Small Workshop - Electricity Costs
FASTdan - 19/8/15 at 11:30 AM
I'm guessing there will be a few people on here that this will apply to. Just curious as to what the electricity bill per annum is for a small
engineering workshop - really just after ballpark figures.
Reason I ask is that our utilities are currently paid to the landlord (this was agreed at the time etc) but I am now starting to suspect that we are
massively overpaying (naivety on my part!).
I know there are a lot of variables, but I'm just after typical examples:
approx size of workshop
equipment running
lighting
electricity cost per annum? (including heating?)
To give you an idea, we occupy a tiny area in a larger unit. We TIG weld, grind, linish, saw, drill and ultrasonic clean. We use 1 x 3kw electric
heater in the winter running at about 70%. We are now paying £1440 per annum for electric! I have begun monitoring the meter (albeit summer so no
heating) and have deduced that we are using about 20 units per day! NOTE, we only work 3 days a week in the workshop.
But before I bring this up with the landlord I'm just looking for a bit more validation.
coyoteboy - 19/8/15 at 11:44 AM
What's a unit? Normally they're KWh? Normally in the order of 12-15p per KWh. Easy to know how much you should be being charged based on
knowing your KWh usage.
ianm67 - 19/8/15 at 11:48 AM
quote:
Originally posted by FASTdan
I'm guessing there will be a few people on here that this will apply to. Just curious as to what the electricity bill per annum is for a small
engineering workshop - really just after ballpark figures.
Reason I ask is that our utilities are currently paid to the landlord (this was agreed at the time etc) but I am now starting to suspect that we are
massively overpaying (naivety on my part!).
I know there are a lot of variables, but I'm just after typical examples:
approx size of workshop
equipment running
lighting
electricity cost per annum? (including heating?)
To give you an idea, we occupy a tiny area in a larger unit. We TIG weld, grind, linish, saw, drill and ultrasonic clean. We use 1 x 3kw electric
heater in the winter running at about 70%. We are now paying £1440 per annum for electric! I have begun monitoring the meter (albeit summer so no
heating) and have deduced that we are using about 20 units per day! NOTE, we only work 3 days a week in the workshop.
But before I bring this up with the landlord I'm just looking for a bit more validation.
Hello Dan,
On the basis of you working 3 days a week for 48 weeks of the year (a rough guess on my part), you are paying £10 for each day you are in the
workshop. Without knowing the kw/hr energy costs it's difficult to say but at 12p per kw/hr your heater would only cost about £2 if you ran it at
70% for 8 hours...... Grinding and welding will be power hungry but in very small bursts so maybe another £3 worth.....
HTH,
IanM
Talon Motorsport - 19/8/15 at 11:49 AM
I and by that it's only me using any thing at one time maybe work any where between 24 and 48 hours a week to put some context in to the
following. Workshop has 3 phase and is running a mill, lathe, coldsaw, compressor which is used the most by far for grit blasting and the odd bit of
painting. I have 16 strip lights on all the time, the usual single phase power tools angle grinder, pillar drill, 200amp MIG, 200amp TIG, kettle.
I'm on a meter when I'm busy I use around £40 a month so £480 a year but then I'm not paying for any water and I don't heat the
shop because it does not retain heat, at all.
coyoteboy - 19/8/15 at 11:58 AM
Talon's is much more in line with what I'd expect, but it's hard to tell unless you know your exact power use figures - but
they're easy to get!
daniel mason - 19/8/15 at 12:22 PM
As far as I'm aware it's illegal for any landlord to profit from utility bills!
BenB - 19/8/15 at 01:31 PM
Sure is
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/74486/11782-resaleupdateoct05.pdf
Trouble is a lot of landlords will get arsey if you flag it up and put up the rent or chuck you out.
But officially they're acting illegally unless they're on the world's worst tariff. But basically Ofgem stipulate the maximum amount
they can charge you is the amount they pay for it. Even if they fit an additional meter etc they can't put that cost onto you.
I'd ask to see a copy of the bill. Of course you don't know that that meter only supplies your workshop.... 
garyo - 19/8/15 at 01:40 PM
Tell them your accountant has asked to see the bill, or some kind of audit trail...
slingshot2000 - 19/8/15 at 06:10 PM
As far as I understood it, a landlord was allowed to over-charge by a maximum of 10%; to cover costs of extra meters and time involved in calculating.
Coin meters were always set to charge this, even on snooker table timers.
I'd like to know what the total usage / cost is for the whole building.