Cheap microwave

PostCheap microwave by **Dig Dug** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 12:10 am

So my housemates are basically freaking out because the electric/gas bill is 5 times higher this month than it was last month.
Where can I get a super cheap microwave so they will shut the strawberry float up about how the cooker is using up too much energy.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Igor** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 3:42 am

Explain to them that eating, cooking, and living costs money, and that if they do want to eat, they'll have to pay for the privilege.

Also, your housemates sound like banana splits. Sorry I can't be more helpful.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Dual** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 7:44 am

Your cooker will not be the reason your gas bill is high. Turn the heating down/off, make sure the boiler isn't coming on at the wrong time.

Wilkinsons or Argos for a cheap microwave.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Errkal** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 7:47 am

Yeah the cooker shouldn't use that much unless it is either on all the time or you have an arga, I would also suspect heating as the culprit as that can eat through gas very fast if set too high or times wrong.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Dig Dug** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:20 am

The cooker is electric fan but switched off when not in used.
Heating is currently set like this, 1 hour in the morning (7-8), one hour in the evening (7-8).
We honestly can't figure out why the increase, it can't be the dehumidifier because I've been using that far less, it can't be my PC because it broke. I remember one of them saying something about the heating going on when people shower but I'm pretty sure that was fixed (we only started putting the heating on last week anyway).Cooker I'm using at most for 30 minutes a day, most of the stuff I cook takes 20 minutes max though, the other two live on pot noodles so they're constantly using the kettle.
We have a washing machine but I'm the only one who has been using it.

I'll bring up the boiler but I'm pretty sure it only turns on when hot water is being used. It couldn't possibly be the 35 hours I've spent on my wii u this past week could it? Hopefully they just miscounted the final sum.

PostCheap microwave by **mrspax** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:40 am

How do you pay? Monthly direct debit? If so, the only reason for a sudden spike would be that you provided a new meter reading and the supplier rejigged your expected usage. Often they over hike the amount, but it probably would suggest that your previous estimated usage was far too low.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Errkal** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:41 am

Someone isn't secretly bitcoin mining or something ?

If you have a hot water tank rather than a combi boiler check if there is an immersion heater and if it is on, I had that happen and cost a shitting fortune.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Dig Dug** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 1:20 pm

So I had a chat with the guy who is in charge of the bills out of the three of us. He doesn't think the bill is because of me because as I've been spending a lot of time outside the house working at the university. He thinks it is the third lad who has caused the price hike. Basically two of us spend a lot of time out doing uni work, the third guy is re-taking a year for the third time, he has never gone to any of his classes (he is only required to go to one lecture a week) and he pretty much never leaves the house (if anything he is only here because he has family troubles back home).

As for the microwave they want me to buy them a second hand one off ebay for £25 posted. I'm not positive that is the best solution so I'll go and look around later. If the microwave doesn't cut the bill then all we can say is we have cut every corner possible short of having the gas off permanently (which is a strawberry floating no no).

EDIT: Errkal I don't think it is the boiler, the gas use is actually really low, it is the electric that has shot up.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Errkal** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 1:32 pm

I meant electric, what I meant is that if you have a normal boiler not a combi boiler it will heat water and put it in a tank, the tank may have an immersion heater which will be electric and if on could eat a lot of power.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Jay Adama** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 6:30 pm

[iup=3611702]Errkal[/iup] wrote:Yeah the cooker shouldn't use that much unless it is either on all the time or you have an arga, I would also suspect heating as the culprit as that can eat through gas very fast if set too high or times wrong.

Arga as in the drink arga?

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **lootthebodies** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 7:19 pm

A second hand microwave? strawberry floating hell students get more pikey by the year.

PostCheap microwave by **mrspax** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 7:45 pm

Dig Dug wrote:So I had a chat with the guy who is in charge of the bills out of the three of us. He doesn't think the bill is because of me because as I've been spending a lot of time outside the house working at the university. He thinks it is the third lad who has caused the price hike. Basically two of us spend a lot of time out doing uni work, the third guy is re-taking a year for the third time, he has never gone to any of his classes (he is only required to go to one lecture a week) and he pretty much never leaves the house (if anything he is only here because he has family troubles back home).

As for the microwave they want me to buy them a second hand one off ebay for £25 posted. I'm not positive that is the best solution so I'll go and look around later. If the microwave doesn't cut the bill then all we can say is we have cut every corner possible short of having the gas off permanently (which is a strawberry floating no no).

EDIT: Errkal I don't think it is the boiler, the gas use is actually really low, it is the electric that has shot up.

Are you on a prepay meter? If not there is no way a 'spike' would occur in your bill unless you were massively underpaying in the first place.

Don't hang your flat mate if you are not on a pre pay and if you recently gave a reading. You'd be doing so without understanding the real reasons for your situation.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **mrspax** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 7:48 pm

Ps microwaves arent the most energy efficient way of cooking. Forget it as a 'solution' to your energy needs.

You should consider an energy switch. Martin Lewis' website (moneysavingexpert) is a fantastic place to explain how easy it is

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Dig Dug** » Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:40 pm

[iup=3612277]mrspax[/iup] wrote:Are you on a prepay meter? If not there is no way a 'spike' would occur in your bill unless you were massively underpaying in the first place.

Don't hang your flat mate if you are not on a pre pay and if you recently gave a reading. You'd be doing so without understanding the real reasons for your situation.

We won't be "hanging" anyone, the two lads I live with are good friends, I was the odd one out. We are not on pre-pay. When we first moved in we got a big bill based off estimated use (like really big), we quickly sorted it out with eon so that we would only ever pay what is actually on the meter. The isn't any mistakes in the meter reading, we are still trying to figure out what caused the price hike though.
It might be the boiler but if it was it wouldn't explain why the cost is so high this month when it was just fine the month before and the times before that when we had to pay the bill for the summer half rent weeks.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **mrspax** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 7:12 am

Dig Dug wrote:we quickly sorted it out with eon so that we would only ever pay what is actually on the meter. The isn't any mistakes in the meter reading

Are you in direct debit? Sorry to say it but if that's what Eon told you, you have been fobbed off. That's not the way it works. All regular payment schemes are based on estimates. Looks very much like you have swung backwards and forwards in forecasted amounts. Just giving a reading does not alleviate this effect - in fact it often makes it worse - as their prediction algorithms are very volatile and subject to big swings from the slightest input change.

As you say you are 'only paying what you use' I suspect you are providing regular readings. On a direct debit this will result in the swings you are seeing.

Have you actually looked at the bill breakdown and compared a relative period? You might be able to see whether it is gas on leccy that is 'spiking' but, I would bet big money this isn't your problem. Whether you hang your housemate or not, you shouldn't blame him either.

I know this is annoying. It's a foible of the irritating billing system of the industry (in which I work).

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Dig Dug** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 9:23 am

We already did the checks, it was electric, gas only made up £10 of the actual bill this month.
As for swings we tend to get money off the next months payment, from what the room mate told me we only have to pay £48 this month because we were over charged last month so the £12 is coming off the bill or some gooseberry fool like that.

It isn't like we are just giving eon readings and letting them bill us, the guy I live with seems to know what he is doing. He always calculates how much it is going to cost before he contacts eon, his prediction was spot on this month.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **rinks** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 1:07 pm

As others have said, I'm not sure a microwave will solve your problem, but you definitely shouldn't buy a second-hand one.

Argos have decent ones for £60 (and you currently get a £5 gift card back for spending over £50). £10 more for one with a grill built in. They also have a budget one for £35.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **mrspax** » Wed Nov 12, 2014 11:25 pm

Dig Dug wrote:We already did the checks, it was electric, gas only made up £10 of the actual bill this month.
As for swings we tend to get money off the next months payment, from what the room mate told me we only have to pay £48 this month because we were over charged last month so the £12 is coming off the bill or some gooseberry fool like that.

It isn't like we are just giving eon readings and letting them bill us, the guy I live with seems to know what he is doing. He always calculates how much it is going to cost before he contacts eon, his prediction was spot on this month.

Dude.. Are you avoiding the question?!? Do you pay direct debit? If so.. That is your problem.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Dig Dug** » Thu Nov 13, 2014 1:47 am

I don't think it is set up for automatic direct debit. If I remember correctly the guy I live with pays the costs manually at the bank because he doesn't want to have money taken from his account before me and the other lad have paid our share of the bill to him.

PostRe: Cheap microwave by **Green Gecko** » Fri Nov 14, 2014 1:35 pm

Generally direct debit is cheaper overall but you may pay more or less each month depending on actual usage Vs billed usage, resulting in credits or debits on your energy account. Regardless, the manner in which you are billed isn't the same as the method of payment. Sometimes tariffs are cheaper if you choose to pay by direct debit but yes you mate will be on monthly bills by the sounds of it because he doesn't want automatic debits.

It sounds like the algorithms have kicked in to collect more from you coming into the winter months, energy companies do this to cover your costs *before* you actually use the predicted amount of energy. Unfortunately, in most cases you have to live with this. But this means if more is collected from you than you use this will accrue as credit on your account and you will pay less in the following months. So be extremely careful with your energy usage over winter especially with the heating and hot showers etc.

Cooking on a stove can actually be more energy efficient than a microwave, it depends, also a kettle's heating element uses quite a lot of electricity similar to a hair dryer.
How much are you actually being charged? If it's £60, frankly that's sod all for a shared household, that sounds like you are doing very well. As someone else said, it costs money to live and as students you need to deal with it.

My partner and I pay around 40 to 50 quid a month and that's just 2 people sharing all things. We studied together so we've been around the block a few times.

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