How to predict bills? (cottage in Cornwall)

[Running Chrissy]

Hello all

We are doing our sums ahead of making an offer on a 3-bed cottage in south Cornwall. We have got some estimates of income from agencies - having discussed what we would do to renovate the property.

How can I estimate what the utility costs will be? I have looked on compare the market and they say £835 for a year's electricity but if we only let it for 23 weeks, most of which are in the summer then it should be less than this...

Also water bills...

Thanks!

[Cymraes]

Is the heating electric? That will make huge difference.

What appliances are you offering - tumble driers for example use quite a bit.

Excluding heating, my small 3 bed cottage in the mountains of North Wales with virtually every appliance you can think of costs me about £380 a year and is in use 35-40 weeks a year.

[Running Chrissy]

Thanks Cymraes, I like the sound of £345 much more than £835!
Yes it's all electric and we would have tumble drier, washer and DW. We have found the LED bulbs have cut our bills a lot at home so would invest in those too.

It currently has old electric rads but we would put in new panel heaters. No double glazing tho (but nice period sashes)

[Giraffe]

Hello Cornwall addict - welcome to LMH. I have a large granite built holiday house on The Lizard, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 cloakrooms, 2 lounges and a large kitchen/breakfast room. I'm all electric, night storage heaters for heating plus immersion heaters for hot water. Bedrooms have wall mounted, timed electric heaters. No tumble drier. The lounges have open fires for coal/wood. House is used for around 25 weeks per year, including some in winter months.

Cornwall is damp in the autumn/winter/ spring so I leave the storage heaters on during these months (low when unoccupied). There's nothing worse for a visitor than the smell of dampness on arrival plus your linen/furnishings getting damp over the winter. Annual cost for electricity is around £1800 with EDF. I expect I could get this cost down a bit as 3 windows are still single glazed, and one of the lofts needs insulating

I'm not on a water meter so sorry I can't help with those costs.

[zebedee]

It is quite acceptable to have a payment meter for a tumble dryer (but not anything else). When we first started out we did not have one and our electricity costs were quite high.
We sourced one over the Internet and when we "confessed" to the Visit England inspector at our next inspection he laughed and said he would have recommended that we use one!

Our electric bills went down considerably and from time to time we have a nice little windfall in the meter payment tray. We don't make a profit out of it though, just charge enough to cover the electricity.

(We also have a washing line and provide free all logs for the log burner and guest control of the central heating so we aren't skimping!)

When you renovate the property, get the best double or even triple glazing you can - we have ergon gas filled double glazing and it makes a real difference in our 1750's stone cottage.

Masses of loft insulation etc and definateley LED bulbs. Encourage guests and cleaners not to leave the TVs on standby.
New white goods etc can now all be increasingly more energy efficient if you invest wisely.
All the above measures that I am sure you have at home work well and then finally your bill will become a tax deductible expense that you can claim.
Our cottage is smaller than yours, but OH is very keen on energy savings (obsessive, almost). The cottage electric bill is less than £350 per year, and we do have a dishwasher, large fridge freezer, washing machine and one oven is electric, but then we have the cost of oil for central heating and logs.

[newtimber]

Your insurers may insist that the heating is kept on in the winter months to a minimum temperature of 15 degrees (?) and you inspect it at least every week when it is unoccupied.
Alternatively, you drain the water - but that can be a real pain and may involve a plumber if you're not a competent DIY person.

[Running Chrissy]

Thank you that is all V useful info. Yes I think we would want to keep some warmth going through the place to avoid damp. The area is mild and unlikely to get frost but it's definitely not dry!

Was wondering about one of those smartphone controllable systems.

[Jenster]

Cornwall is damp in the autumn/winter/ spring so I leave the storage heaters on during these months (low when unoccupied). There's nothing worse for a visitor than the smell of dampness on arrival plus your linen/furnishings getting damp over the winter.

We are also in Cornwall and have the same problem. When we bought our place we invested in a positive ventilation system for the loft. Basically it increases air flow through the building by constantly blowing air in at a very low rate through a vent in the ceiling, increasing the air pressure in the building and thereby forcing damp air out. We have one at home too and it works very well to prevent condensation and damp, and is very cheap to run. Ours heats the air when it gets below about 5 degrees I think, but because its such low flow it doesn't affect the temp in the flat too much. They cost about £300 to buy and you can install it yourself, although we did get an electrician to wire it in for safety reasons.

I would be interested in what type of electric heater you go for - we are also looking at installing something similar this winter.

[Running Chrissy]

That's interesting, hadn't thought of one of those, thanks.

[akwe-xavante]

Does this help.

I read the meters on every changeover day and I have spreadsheets that do the maths. Initially I thought I had a water leak so I started reading the water meter to find out especially when empty. I did have a leak and I sorted it but I've continued to read all meters out of interest and to highlight any unusual spikes or problems in the future.

Year 2016, week 19 to week 43
136 nights
29 adults
6 children
1 infant
11 dogs

Water units used 23.03 £123.0
Gas units used 39.0 £37.50
Electricity units used 406 £71.60

[Running Chrissy]

Wow thank you, that is super helpful!

[rosebud]

My bills have been creeping up recently....

Now £99 a month for gas, electricity and broadband
£28 a month for water.

My cottage was built in 1860 and has 2 bedrooms. I have a washing machine, tumble drier (which my housekeeper uses) and a dishwasher ... and lots of radiators - it is very warm!

The cottage is let for about 40 weeks..

My outgoings in general are often suprisingly high...

[Running Chrissy]

Thank you Rosebud, that's useful to know. Gosh 40 weeks, congratulations! Not sure we can ever hope for that many as it's so far for most folks. Fingers crossed tho!