Tuesday, 12 November 2013

British Gas Smart Meters

A few weeks ago I told you about how we have had a British Gas Smart Meter installed. Well here is my first update on how we are getting on. Do you know how much gas and electricity you use? Are you guilty of going out and leaving the boiler on?

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Until recently I lived in blissful ignorance. Well no more! I have been monitoring our usage over the last week and it has ranged from £4 - £6 a day!

I am at home most of the day and last week due to middle man being ill I was in all day everyday. I have found that by putting the electric heater on in the conservatory rather than heating the whole house, I can save around a pound a day. Now that will add up! These are only rough calculations but the smart meter has got me considering our consumption and turning off unnecessary lights. (My Dad will be proud of me!)

If you are a British Gas customer, you can register for a free smart meter here. You might also like to watch this video for more information.


I am going to continue monitoring my usage over the next few weeks and hope to get my usage down to around £4.50 a day to start with. I will make a point of only heating the room I am in and I am wondering about whether drying the towels on the radiators rather than the tumble dryer might be a small change for the better. What energy saving tips would you recommend so that I can get my bills down? Have you got any energy saving ideas you would like me to investigate?




We were already British Gas customer, so the smart meter installation was free of charge, but I have been compensated for writing about this post to raise awareness of this scheme.


36 comments:

Faye Gilbert said...

I never realised it was that expensive, I have a slow cooker that I have been using for convenience but I wonder if this is a very expensive way to achieve convenient cooking?

Faye Gilbert said...

I did not realise it was this expensive, I have been using a slow cooker for convenience, but perhaps this is a very expensive approach to convenience cooking?

Louise Fairweather said...

I'm not sure as I think they are low heat - but saying that I often leave mine on for ages - will investigate for you!

Sarah Bailey said...

We have a smart meter installed and it so interesting watching it work - I have to admit I try not to look at it when I turn on the kettle as both are in the kitchen! The red! x

Cris Curran said...

Such a great idea, got me thinking about getting a smart meter installed! @cricrinapoli1

Paul Wilson said...

I'm sure if my Dad got one he'd live in the dark with about 50 jumpers on.

Laura Harris said...

Brilliant, a real eye opener!

David Mitchell said...

Great article, yes I've been known to go out and leave my boiler on sometimes! Won't do it again though!

donglemouse said...

SPLENDID ARTICLE BRAVO

Rachel said...

very informative :)
Thank you

Ilenia said...

Useful, many thanks indeed!!!

Lisa Cornfield said...

very useful to read it will make me be more aware of what I,m using.and to think of more ways to save me money. Thanks

Sara said...

I never knew these existed!

Rachel Hirst said...

I don't know if I would really want to know how much I spend day to day. I might run around turning everyones PC's off.

Tracy K Nixon said...

This is new to me - thanks for the post!

ashleigh allan said...

interesting - my bills are huge so would be worth getting for me!

Kara said...

We have found the little things really save money - making sure the dishwasher has a full load, turning things off at the plug and switching off lights and the TV when not in the room!

helen atkins said...

Very informative article, i always switch all electrically items off a night!

Louise Hawkins said...

Thanks for the information!

Helen Barton said...

Interesting, I could definitely do with reducing my energy bills

Louise Fairweather said...

lol - it really does make you think about it!

Louise Fairweather said...

Think we all have

Louise Fairweather said...

I am bad with the dishwasher if my husband is away

Louise Fairweather said...

I honestly have a clue before.

Louise Fairweather said...

The kitchen is a good place to have it though as its easy to see then

Julie Perry said...

MMMmmmm great saving...will look into it!!

John M said...

Thanks for the info. Im always trying to save on household bills.

jason said...

with the energy companys acting like a cartel we need as much money saving tips as possible

Yoey Davis said...

i cannot believe how expensive an essential utility is, or how the power companies are allowed to get away with charging so much for that matter. i wonder what the leccy bills are at 10 downing street? whats the bets david cameron hasnt got a clue?

Rishona Taylor said...

How effective would this be with a property that doesn't have central heating? would it be worth it? I have an immersion heater which i only turn on when I need hot water(pain in the backside) but just wondering how much I do actually save by doing this.

katie smith said...

I'm not with British gas but i am definitely going to look into this with my current energy supplier. Thanks for the info i really need to save money a the moment!

Kate said...

Good advice, with just me,hubby and our 16 month old in the house we save energy and water by sharing a bath. One of us will share the bath with our son and the other gets him dry then that person has the same water. Not as nice as having your own bath but with 3 baths to run is much more cost effective to share.

sarah brooker said...

food for thought - thanks

Helen Sandra Hunt said...

I'm definitely looking into this, thanks for the info :)

LittleRascalReviews said...

I have a portable thermostat which makes it helps & we turn the radiators off in rooms we don't use regularly

TheBrickCastle said...

I so wish I could keep our bill down to £6 a week :D