Electricity Usage

Our electricity usage continues to decline, although it's starting to show a slowing down of late (click to enlarge).

Since 2017 we've used 15,000 kWh for most of the time, climbing to 17,800 kWh during the winter of 2020/21, when I had both my sons home and living in caravans in the garden, heating Old Sodbury in the process. However, since they left home, our annualised usage has continued to to decline to the extent we're now using only 9,500 kWh, saving at least 1/3rd of annual cost. 

Our average solar feed in brings us around £1.300 a year, against an annualised electricity cost, at the current tariff, of £2,130 (declining). That cost is due to increase dramatically from April 1st by about 50%.

We could reduce it further by closing the AirBnB which, being at the end of the underfloor heating circuit, consumes a lot of heat to get it up to 21 degrees - our preferred indoor temperature. However, it brings in more than we spend on heating it, and we won't be heating it for much longer.

Given the house is, with the exception of the AirBnB, open plan, using our wood burning stove, which is far in excess of kWh needs, would reduce the current electricity usage even further. Both upstairs and downstairs can be adequately heated with the 12kW stove, and logs aren't going up in price anywhere near as much as electricity. Nor is anthracite, which we could also burn in the stove, and is longer lasting than logs.

I fear the garage and workshop I'm currently building many be given over to a log store, if it's finished this year.