Vocal Voices

I think that I have finally cracked it!

I have been keeping spreadsheets....I know, I know.

So, it goes like this. I put the CH on from 9 -10 am and get the temperature up to 21 °C. It then takes three hours for it to drop to 18 °C. If it is not sunny it then goes back on from 1 - 2 pm and off we go again. My home faces south.

In the evening I close all the doors and draw the curtains and then have a convection heater in the room I am in - if needed. Other electricity is for lighting, a shower, the microwave, clothes washing and a few kettles.

My average energy bill so far (gas and elec) is £4.84p per day for Jan / Feb.

Overal this winter since the price cap on Oct 1st I have used £4.93 per day £724.71 in total. However, I got £400 Energy Support and £300 Winter fuel allowance.

Apart from a few days when my top-up key failed I have always been warm.

Spreadsheets are great for showing trends. You can graph them too.

We are burning about €55 of wood a week right now. On top of that we have electric for hot water and lighting etc. We also have a huge chunk of compute power running in the house (essentially a business office), so our electricity is always higher than it would be. I do have a fan blown paraffin heater in my office. It burns about 5l of Paraffin per week. Around €35 a month but only on odd months. By the time I get back again (leaving this coming weekend), It will be April and I'll only need minimal heating in my office.

Refurbs have helped/hindered. Our bedroom is now warmer. The Utility room is now colder with the uninsulated new concrete floor. Then again we could probably fit your whole flat in my downstairs converted garage and hall.

If the whole house was like our bottom bedroom, it would cost 1/3 to heat. That room is always warm as we doubled the insulation in it. Sadly the whole house it is not like that and, worse, my office floor is directly over the workshop which has no insulation in it's ceiling. It's 5C in the workshop right now. On the upside Christmas before last Mrs S gave me a "heated slipper". Feet toasty at least...