Do give it a rest!

[Suff]

It is almost like they calculate electric heating/cooling all year round. Crazy. As you say my home is huge, at least 500m2 of rooms which must be run. I run a bunch of computer equipment, my pool is running 2 hours a day. Currently we have 3 fridges running and 3 freezers, two of which are chest freezers. We also have a water boiler in the kitchen. This runs away with about €40 a month and I have it on a timer. Hot water is also electric and for the two of us I have it down to 1h per day which normally suffices. I ramp that up to 2/4 hours per day depending on how many are in the home.

My costs won't reach this. OK French electric is cheaper than the UK and I don't use gas, but, honestly, I'm in the Upper range for energy usage. I normally only use fans in my office but this year I've a small portable aircon unit in the room. I expect that will bump the cost a bit.

Where this £5k a year is coming from I don't know. Apart from, political attempts to motivate the government to provide funding to had off future pain.

[Kaz]

We have 137m2 and I honestly can't see our bills getting anywhere near the predicted amount!

[Suff]

Just found this Mirror article on 5 guzzling appliances.

1. Air conditioning and heating
The experts said: “Your HVAC system is the biggest consumer of energy in your home.

“Most HVAC systems run 24 hours a day; therefore, depending on the efficiency of your unit, on average, it may use 72kWh in a day, costing you a staggering £4,967.65 a year and £13.61 every day.

Guess where their figures about "average" energy costs. The worst possible case. Presented as "average".

[Workingman]

But, hang on. Don't we all have HVAC, a pool, a wine cellar?

My (very average m³) first floor flat would be unbearable without such things, especially the pool. God forbid the wine getting warm.

I need a handout or I will perish. Help!

[Suff]

Yeah it was a bit weird to see that matching their shrieking claims of "average" energy bills. The Mirror is supposed to be for the working punter.

[Workingman]

These 'averages' and 'typicals' are not real world figures: they are at the extreme end. See my earlier post from the English Housing Survey 2010 about house sizes.

Most of us live in modest housing and would need the heating on 24 hrs per day, all year, to come anywhere near the costs quoted by the think tanks and media.

We are being played.

[cromwell]

I'm convinced they want us all to be scared, 24/7.
Because scared people are easier to manipulate.