Gas and electricity charges

Maggiemaybe
I should have added that it depends on the area in which you live.
Not all areas have access to the same providers and, as I live in the wider Guildford area of Surrey, my choice reflects the cheapest provider in my area.

I'm with Ovo. They too put up my monthly debit but as they pay a good interest I am quite happy as they pay interest on the excess. So easy to do on the computer too.
Would recommend them.

Oh no GabrielleG I didn't know that! I though as all the Dragons wanted to help them it was a good idea.

My builders somehow signed me up to Ecotricity for my new build granny annexe - I would not recommend them. They sent me 33 reminders for an imaginary amount before I moved in and now after ten days living here they say I owe them £186 - the builders did not run the central heating, just tested it. To add insult to injury they are also a Labour Party donor ?
Once they come up with a reasonable amount to pay I will switch to one of these companies I have never heard of which are recommended here. In my 'real' flat down South I have never changed from British Gas and whatever name my electricity is currently using after 26 years with them ?

Hmm, I do like the sound of interest being paid on excess balances. I don’t think our provider does that.

Challenge the the raised fee. We did and won. The government has said that utility companies cannot allow customers on monthly charges - which are supposed to even out the annual bills - cannot allow those customers to run up large deficits even though the high winter bills will be compensated for by lower summer charges. You really couldn’t make it up!

The best thing I did to reduce heating bills was to buy a lovely faux fur throw from Amazon (£22), make myself a hot water bottle to lean against, and sit on the sofa wrapped in the throw. I stay toasty warm, the cat joins me, and I either don't put the heating on at all until it gets really cold, or keep it on low, eg. 18 or 19 deg.

I think it is Martin Lewis who says "Heat the person, not the house."

18.5 degrees is the normal setting on our CH. We find that is a very comfortable temperature and would not want it any higher.

Lilly, I read that and thought that it is time more government ministers started dealing with household bills.

However there is a simple solution. Change your supplier around the beginning of May so that your heating year starts then, and build up the surpluses over the summer to cover the higher winter bills.

I have just switched to Octopus - through M&S, I was with SSE ( through M&S) and they have recently severed their connection with SSE, and now offer Octopus. It's a fairly new fuel supplier, about 3 years old I believe, but has good reviews from Moneysavingexpert, so time will tell. My DD has halved, but whether it's enough to cover my usage only time will tell.
As a bonus, M&S have given me a £50 voucher for remaining with them, so win-win!

It’s meaningless to quote what we all pay as our houses and usage are so different. I envy those in modern super-insulated homes who wear shorts and tee shirts all year round but my house has loads of character along with the draughts.
I like that Bulb has one tariff for all and that they are not fitting smart meters yet (because the current ones won’t work if you switch suppliers) yes, their charges are rising fast with rising wholesale prices but there’s no point switching now because all the others will also raise their charges.