Gas +Electricity bills = $1300 for winter quarter (with a newborn). Too much?

LMsOlive on 29/08/2015 - 02:30

Hi ozbargainers, was wondering how much is everyone paying for electricity + gas this winter?

A bit of background:
- 3 bedroom house, 3 adults (us + my mum visiting to help out) plus a baby born in June.

Ours came to around $1300 (roughly $850 for gas and $450 for electricity) and hubby is just about to crack it!

The things that I think I have been doing differently are:
1. More heating, to keep the temperature constantly warm for bub. We have ducted heating throughout the house, but I run an extra column heater in the room (bub still sleeps in our room)to keep the temperature around 18-20 degrees.
2. More washing, I run two loads in washer and dryer daily now, one for bub and one for the adults. I really couldn't be bothered to line dry in the dreary Melbourne weather while having to look after a newborn.
3. More cooking, mum has been living with us to help out so more cooking on stove everyday, no more just cold turkey sandwich for dinner.

I really don't think I could have done things significantly different to reduce the bills.

Am I too spoilt, as hubby thinks?

Home & Garden

Comments

  • notewar on 31/08/2015 - 11:17

    Does solar power panel worth getting?

    • sal78 on 01/09/2015 - 08:23

      yes if you use electricity a lot during the day. in our house, theres no one home in the day. you want to blast the heating/cooling in the dsy, wash clothes etc and its well worth it. especially great if u have home business

      they r bringing out battery packed solar which means it will save u on electricity at night too. when that comes out we will get solar.

  • Looking4Bargians on 31/08/2015 - 12:14
    +1

    We have parents here for visit and i have 2 kids. (4 yer + new Born) + us.
    for Winter our bill is $200 for Gas and $300 for Electricity.
    You must have something going on with your GAS mate..Get it fix.

    • wiltonson on 31/08/2015 - 14:34

      per quarter?

    • mranderson978 on 31/08/2015 - 17:42

      2 adults, 4 children, one's 8 months old - quarterly bill for both was around $500 too, so this sounds right to me.

      Set central heating to 17 degrees (day and night - it never gets adjusted).
      Peg washing on the line instead of using a dryer. Or put on clothes airer under a heating vent overnight.
      LED lighting
      Dishwasher is used every day - sometimes more than once.

      We do have solar PV, but it doesn't make a big impact over winter (45 kilowatt hours fed in for the quarter)
      We also have solar hot water, but I have no way of knowing how much this actually saves us.
      Our windows are double glazed, and we're on a concrete slab, so our house is (or was) 5 star rated (when it was built).

      Other than that we're using Lumo for Gas and Electricity, which has a 15% pay on time discount.

  • jonathonsunshine on 31/08/2015 - 14:25

    Our total for gas and electricity was never more than $600 a quarter and that was a 4 person share house where we all did our own thing. No air-conditioning though.

  • victorheaven on 31/08/2015 - 15:03
    +1

    Wow, thats a huge bill..

    3 adults and no gas in the house, we have a small ceramic heater which I turned on for 30-60 mins before going to sleep on cold nights and we cook daily.

    My bill has never been over $400 in winters, I wouldn't be able to afford the $1300 bill OP had..

  • jackdao on 31/08/2015 - 15:25

    3 members. $268 gas + electricity / quarter
    We cook and take a shower every day. There is something wrong with your infrastructure.

  • lost69 on 31/08/2015 - 16:10
    +1

    $200 or so a quarter. Never had heating or air conditioning. If its too hot or too cold too bad. $1300 is a ridiculous amount.

  • TrendyTim on 31/08/2015 - 16:31

    I think keeping the babies room at 18-20c all the time is a little crazy.

    We have our bub in a nice warm sleeping bag (singlet and onesie), her room gets down to 14-15c over night, when i get her up in the morning, she is still toasty warm. My last bill for 2months gas, 3 months electricity was $599 before discount and i was spitting chips at that. But we were running the heater longer than we should have been.

  • Dr Techno on 31/08/2015 - 16:42

    Had a new born not too long ago and 2 parent inlaws from overseas.

    Gas = $110
    Electric = $340

    (per quarter, do have solar hot water but that doesn't really kick in until summer thats when gas bill goes down to $60. )

    Using central heater sometimes. Mostly using small electric fan heater just when heating master bedroom with new born. Only 30 mins before bed.

    Might want to check if your electric plan is on shoulder instead of single rate which can be more expensive.

  • bl1027 on 31/08/2015 - 17:17

    I would have a look at changing your gas and electricity provider first rather than change anything that you're doing because it doesn't look you're doing anything to warrant being called 'spoilt'. Running the heater for a puppy all night - now, that's spoilt :P.

  • AMLagonda on 31/08/2015 - 17:38

    For an ozbargainer that gas bill is too high.

  • JKF on 31/08/2015 - 17:58

    Sounds about right.

    I am in a similar situation, bubs now 8 months. Wife refuse to use the A/C for heating the bedroom as it's too drafty. So resorted back to oil fin heaters. My parents are over quite a lot to help out with cooking as well. Gas HW and stove.

    Last quarter eletricity: 850
    Last quarter gas: 450

    Pretty much double last year's usage.

    Just got onto AGL to go onto a supposingly better plan, will see how that go.

  • thatonethere on 31/08/2015 - 18:29
    +2

    That is probably about right. Things we did to try and cope:

    1. move to a fortnightly payment system so you don't have to open the envelope with the giant number on it.
    2. draughts - get rid of them.
    3. halogen downlights - get rid of them (they leak hot air into the ceiling cavity)
    4. wear more clothes inside (tough for the baby tho)
    5. make sure you are on a decent plan for gas if you are using a lot
    6. if your gas heater is old, it will chew through the gas pretty quickly
    7. turn down the temperature (ie put it on timer, use electric blankets and extra doonas - yeah tough for the baby so have a room heater for the kid)
  • r3volt on 31/08/2015 - 19:24
    +1

    People are saying this is cheap? wtf . We had twins with 2 fan heaters going over their first winter and we didn't crack 1k. 2 years ago so prices about the same. Even AC on most of the time during summer and my gaming rig on 24/7 we would max at 800ish. This is Origin/QLD

    • Sober Thoughts on 31/08/2015 - 20:11

      Your missing the fact that we here in QLD are lucky if we get a winter her for 2 momths. The OP lives in Melbourne therefore having a winter for 6 months+ of freezing temps ;)

  • empty456 on 31/08/2015 - 20:09

    I wouldn't say spoilt, but wow that's one heck of a bill!

    We are in Melbourne too, 2 adults, 2 kids (last bub born in March). We have gas for cooking, and ducted heating (which we never run as it heats up the whole house). Electricity for everything else. Dishwasher daily (on the quick cycle, so just air dried by leaving door ajar). About 8-10 loads of clothes washing every week. We only run a load when it is full, on the quick or economy cycle at 30deg — cold water in). Line dry most of the time on clothes horses inside if it's too wet outside. The condenser dryer is run on occasion. We have a small ceramic heater which is turned on very briefly.

    Our bill is never more than $350 per quarter (total for both gas & electricity). We cook all meals at home and run the big oven at least 4x a week for bread/snacks/roast. Window shades are pulled up during the day to let sunlight in and windows are closed before it gets cold to keep the heat in. Lots of jumpers and blankets in this house, and a thick doona on the beds. Bub sleeps with layers of clothes and a grobag.

    Winter is a bit cold and uncomfortable but we are very happy to see spring come along.

  • couger on 31/08/2015 - 20:22

    Same situation, baby twins, 2 kids, 3 adults, 4 bedroom weather board, ducted gas heating, on 24/7, last month gas $300, elec $160, I am on agl monthly bill, so expect bit more this month. Hope getting better next month as spring is coming. Btw Melbourne is different as it is much more colder than qld.

    • GameChanger on 31/08/2015 - 23:01
      +1

      Whaaat? No ways 24/7 amd that cheap on gas?

      • HoneyComb on 01/09/2015 - 17:26

        the person said it's a monthly bill and not per quarter

        • GameChanger on 01/09/2015 - 21:48
          -1

          have a read again it says qtr

  • outofdateyesterday on 31/08/2015 - 22:06
    -1

    I'm sure most of you are rounding down your bill amount by at least $30+ so you can be slightly more more preachy.

  • machej on 31/08/2015 - 23:19

    Change power companies (for Victorians) check http://yourchoice.vic.gov.au/

  • peteru on 01/09/2015 - 00:15

    Ditch gas! A decent sized hot water storage tank on either off-peak electric or (solar powered) heat pump will cost you less than the gas connection fee alone.

    For heating (and cooling) the house, reverse cycle air conditioning is the way to go. Gas heating is crap, it puts too much moisture in the air. If you want to stay warm, you MUST insulate your house, otherwise you are just burning money. I'd recommend R4+ wool blend ceiling insulation. Avoid mineral wool, that stuff is nasty. Check your windows. If they don't seal properly, get new seals on them. If you can, install heavy curtains. Keep them open during day, so that sun can heat your house, close them at night to prevent heat loss.

    Shop around for better prices on gas and electricity. If you have not shopped around in the last year or two, chances are you can save at least 10% off your total bill just by changing providers.

    • tyler.durden on 01/09/2015 - 08:48

      but water storage tank are crap, when you run out of hot water….then need to wait for it to reheat

    • OzzyOzbourne on 01/09/2015 - 17:47

      so to save a couple of hundred bucks per quarter in the winter, your recommendation is to spend tens of thousands on solar, hot water storage, heat pump and reverse cycle aircon? I'm guessing you have business interests in these.

      • peteru on 02/09/2015 - 09:29

        Couple of hundred bucks per quarter this winter, couple of hundred bucks over summer. For gas, just the daily supply charge itself is worth around $220 a year. Multiply all those savings 20 or 30 times over a few decades and it makes sense.

        Then there are other considerations, such as the environmental impact. It is possible to generate clean electricity. Gas, you always have to burn.

        And no, I have no financial interest in the energy or appliance industries at all.

  • tiara on 01/09/2015 - 01:20
    +2

    I'm a bit surprised some of you think utility bill over 1k is normal, there are 6 adults in my house, 5 bedrooms, all have inverter aircons. We pay total $300/month for electricity and gas. We dont use heater/aircon unless its really really cold. Sweaters and doonas are comfy enough.

    • Euphemistic on 02/09/2015 - 13:59
      +1

      Most are talking about $1k for a quarter. Pretty close to what you are spending. I'd be turning a lot of stuff off if it was $300/month.

  • Inshinshishimop on 01/09/2015 - 09:47

    Build your own solar powered heater, it's surprisingly easy :)

  • ToxicPhatGrunt on 01/09/2015 - 11:33

    I come from the exact same situation as you, location, parent staying over, house size and baby born early July. It's about 25% more than my bill but acceptable IMO. I let my wife do whatever as I assume the bill will reduce next year, it's a newborn after all so being comfortable means less crying due to discomfort.

    There are ways to reduce the energy such as
    -buying more onesies to reduce washing
    -buy a clothes horse and hang up non-essential clothes, put it in a "spare" room or even the living room (wife or I just chuck them on there quickly)
    -run column heater at night only next to bassinet, cheaper to run the ducted at a higher temp (21-22 deg) during the day
    -mother in law cooked using stove a lot so I taught her how to use air fryer and other cooking devices I bought via OzB deals. That saves time and power

    Hope this helps

  • fusion17 on 01/09/2015 - 11:58

    wth

    these $1000 + people must be like some friends i have.
    Heaters blasting just so they can walk around in short sleeve tees at max comfort.

    For adults I dont know why anyone wouldnt get an electric blanket over heating the entire room all night.

    • peteru on 01/09/2015 - 12:24

      For adults I dont know why anyone wouldnt get an electric blanket over heating the entire room all night.

      Because an electric blanket won't help with the temperature of the air you breathe. People with asthma or those who had severe pneumonia will find they have respiratory issues once the temperature starts dropping down to 15C or below.

  • whodidthat on 01/09/2015 - 12:34

    I am dreading ours!
    So far this year I've only had to pay something like $80 because of the solar electricity. But this bill to come in covering winter, hmmmmm, our heating has been on - a lot!

  • MementoMori on 01/09/2015 - 13:34

    Curious about the daily load of washing for adults. It seems really high. How many wears do you get out of say a t shirt before you wash it?

    • peteru on 01/09/2015 - 15:17
      +1

      Heh, depending on how often your newborn does chuckups and how careful you are about protecting yourself, you may get away with only needing about 2 or 3 tops in a day. ;-)

  • tassieeagle on 01/09/2015 - 13:40
    +1

    Thought I'd add my 2 cents worth. 2 adults and 2 kids here living in cold Tasmania. I think the winter bill this year was $550 which is probably more than last year but that is because it has been an exceptionally cold winter. Things I can think of that might help you out include:

    Air dryer - don't use it unless absolutely necessary. These things are power suckers and to be honest you just need to plan when you put washing on the line and when you should put it on clothes horses in front of the heat pump/heater. We don't even own one and we get by fine.

    Washing - This is hard because I know babies like to throw up alot/make mess so it is expected to have a bit more washing than usual. All I can say is try and make sure you are doing full loads and if you can, try and use cold water only cycles.

    Heating - Turn down that ducted heating to something like 16 degrees and leave it at that. Wear a jumper and trousers inside and if you are still cold at night then wrap yourself in a blanket. Babies do need to warm and comfortable but that is what suits/blankets are for. Also as someone previously said make sure you have those curtains open during the day on sunny days and close them as soon as it starts cooling down outside.

    Insulation - I haven't seen this mentioned much but check your roof insulation, perhaps you don't have any or it is of a low rating. We installed new roof insulation at the start of the year and for a small outlay it has made a very noticeable difference and will save a lot of heating money over the long run.

    I hope I didn't sound too preachy but to be honest if my wife showed me your bill I would have had a heart attack on the spot. At least you seem to recognise it is quite dear and want to do something about it, goodluck with it and I hope you enjoy the time with your newborn.

    • Euphemistic on 02/09/2015 - 09:24

      When we had our first I remember doing washing and dryer loads in the middle of the night to keep up with I the washing. He was a chucked. After almost every feed up it would come. I remember one night in the wee hours when I nearly lost it. We had run out of clean clothes, except for one suit that had a smaller foot on it his big feet wouldn't fit into, everything was either soaking or in the machine or dryer. I nearly grabbed the scissors and cut the toes out of it on the spot, but was stopped and my wife just cuddled him to keep him warm for an hour or so waiting for the dryer.

  • Ravensbane on 01/09/2015 - 15:13

    Seems like a lot to me but for the wife, 15 month old daughter, a 5 week old. and me ours was only $450 total for gas and power. Used an oil fin heater quite a lot and only occasionally the air con.

    • tiara on 01/09/2015 - 15:44

      I would thought aircon is still cheaper to run than oil heater

      • Ravensbane on 01/09/2015 - 15:50

        Maybe but air con is one of those in the wall ones that is bloody noisy plus it is in the lounge room. Newborn is in our room so we had the oil heater on in there on a timer to keep the room warm.

  • HoneyComb on 01/09/2015 - 17:29
    +4

    what i learned from this topic.

    If I have a child,
    Make sure I time it so it's a spring baby

    • OzzyOzbourne on 01/09/2015 - 17:51
      -3

      what I've learned is that babies can't survive unless the air temp is kept at a constant 23.5C, 40% RH.

  • eatwell365 on 01/09/2015 - 17:52

    Winter is officially over today!

  • djones145 on 01/09/2015 - 21:03

    bikies, call them to help you

  • Crushader on 02/09/2015 - 11:38

    I have a 2 months billing period, we have a massive family (8 adults, 2 newborns and 1 toddler). Gas bill just came last month for $1.4k, and the 2 months earlier was $850

  • wortho on 02/09/2015 - 19:55

    The new Daikin air conditioners are very efficient in heating mode. 0.62kw input for a 3.6kw output.

    They even had to add an extra star to the ratings system…
    http://reg.energyrating.gov.au/comparator/product_types/64/s…

  • wortho on 02/09/2015 - 20:02

    I did some test with our current Gas heater (Flued Gas log fire) on a low setting.
    Usage was 0.7 Cu Meters in one hour.

    To get the MJ per hour.

    Cubic Meters x Heating value x Pressure factor

    0.7 x 38.15 x 0.98 = 26.1 MJ

    26.1 x 3.724 (cents per MJ) = 97 cents per hour.

    Found an old bill from 2001 the other day 1.1 c/MJ
    So gas has just got to expensive for heating it seems.

  • Kempe on 02/09/2015 - 22:03

    I have a small solar system and my leccy bills for the YEAR was $130 for 3 adults…..that is not a typo!!

    People must be really slack and leave TV and lights on, I also have bulbs with low usage

  • what on 02/09/2015 - 23:30

    Hi OP. After all the great ideas. Do you think that there may be some habits that you can change to save you some money?

  • onlyletters on 03/09/2015 - 08:28

    tip: dress for the weather not the season.

  • Anujk on 03/09/2015 - 10:38

    That's seems a little bit on the higher side. Also make sure you shop around for the best rates as it does makes a difference at the end of the day

  • [Deactivated] on 03/09/2015 - 12:58

    That's a lot of moneys. I just use natural gas and solar panels (I have many) to power my place.
    My electricity and gas bill for a quarter is around $150.

  • Costco97 on 03/09/2015 - 13:49

    Except for us having solar panels everything seems to what we have or do. Solar panels may not play much role in winter months in Melbourne anyway because sun is hardly out.

    We have 1 year old and 5 years old. Even when 1 year old was below 1 year (he is June born) we had similar figures.

    1. I got home office so we have computer on all the time and it is high spec machine with 3 monitors.
    2. Got family of 4 and mostly everyone is at home (24x7).
    3. Wife hates cold so expect heating to be turned on around 6+ months (24x7) and it is set to mostly around 19-20 degrees c0.
    4. All cooking on gas and we cook at least 2 times if not 3. That excludes preparing Indian tea in pan few times a day.
    5. Ducted heating for 4 br home.
    6. Plasma Tv turned on nearly for 12+ hours every day.
    7. 3-4 lots of cloths 3 times a week.
    8. Water heater on GAS
    9. House got insulation.

    Following was our bills if it helps:
    GAS : 558.54 before discount and 454.35 after discount (33780.87 MJ).
    Electricity : 333.00 before discount and 283.04 after discount (1042.420 kWh). (discount was from last bill that was applied to this bill)

    When out kids were below 1 year on when they were in their first 6 months we didn't change much of things around heating. We just had small sweaters what we will put on (not a lot though as we didn't want then to have rashes around neck and face from body heat). You really do not need extra heater if your house got ducted heating and it is set to around 19-20 degree Celsius.

  • a2swin on 03/09/2015 - 22:34

    I just received the electricity bill today and was shocked by over 1200 for 91 days of use. I live in a 2 beds apartment with my wife, never use air con, though we use dryer twice a week, and an oil heater with 12 hours on everyday. we don't have gas bill, hot water by solar. should i call them for a re read the meter?

  • a2swin on 03/09/2015 - 22:43

    I don't get where people wear 2,3 layers at night just to keep warm, I have to be naked or wear nothing to have a good sleep. you only have 6,7 hours of sleep, how do you feel comfy in a jumper and a heavy blanket ?

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