I can't see this being right at all though. My household uses closer to 8000 KWHs a year and I have energy efficient appliances and lights etc. On top of this we are very aware and always switching things off as well.

I believe the 3000 KWHs figure are based DTI figures that are probably about thirty years old. I am not sure if the DTI have updated their estimate. If they haven't they need to!

If you left one 40watt light bulb on day and night for a year it alone would use over 350KWHs.

Modern life with all the technology must use vastly more electricity than 3000 KWHs. Some modern computers have 4-500watt power supplies and many are left on all day. This would equal 4380 KWHs on its own.

The danger of this unrealistic figure is that this misleads people into believing that some small scale renewable projects will provide more of their energy than they actually will. Because the manufactures of the technologies will be happy to use the 3000 KWHs as an average figure in their sales blurbs. I don’t want to put people off buying renewables (I want every one to) but people must be aware how much energy they actually use. I have seen systems especially PV that will produce only a 1000KWHs being sold as reducing you energy bills by a third.

How much electricity does your household use?

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Stuart