First published 8 January 2013. Updated 25 November 2013.
Although all 3-bed semis are different, I have been monitoring the energy consumption in my own central Oxford 3-bed semi for several years and can tell you exactly how much we use.
Our lifestyle
My household consists of two adults and a 6-year old. Even though there are only three of us our house is full of electricity consuming gadgets ? from large plasma TVs to iPads and smartphones that need charging, fridge, freezer, dishwater and washing machine etc.
How much electricity do we consume?
Our electricity consumption is 4,700 kWh per annum, with a base load level (always on) of approx. 200W, which will be the fridge and freezers etc. The TV consumes around 400W when its being watched.
Whilst we try to be good and switch off appliances that we?re not using and all our light bulbs are low energy bulbs we rarely manage to reduce our energy consumption below 12.9 kWh per day.
Our current electricity bill is £658p.a, but with the ?big six? energy companies all putting up their electricity tariffs, we could be adding around £60 to that bill next year.
How much would we save with Solar PV?
A 4kWp Solar PV system (16-panel system using quality European manufactured products) currently costs between £6,000 and £7,000 depending on ease of installation and products used.
It would generate around 3,936 kWh of electricity each year, which would produce a Feed-in Tariff income of £586 (14.9p x 3,936) each year. It is assumed that 50% of your electricity production is exported back to the grid and you are paid an additional 4.64p/kWh for the assumed export amount.
If we were then able to use 50% of the electricity we generated ourselves we would not need to purchase 1,968kWh worth of electricity – giving me an additional bill saving of £285 assuming we purchase electricity at 14.5p / kWh.
We can increase the amount of our own electricity we actually use, and thereby reduce further our need to purchase electricity from the grid, by installing an immersion boost, such as an Optimmersion or Solar Iboost, which sends any excess electricity generation to your immersion heater to generate hot water.
How electricity price increases will affect me
The “big six” energy companies have outlined price rises of between 6% and 10.8%.
Here?s a graph from the BBC news article that shows when, and how much, energy suppliers are putting up prices by:
Let?s say electricity prices rise each year by 8%. This is what my bill would look like over the next 5 years:
| Year | Price per Unit | Annual Electricity Bill |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 14.5p | £682 |
| 2014 | 15.66p | £736 |
| 2015 | 16.91p | £795 |
| 2016 | 18.26p | £858 |
| 2017 | 19.72p | £927 |
If I installed a 4kW Solar PV system and only buying about 3363kWh from my energy supplier each year, my savings and earnings would look like this (note – this doesn’t include the cost of the system):
| Savings on my electricity bill | Feed-in Tariff income (at 14.9p rises with inflation 4% assumed) | Export Tariff rises with inflation | Total yearly benefit |
|---|---|---|---|
| £285 | £586 | £91 | £963 |
| £308 | £610 | £95 | £1,013 |
| £333 | £634 | £99 | £1,066 |
| £359 | £660 | £103 | £1,122 |
| £388 | £686 | £107 | £1,181 |
The financial rewards for installing Solar PV actually cancel out my electricity bill and leave me in credit.
Book a consultation
Solar PV and other renewable energy systems are becoming more mainstream, and installation prices are coming down, while the quality and efficiency of systems is increasing. Now is the ideal time to talk to someone about future-proofing your family against huge price hikes by energy suppliers. The Government has locked in to great financial rewards for switching to renewable energy, and you can benefit from cheaper bills right away.
EnergyMyWay has regional offices all around the country, which means there?s always someone with local knowledge, who can come out to see you straight away.
Book a consultation and free survey with one of our directors ? there?s no hard sell, ever. We just provide independent, practical advice about what?s achievable in your home, what it will cost, and what returns you can expect. We?re MCS-accredited, and 99% of our customers recommend us.
