CAMPYLOBACTER: Anyone else had it?

[Olly]

I have a 3-bed semi, there's just me here, so not using a lot of hot water although I do 3-4 washing machine loads a week and run the dishwasher 2/3 times a week. Gas central heating, gas hob, electric oven. I pay £29 a month for electricity - currently slightly in debit, and £62 a month for gas, currently massively in credit - I actually hadn't realised this until I looked at my online account to answer this post. I need to get my payments reduced!

 

I also have an OWL monitor, and it's been really useful in identifying some of the most wasteful things - I have halogen spot bulbs in the bathroom, and I never leave the lights on in there now I've realised how much they use. I am quite mean with the heating - I'm out a lot anyway, and usually moving around doing things if I'm here, so I keep the house somewhere between 16-18 degrees unless I am in and sitting around. I use thermostatic valves on all the radiators to control the temperature.

 

I also have a woodburner, it really only heats the kitchen-dining room, so I'm not sure it saves me a lot of money. It's lovely, though!

[Christian]

I have bought OH an OWL monitored for Christmas as he likes his gadgets. Will be interesting to see if our bills come down......

[freddie]

3 bed semi stone built here, built 1881, and all electric. Our bill is about 1200 to 1400 a yr, 2 adults, two teens. Dont use tumble drier, do use de humidifier throught he winter a bit. Night storage heaters. Real fire, so add £60 coal a yr to this as well.

I do shop about for power, and thats the best i can do at the mo.

Short of three jumpers, and a reeking damp house, we swallow hard and pay up.

[Charlottechicken]

I have a two bed Victorian terrace with high ceilings, (originally three beds, one now an upstairs bathroom) and pay £48 per month for gas and electric but I don't know what the split is I hasten to add I have no gadgets, nothing on charge and do not use a hairdryer or any electric heating appliances apart from my electric blanket and tumble dryer. The house is quite cold (most rooms with heating rarely get to 18 degrees, and the front room I am in now is 15 according to the thermometer!!) as gas is my only form of heating.

 

I've actually saved electric by treating myself to an under counter fridge and freezer last year, they are both A rated and together use around half the electric that my poor 14 year old fridge/freezer used. I felt guilty about getting rid of it as it still worked but the savings have been great.

 

If you are in credit on the anniversary of your energy account by more than a month's payment you can ask for it back, if the credit is much larger you may find they reduce the direct debits too! That's what Eon did for me in March

[docsquid]

It's difficult for us to separate the domestic and business use, particularly the relatively heavy use of our three-phase supply for MIG welding, and the compressor, band-saw and lathe, as quite a bit of our assembly is done in the garage-workshop.

 

It would be good to be able to monitor the two separately. We pay about £100 a month for gas and electricity, but I suspect more than half of that goes to the garage, particularly when we are making a batch of something or other.

 

Otherwise it is just cooking, electric showers, dishwasher and washing machine (no tumble drier), plus TV and computers. Central heating is gas but we have to heat the garage too, otherwise it becomes unbearable in the winter. We are looking at getting a woodburner for the house this winter.

 

Should add that it is a 4/5 bed semi (4 upstairs plus one bed/utility downstairs).

Edited November 12, 2009 by Guest

[Tiggy]

we have a monthly direct debit which covers gas & electric £250 a month but we had new central heating & did all sorts to bring the cost down & yesterday got a rebate of £1000 I'm going to shop around to bring it down some more. we have a 5 bed detatched house but the kids are not here most of the time