Rented house huuuuge electricity bill!?

Question

Hello all
We moved into our rented 2 bed house this march so this is our first winter. We dont have ANY central heating just 2 VERY expensive oil heaters, which is making our electricity bill up to a hundred quid a month! and this is only using 1 when we are desperate, but now with all this cold whether it is getting ridiculous!!
Me and my partner are on low income and can just about pay our bills as it is, and we also have a 2 year old little girl!
Does anyone know if we can get any help with our bill or any sort of advice would be lovely!

What is DHHR, oh and i live in the uk!

Answer 1

I've heard about people who have moved into new places and the electricity bill is exorbitant, because they've been paying for someone else's electricity too. My first step would be to have a look at the meter, then switch off EVERYTHING... even the fridge. Then have another look at the meter and see if it's still going round. If it is, someone is tapping your pocket. Even if you're dubious anyway, you could ask the electricity board for a safety inspection and tell them your suspicions.
It might be one specific appliance that it using everything up. It might either be inefficient or just plain faulty. Turn things on one at a time to see which makes the wheel speed up most.

Answer 2

I had a similar problem but not so expensive, we had to use electric heaters last christmas, we had 4 for an area of about 85 square metres, (average modern 3 bed home), it cost us £580 for our electricity for 6 months, we are slowly paying this off now.

If I was realistic I would say look at moving, because if the heating is costing you £100 a month, then add about £60 of that onto the rental costs of your house and see what else is out there available. It would probably work out cheaper to have somewhere with central heating, while paying higher rental costs, and be far better for your health.

Answer 3

The house may also be improperly insulated, which can cause your heating bill to skyrocket. If you suspect this is the case, you or your landlord can call your local utility office about getting an energy audit done on your house. Older houses like yours are commonly under-insulated and contain other less efficient products like single pane windows. In lieu of replacing your windows since you are only renting, I would recommend you get some window film to to keep heat from escaping your windows(about $5-10 at Home Depot). Also, measure how much insulation you have in your attic-- this is where most of a house's heat is likely to escape. You need to have approximately 10"-12" up there for peak efficiency. Those two things alone will drastically effect your heating bill. I hope this helps and good luck.

Answer 4

I live in Peterborough Ont. and have a 2 bedroom house with gas heat and water heater. My electric and water and sewer bill is about that much too. Electricity has gone up 2 to 3 times what it was 2 years ago!! Keep your lights off as much as possible and install energy saving bulbs to save electricity!!Make sure there are no air leaks around doors and windows, and ceiling and walls are well insulated!!Use energy saving appliances as well. Just the bulbs alone saved us a lot of money!!What type of heat do you have??You may want to take a look at that too!!

Answer 5

Depending on your income, your electricity supplier may be able to help.
Similar Q on here a couple of weeks ago and the lady got a 15% reduction.
Good luck

Answer 6

Buy 2 infra-red heaters approx £10 each.
They are much cheaper than oil heaters.

Answer 7

Call your local DHHR and see if there is a government funded assistance program on utilities for ones in your social status. If not, try the actual utility itself to see if they can grant you some assistance. Take care, God Bless..

Answer 8

on a partcular day take morning and evening reading to see how much units are consumed in day to get and idea of the rate of consumption .
if it looks exorbitant contact ur local supplier

Answer 9

Years ago we used to use a parafin heater. I don't know if they still make them - health/safety and all that - but it was very cheap to run.

Answer 10

maybe as your house is rented could you maybe approach your landlord and ask for central heating to be put in? yes its expensive to put in, but it does add value to the house!
Otherwise change energry providers.