How much power do you use?

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tchart

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#214778 28-May-2017 10:34

So we used to be on a low user plan in our previous house (was gas Hot water and wood burner).

We've been in our new build house for a year now and we consistently use way more electricity. Even through summer we still had $300 power bills (way more than our combined gas and electricity used to be).

The new house is all electric (water heating and heat pumps).

I'm just concerned that we seem to be using way more electricity than should we should be. Average use is around 46kw per day.

We use the dish washer every day, heat pumps aren't on all the time, dryer gets used on the weekends etc. House is 133m2 4 bedroom and 2 adults plus 2 kids. All lights are LED.

How much power (kWh) do other people use?

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#1790543 28-May-2017 10:35

House is in Wellington.

vexxxboy

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#1790545 28-May-2017 10:40

in summer for a household of 4 adults we use between 800 to 900 KWh a 30 day period and around $220 a month, and when we use the heat pump in winter it rises to 1200 to 1300 KWh a month, around $280. We use a dryer every 2nd to third day and a dishwasher everyday. We moved to Pulse from Meridian and saved $70 a month, so it does pay to shop around.

Common sense is not as common as you think.

msukiwi

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#1790547 28-May-2017 10:44

30 days = 986kWh

From the bill this week, so it's current.

Christchurch City.

Heat pumps and Electric Hot Water.

NO Dishwasher.

All electric cooking. (Yes we use the oven)

And over this bill - dryer used 4 days for the washing. (Bugger wet / damp Saturdays!)

2 people.

timmmay

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#1790550 28-May-2017 10:51

Wellington, old house but well insulated including double glazing, around 120sq m. Everything electric, hot water, two heat pumps. We keep the whole house heated to at least 21 degrees all day, but we turn heating off overnight, the kitchen might drop to 18 but the living / sleeping area stays 20 or above. The main living area is usually 23 degrees. Two adults, one baby, one guest.

We're using around 305kwh / week paying around $56/week on Flick. Last two weeks were much the same. That puts us at $220/month or a little more, but for a house that's always warm.

rb99

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#1790583 28-May-2017 11:39

Last 3 bills were approx -

$170 for 500kWh 29 days

$177 for 550kWh 29 days

$210 for 680kWh 33 days - more days and bit of heatpump use for latest bill

includes 15% off for prompt payment. Negligible use of clothes drier or dishwasher (though dishwashing by hand still uses hot water). Use the oven quite a bit though. Zero cooling in summer. Will be using only heat pump in winter, up to maybe $250 per month. Freeze in the rest of the house. 80's house single glazing, ceiling / floor insulation yes, walls no idea.

On Nova Bay of Plenty.

Edit - 2 adults 3 kids 4 bedrooms

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

rb99

alasta

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#1790593 28-May-2017 12:21

Mine is usually around 4,000Kwh per year. This is for:

- One occupant, small one bedroom flat.

- Oil column heater running in winter, no heatpump.

- Hot water from a conventional cylinder.

- Dishwasher used rarely.

- No clothes drier, but dehumidifier occasionally run for long periods to dry clothes in the conservatory.

Given that I live alone it's not surprising that others above use more electricity than I do, but I have to say I am surprised at the magnitude of the difference. It seems like larger households are typically using about three times as much electricity as I do, whereas I would have expected it to be about double.

PhantomNVD

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#1790598 28-May-2017 12:35

230Kw last month, avg 7-8/day. Family of 4 in 4 bedroom 260m2 2016 built home. We have gas for Hob and water, and oven is electric. All lights LED which helps as does the woodburner (free firewood).

We also pay $100 every 3 months for gas, and happily with current power prices!

We looked at Solar and hydroelectric when building, but the extra $33,000-50,000 quoted would have taken a lot too long to payback, especially as it would be part of the Morgage and have the compounding interest factor added 🙄

*edit - dishwasher used daily (sometimes twice) and dryer used very rarely (quite possibly your biggest cost?)

michaelmurfy

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#1790618 28-May-2017 13:34

2 people on Flick Electric.

Average bill comes in at around $35-$40 per week. Biggest week we've had was $45 during a very cold period where the heatpump was being used and used 205kWh. Average bill is around 180kWh used.

This is with my PC running 24/7, a bunch of embedded computers and networking equipment running, front loader washing machine (on cold wash) heatpump dryer used every ~3 days, dishwasher used daily overnight and heatpump used when it is cold at 24*C.

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neb

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#1790625 28-May-2017 13:53

One person, crappy 1970s house with no insulation but underfloor and ceiling added later, in Auckland. Summer is around $60-70/month, winter a bit more if I run the heat pump. Last month's usage was 153kWh, but that's higher than normal due to heat pump use. Base load for the house is 50W, then occasional lots of 100W for the fridge cycling on and off and very occasional lots of 1.5kW for the (heavily insulated) hot water cylinder. Drying is done with solar energy (hang them outside), almost no use of the dishwasher since it's quicker by hand, LED lighting, etc.

openmedia

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#1790629 28-May-2017 13:58

We're a family of 3 and March was 766 kWh , May is likely to be around 1000 kWh

We've got some electric heaters and a wood burner but no heat pump.

Generally known online as OpenMedia, now working for Red Hat APAC as a Technology Evangelist and Portfolio Architect. Still playing with MythTV and digital media on the side.

Hammerer

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#1790638 28-May-2017 14:13

tchart

Your figures do look somewhat high to me for a new house. If you get an estimate from PowerSwitch or similar sites then you'll notice that they are interested in parameters like: number of occupants, is someone home all day, floor area, insulation levels, and how much heating and cooking is electric. So most of the differences I see could be explained by those factors but I think that your new house should be more energy efficient.

I'd look at room and water heating costs first. Do you heat the whole house or above 20C? Do you heat all day? For example, we have an invalid living with us who uses a quarter of our power mainly for heating, ~4,000kWh a year. Balancing that is the solar water heating which saves up to 5,000kWh a year (~400kWh a month, ~13kWh a day) and reduces our summer water heating cost to zero.

We are five adults in 180m2 single-story 1960s house with no wall insulation and retrofitted ceiling and underfloor insulation. Located on the flat in Lower Hutt so lowest temperature per day is usually 1C or 2C lower than in Wellington city because we're further from the moderating affect of the sea.

We use all electric heating (mainly heat pumps and we don't heat the whole house), water heating (to 65C), cooking, LED lighting, and, at this time of year, the clothes drier an average of an hour a day.

We are on a Mercury special high-user plan: averaging 15,000 kWh per year which this year will cost us ~20.3 cents per kWh with all discounts applied.

Minimum 500kW per month = ~17kW per day

Average 1,300 kW per month = ~43kW per day

Currently (May) 1,500kW per month = ~50kW per day

Maximum 2,000kW per month = ~65kW per day

ANglEAUT

altered-ego
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#1790639 28-May-2017 14:17

Since the beginning of the year @ 4 adults in the house with daily dishwasher & regular dryer @ 26kWh per day.

Last winter was 38kWh - 40kWh per day. Located in Auckland

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Behodar

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#1790640 28-May-2017 14:20

alasta:

Mine is usually around 4,000Kwh per year. This is for:

- One occupant, small one bedroom flat.

- Oil column heater running in winter, no heatpump.

- Hot water from a conventional cylinder.

- Dishwasher used rarely.

- No clothes drier, but dehumidifier occasionally run for long periods to dry clothes in the conservatory.

Given that I live alone it's not surprising that others above use more electricity than I do, but I have to say I am surprised at the magnitude of the difference. It seems like larger households are typically using about three times as much electricity as I do, whereas I would have expected it to be about double.

You have a similar arrangement to me, and similar usage. Last month's bill was for 287 kWh ($83.25), which is a little higher than usual since it's winter. As you say, larger households are using more energy than I'd expect!

psychnurse

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#1790642 28-May-2017 14:33

4 people

With Contact energy

22.7 cents per kWh

Last 3 bills

32 days 1125 kWh April-May $272.02

29 days 889 kWh March -April $219.74

28 days 871 kWh Feb-March $214.77

Rushmere

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#1790647 28-May-2017 14:40

2 people in small 2 bedroom 1960 house (80m2), insulated roof and floor, single glazed windows. No gas.

Heat pump and dishwasher used daily. Washing machine and tumble dryer used 3-4 times per week. Electric hot water cylinder. One person usually home all day.

Power usage averaged over last 12 months is about 18 kWh/day. Average spend over 12 month period is about $170 per month with Powershop in Auckland.

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