monitoring monetary bill usage.

sednageek

Hi there,
This may seem like a silly question, but is there a way that i can see what actual € value I've racked up online before any actual bill arrives? 
I have an easy-pay card and live with a group of other people, the bill is under my name and it would be handy to know how much electricity we are using, how much we should pay off to keep it low and to avoid any extremely large bills.
I have updated my meter readings and it did send me an updated bill once but lately while updating the readings no updated bills have appeared.
Thank you for your time on this matter.

.BrianJM

sednageek wrote: »

Hi there,This may seem like a silly question, but is there a way that i can see what actual € value I've racked up online before any actual bill arrives? I have an easy-pay card and live with a group of other people, the bill is under my name and it would be handy to know how much electricity we are using, how much we should pay off to keep it low and to avoid any extremely large bills.I have updated my meter readings and it did send me an updated bill once but lately while updating the readings no updated bills have appeared.Thank you for your time on this matter.

I would suggest taking a weekly reading and doing the math yourself.
e.g. I would take 25c inc. VAT as unit cost.
Just divide units by 4 to give an approximate cost in euro. Handy for quick calculation of weekly payment which includes PSO levy and some or all of the daily charge.

gctest50

A monitor like this one :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Owl-Cm119-Wireless-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B001JJCLS0

Electric Ireland: David

Hi sednageek,

sednageek wrote:

This may seem like a silly question, but is there a way that i can see what actual € value I've racked up online before any actual bill arrives?

Certainly not a silly question! Auld-Yin's suggestion above is very practical if you use your easypay card to prepay before bills arrive. Here's a guide to how you might calculate a weekly reading:

Our standard (i.e. non-discounted) unit price: €0.1699
7 days standing charge (domestic urban, 24hr tariff): €2.13
7 days PSO Levy: €0.54
VAT @ 13.5% to be added to the above

So, if you use 100 units per week:

0.54 + 2.13 + (100 x 0.1699) = 19.66
19.66 * 0.135 = 2.65
19.66 + 2.65 = €22.31

So, assuming the above figures apply to you, you could use 22c per unit as a guide. However, if you have a nightsaver meter or are a rural customer, you would need to adjust the standing charge upwards, so Auld-Yin's figure of 25c is also a good one.

Other options available to you, as gctest50 pointed out, include energy monitors (we have one at our online store), and our Appliance Calculator may also be of benefit. It's available as a web app (click here to play around with it), and as an Android/iPhone app. It enables you to

• Review all your home appliances for a complete breakdown of your energy bills
• Review the top electricity using appliances
• Search for an individual appliance

Hope this helps!

Regards,
David

sednageek

thank you David, gctest50 and Auld-Yin for all your kind suggestions and insight.One last thing, Is it a difficult job to get a night meter installed? this is a house of students and workers so there is people movement at any hour. I assume the Land Lord has to order it as opposed to a tenant?

Electric Ireland: David

Hi sednageek,

Changing to a Nightsaver meter is a simple procedure, but yes, we would recommend you discuss it with your landlord first. While the Nightsaver meter is free to install, reverting to a single tariff meter afterwards would cost €186.14 incl. VAT.

The night rate offers a 50.5% reduction on the day rate. There is a slight increase in the day rate and standing charge, so this price plan is only beneficial to customers who use at least 22% of total electricity usage within the NightSaver night time hours (midnight to 9am in summertime, 11pm to 8am in wintertime) where you have an average annual electricity usage of 5,300kWhs (or just over 100 units a week).

If you're interested in this option, please feel free to send us a PM.

Thanks,
David

sednageek

Will do,Thanks David.