you give a meter reading when you moved in to the apartment? Chances are your bill is based on their estimated unit use so it should balance out if you submit a reading.

2011

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118897253#Comment_118897253

Agreed but I guess what we are really saying is that 1 kW of electrical power can be used to generate more than 1 kW of heat.

I think it is important to differentiate between electrical heating that is generated by a current flowing through a resistive element and heating generated by a refrigeration cycle.

I would not consider a heat pump to be “electric heating”. sure it uses electricity but so does a gas boiler.

[Deleted User]

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118897652#Comment_118897652

I'm happy to go with that 👍

crossman47

The way prices have gone, this discussion should be about comparing usage in terms of units, not cost.