Should I appeal my electricity bill?

srkiboy

Hello everyone,

I moved into a 2-bed apartment (70 square meters), on December 8th. The place is heated by central gas heating. My electricity provider is Electric Ireland.

I was issued an electricity bill on December 24th, for 30 EUR. I thought it was kind of high, but I paid it.

I received a new bill today, for the last 2 months, for 115 EUR. I think this is waaay too high - I live alone there, am out most of the day, don't cook at all, only use my laptop and clothes washing machine. As I said, I don't use electricity for heating. My shower is also electric.

The reading on the bill says 'a', so I'm told that means actual.

Do you guys think I should complain about the bill? And what would be the proper way - call their customer service line? Or complain in writing and send it by registered post?

Thanks so!

Greyian

According to Airtricity, the average 2 bed apartment's electricity costs are ~€850 per year, which works out at ~€142 per 2 month billing cycle (or €71 per month).

€115 for 2 months doesn't seem excessive to me.

Dr_Bill

It seems high, but you can check the readings when you moved in and the actual readings and calculate the prices. If your not sure how to do this, post them up here & I'll check the bill for you.

Gas is cheaper than electric for heating for sure. Your typically looking at 5.03c per kWh for Gas & 16.28c for electricity. You should also check on bonkers.ie to see if you can get a better offer for your energy bills. Key is to change supplier every 12 months.

TheChizler

The first bill seems very low so it probably balances out. The first bill was probably an estimate, unless you moved in towards the end of the billing period. Compare the meter readings on the bill to the current reading and from when you moved in as suggested.

srkiboy

My tariff is called 'Domestic', and the readings are as follows:

1st bill, for 19 days: Previous 17414, Current 17538
2nd bill, for 63 days: Previous 17538, Current 17955

Unit price: 0.1659
Standing charge: 0.337 EUR per day

Also, there's a PSO Levy for Dec/Jan at 10.72 EUR.

srkiboy

Also, readings for both bills are actual readings.

seamus

As others have said, when you moved in you would have provided them with a reading from the meter. So find that reading and compare it to the reading currently on the meter and work out how much you've used. If it matches up (i.e. the amount on the bill is slightly less than the readings you have), then you don't really have any cause for complaint - the power has been used.

Tbh, it doesn't seem that high. If we assume that the bill covers up to 8th February, then you're looking at a total bill of €145 for 3 months. Which is not a lot over winter - remembering that you will be at home more, and therefore using lighting and appliances more often. Electric showers are power guzzlers; if you have a shower every day then you're looking at around a tenner a month on your bills just for your shower.

For comparison, I have a 70 sq.m. 2 bed unit with someone at home most days and electric storage heaters. My two-monthly bills in winter are typically just over €300.

The other simple check you can do is to completely switch off power to your apartment - pull the main breaker for your unit - and then take a look at your meter. Your meter should not be moving, at all. If it is, then there's something wrong - another unit is drawing power from yours deliberately or through bad construction. ESB Networks can help you if this is the case.

Fuzzy Clam

srkiboy wrote: »

Also, readings for both bills are actual readings.

Excluding the Levy and standing charge, you're paying about 1.33 a day. Thats for your laptop and lighting and the shower anything else like a radio or phone charger.
Not high.

srkiboy

I understand. Well, thanks for all of your help, everyone!

Kensington

srkiboy wrote: »

Hello everyone,

I moved into a 2-bed apartment (70 square meters), on December 8th. The place is heated by central gas heating. My electricity provider is Electric Ireland.

I was issued an electricity bill on December 24th, for 30 EUR. I thought it was kind of high, but I paid it.

I received a new bill today, for the last 2 months, for 115 EUR. I think this is waaay too high - I live alone there, am out most of the day, don't cook at all, only use my laptop and clothes washing machine. As I said, I don't use electricity for heating. My shower is also electric.

The reading on the bill says 'a', so I'm told that means actual.

Do you guys think I should complain about the bill? And what would be the proper way - call their customer service line? Or complain in writing and send it by registered post?

Thanks so!

I'd say that's your problem right there.
Power showers can be rated anything up to 11.5kW.

Taking the unit price per kWh you quote: 0.1659/kWh.
0.1659/kWh x 11.5kW = €1.91 per hour running the shower

Now, it's unlikely you take an hour long shower every day!

But lets say you spend 20 minutes a day in the shower.
€1.91/3 = 64c/20 mins

0.64 x 30 = €19.08 per 30 day period

Over two months, a 20-min a day shower will cost you €38.16 in electricity charges.

In other words, you've run up the bones of €40 in electricity charges before you've even turned on a light, the kettle, the TV, washing machine, drier etc...

TheChizler

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

Excluding the Levy and standing charge, you're paying about 1.33 a day. Thats for your laptop and lighting and the shower anything else like a radio or phone charger.
Not high.

And the laptop and phone would be relatively negligible!

srkiboy

So, when my Missus joins me in the apartment, stays there most of the day, starts cooking, TV on a lot, I'm looking at 250 per two-month bill easily?

Idbatterim

electric showers do use a lot of power, but for a short amount of time, still far better than immersion heaters, say an 1hour x 3kw or 5min x 9kw...

seamus

srkiboy wrote: »

So, when my Missus joins me in the apartment, stays there most of the day, starts cooking, TV on a lot, I'm looking at 250 per two-month bill easily?

No, very unlikely. €200 winter bill, max. Having two people in a property doesn't double the amount of electricity used as most appliances are shared use anyway - TV, lights, cooker, sometimes even the shower

I'd say €100 or less in Summer.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

I've always aimed for our electric bill to be around 50/month and that's for a 3 bed semi (with someone home all day). By and large it's about that all year. As other posters have mentioned, 115 EUR doesn't seem excessive.

Fuzzy Clam

TheChizler wrote: »

And the laptop and phone would be relatively negligible!

It all adds up, esp if you sit working at a laptop for a few hours a night.

srkiboy

Can I ask, why the large difference in winter vs. summer electricity bills that a lot of people here suggest? I use gas for heating.

Fuzzy Clam

srkiboy wrote: »

So, when my Missus joins me in the apartment, stays there most of the day, starts cooking, TV on a lot, I'm looking at 250 per two-month bill easily?

No, less than that.
You said you dont cook. Do you never use a microwave or kettle?

TheChizler

srkiboy wrote: »

So, when my Missus joins me in the apartment, stays there most of the day, starts cooking, TV on a lot, I'm looking at 250 per two-month bill easily?

Probably not that much, maybe €160-180 ish. Economies of scale; unless you're watching two different tvs in two different rooms with different sets of lights on and cooking separate meals you won't be using double.

Electric Ireland have a calculator to help determine what the big users are. It's always the things people don't expect! People go around turning off phone chargers and Sky boxes at night, but leave 100 W lights on all night and have 20 minute electric showers. Same story with water usage actually, my girlfriend's father kills people for washing their hands and drinking water, but these are all but negligible compared to showers and toilets.

For water and electricity it's hygiene appliances that drive the big costs, showers, washing machines, etc. Anything that heats lots of water basically!

srkiboy

Yeah, I do microwave stuff a fair bit, and put the kettle on twice a day.

Kensington

srkiboy wrote: »

Can I ask, why the large difference in winter vs. summer electricity bills that a lot of people here suggest? I use gas for heating.

Lights on at 4pm in winter versus 10pm in summer.
Tendency to have longer, hotter showers in winter versus summer.
Tendency to sit in around TV, laptops, more cups of tea, etc. in miserable winter weather than being out and about in the summer.
Washing machines, dishwashers, etc. have to heat incoming water starting at a much lower temperature in winter than in the summer.

Dr_Bill

Your bill is spot on.

Your using on average 6.60 kWh per day (based on your usage so far) @ approx €1.49 per day. Annual usage estimated at 2408 kWh, €542.89 or €45.24 per month.

Only way to save is cut consumption or switch to a cheaper supplier!

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

Lights would be the big one. Summer time - lights on for maybe 1 hour max/day. Winter months on from about 5pm. Ball park times, but gives you an idea.
Also, people aren't normally as active during the winter, so TV on longer etc.

Edit: Kensington summarized it better than I!

srkiboy wrote: »

Can I ask, why the large difference in winter vs. summer electricity bills that a lot of people here suggest? I use gas for heating.

jon1981

Also try replacing your bulbs with energy savers if you can. Ikea do them relatively cheap.

https://www.electricireland.ie/ei/residential-energy-services/reduce-your-costs/energy-efficient-lighting.jsp

witchgirl26

When I was by myself in an apartment, I was on the set monthly charge from Artricity. It got adjusted every few months but generally the average was about €45 a month so I don't think that there's anything too outrageous about that bill.

Electric Ireland are quite clear on the bill about the breakdown of the charge. Don't forget it's not just all electricity used but there's also a standing charge per day for the service.

Tarzana2

srkiboy wrote: »

So, when my Missus joins me in the apartment, stays there most of the day, starts cooking, TV on a lot, I'm looking at 250 per two-month bill easily?

seamus wrote: »

No, very unlikely. €200 winter bill, max. Having two people in a property doesn't double the amount of electricity used as most appliances are shared use anyway - TV, lights, cooker, sometimes even the shower

I'd say €100 or less in Summer.

Aye, my BF and I share an apartment. Bill have ranged from around €110 in the summer to €150 for our mid-Nov to mid-Jan winter bill.

There are fixed costs that won't go up when you GF moves in. Cooking appliances and the shower will be used more so that will push it up, but not much else. You say you don't use the electricity for heating so I guess that won't change either. It won't be that much of an increase.

TheChizler

Fuzzy Clam wrote: »

It all adds up, esp if you sit working at a laptop for a few hours a night.

It can use a 'large' amount if you look at it out of the context of the rest of a bill, but if you're using your 20 W laptop for a few hours with possibly a couple of hundred Watts of lights on overall it's going to be very small.

It's about striking a balance between convenience and cost, phone chargers these days use an absolute minimal amount of power when there's no phone plugged in, 0.4 W would be high for modern chargers. Over two months that's 10.2 c, so it's really up to the bill payer whether it's worth plugging it out every time you unplug your phone. At those kind of cost levels, the price of leaving the charger plugged in constantly will be comparable to replacing the socket eventually due to wear from plugging it in and out twice a day. I'm not going to do the maths though .

Of course if everyone in the world did it, you'd save enough power to run a small city so it's your call really.

Fuzzy Clam

TheChizler wrote: »

It can use a 'large' amount if you look at it out of the context of the rest of a bill, but if you're using your 20 W laptop for a few hours with possibly a couple of hundred Watts of lights on overall it's going to be very small.

It's about striking a balance between convenience and cost, phone chargers these days use an absolute minimal amount of power when there's no phone plugged in, 0.4 W would be high for modern chargers. Over two months that's 10.2 c, so it's really up to the bill payer whether it's worth plugging it out every time you unplug your phone. At those kind of cost levels, the price of leaving the charger plugged in constantly will be comparable to replacing the socket eventually due to wear from plugging it in and out twice a day. I'm not going to do the maths though .

Of course if everyone in the world did it, you'd save enough power to run a small city so it's your call really.

Your figure of 20 watts is a bit out unless you never charge the laptop battery.
And then we should consider the state of the battery and how often it charged and whether it's left charging at night ready for the next day.....

As regards whether you should unplug chargers to save on replacing the socket:eek:
I have never had to replace any of my sockets for this reason. Anyway, most sockets have switches on them.
It's an entirely different subject to this discussion but I would always unplug these cheap power supplies and chargers when I'm not in the house on safety grounds. I think that for another discussion though.......

moxin

The biggest power consumption item from the OP is the washing machine, we don't know how often and how long per cycle this is on for. Myself being a euro watcher ( ), uses the washing machine once every 2 weeks for about 20min on quick wash. Sounds drastic but its routine and I have lots of clothes to use up in the period

galah

:eek: washing machine runs at least once a day here, sometimes more. Dont ever have children (no offense ), theyr're a total drain on your ESB bill - lots of washing, drying, heating their bedrooms, baths, etcetc - our bills have gone up from 50 a month for 3 bed house (all electric plus stove heating, no oil or gas) to about 150 per month in winter and about 100 in summer ehen we had the kids

(Wouldnt want to miss them, tho..:pac:)

MouseTail

moxin wrote: »

The biggest power consumption item from the OP is the washing machine, we don't know how often and how long per cycle this is on for. Myself being a euro watcher ( ), uses the washing machine once every 2 weeks for about 20min on quick wash. Sounds drastic but its routine and I have lots of clothes to use up in the period

There is no way 2 weeks worth of clothes fits in one wash!! Maybe light Summer cottons but not winter stuff.