You may know how much energy your household uses each year, and at what cost. But have you any idea how that compares to other, similar homes?
Knowledge is power, and in this case, a power-saving: a US business called OPower (now owned by Oracle) found households could cut their energy bill by 3% - just by seeing how their consumption compared with their neighbours.
Wasted energy makes up 30% of the average energy bill - do something about it! Get more from your smart meter with Loop.
This saving is based on the idea that knowing what peers are doing can lead to behavioural change. Another example is the messaging used in hotel rooms to encourage guests to reuse towels; psychologists have shown that if guests were informed others had reused towels, then they were far more likely to do so themselves.
So, if you know your home energy consumption, compare it with people in households like yours in the table below and start saving!
| Property Type | Number of Bedrooms | Number of Occupants | Average Annual Gas Consumption (kWh) | Average Annual Electricity Consumption (kWh) | Average Annual Bill | Potential Annual Savings from Reducing Consumption by 3% |
|
Flat
|
1 | 1 | 3770 | 1961 | £864.83 | £19.35 |
| 1 | 2 | 5983 | 2397 | £1,083.59 | £25.92 | |
| 2 | 1 | 5485 | 2227 | £1,018.29 | £23.96 | |
| 2 | 2 | 6226 | 2897 | £1,208.71 | £29.67 | |
|
House
|
1 | 1 | 7230 | 3036 | £1,294.81 | £32.25 |
| 2 | 1 | 6867 | 2270 | £1,103.64 | £26.52 | |
| 2 | 2 | 8202 | 3051 | £1,351.43 | £33.95 | |
| 2 | 3 | 9335 | 3977 | £1,620.57 | £42.02 | |
| 2 | 4 | 8692 | 3737 | £1,531.67 | £39.36 | |
| 3 | 1 | 7522 | 2331 | £1,153.17 | £28.00 | |
| 3 | 2 | 10267 | 3595 | £1,586.23 | £40.99 | |
| 3 | 3 | 10891 | 4268 | £1,770.90 | £46.53 | |
| 3 | 4 | 10910 | 4663 | £1,860.27 | £49.22 | |
| 3 | 5 | 10780 | 5535 | £2,048.12 | £54.85 | |
| 4 | 1 | 10187 | 3058 | £1,461.77 | £37.26 | |
| 4 | 2 | 12884 | 4288 | £1,884.59 | £49.95 | |
| 4 | 3 | 13747 | 4966 | £2,083.49 | £55.91 | |
| 4 | 4 | 13635 | 5419 | £2,178.64 | £58.77 | |
| 4 | 5 | 14854 | 6887 | £2,573.68 | £70.62 | |
| 5 | 2 | 19117 | 5433 | £2,482.18 | £67.87 | |
| 5 | 3 | 19282 | 6058 | £2,630.97 | £72.34 | |
| 5 | 4 | 19869 | 6817 | £2,832.85 | £78.39 | |
| 5 | 5 | 19188 | 7432 | £2,933.05 | £81.40 |
Table data used with permission from Loop users and converted to annual costs based on the following prices: gas standing charge 31.41 p/day and unit cost 5.48 p/kWh; electricity standing charge 60.12 p/day and unit cost 22.36 p/kWh. All figures are for households with electricity and gas supplies.
This guide should help indicate neighbours’ energy prices, but the best thing to do to ensure you aren’t over-paying is to speak to your neighbours yourself. Our research revealed that 90% of people don't know how their energy bill compares to their neighbours, but 51% would find this information useful.
Having these conversations can encourage us to share cost-saving tips and be more aware of our use, especially if we know how much a neighbour in the same property and family size is spending.
Once you're armed with this information, using a free energy-saving app like Loop can keep you on track with your usage. Don't just keep up with your neighbours, beat them!
About The Author
Steve Buckley is in charge of product direction at Loop and has been with Loop since it was founded. He has a background in statistics and data science and has worked at multiple successful startups.
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Loop is a FREE energy-saving app that links to your smart meter, analyses your energy use and shows you easy ways to save. On average, Loop users cut their energy use by 15%! How much could you save?