Paying for Electricity

Electricity is not free! You can have as much electricity as you want as long as your parents keep paying the bill.

So how much does electricity cost and how does the electricity company know how much electricity you have used?

Somewhere in your house there is an electricity meter. This has a display on it saying how many "units" you have used. A unit is simply a kilowatt hour. One kilowatt hour usually costs about 9p. Every few months somebody will come round your house to read the meter. A few days later an electricity bill will come through the door.

Example
How much does it cost to use a 2kW electric fire for 20 hours?

No. of units (kWh) = 2 x 20 = 40 units.        Cost = 40 x 9p = £3.60p

Notes:

People usually use a lot more electricity in winter than in summer for obvious reasons. The electricity company will "average out" your bills over the year so you're not paying a lot more in winter.

It is very difficult to turn off a power station. Because of this they will produce lots of electricity at night when nobody needs it. Some companies will sell electricity cheaper at night.