Your energy bills

I live in a 1990s 3 bed detached - on a fixed rate with Octopus until March - pay £78 per month & still £116 in credit. We have a dishwasher on Eco (use once a day) gas hob, electric oven, use our airfryer a lot it roasts as well and good for the 2 of us. Use a dryer (if raining) gas central heating (new boiler/radiators /& thermo valves fitted this September. Don't use the conservatory at this time of year, too cold in winter and takes a lot of heating.
Unsure what we will be paying from March but I guess it will be
alot more

I really wish my heating was on! Now nearly 6 weeks since my boiler died and still waiting on a new one. Only sources of heat are the woodburner in a very large open plan upstairs room (over 10 metres long with a further 4 metres of double height glass - brrrr!) and a plug in oil filled heater which warms the shower room up before I perform my daily wash involving standing in an old baby bath inside the shower cubicle and pouring jugs of warm water over me! It is No fun. My arthritis is playing up and my sense of humour is rapidly deserting me. I long for the day I can have a proper hot shower or bath and the temperature indoors rises to double figures. Roll on summer when this house is lovely and warm.

We live in a 2 bedroom semi detached housing association bungalow. We rely on electricity for heating, water etc. We have a storage heater on in the lounge, and otherwise no heating. We don't use the hot water system but boil kettles. We pay a direct debit of £89 per month, but our weekly spend is closer to £40 per week. We can't cut it any more.

We have been fortunate to receive a Warm Home Grant (£140 ), we were awarded £49 by our council but unfortunately we don't have mobiles so can't actually access it. There are some other grants available, but we can't apply until we find ourselves in debt, and we are trying to reduce that risk.

3 bedroom modernish , insulated house here, and our bills are paid by DD of £120 per month ….I know it’s too much and am in credit but rather have excess to play with than be cold. My husband is housebound and immobile and always cold…. I’m active and in and out all day and the house always feels hot to me… our thermostat says 20-21 so I’ve no complaints really. We have separate bedrooms and always keep my radiator turned off as can’t bear the heat at night. I would rather cut down in food rather than heat my house …. thankfully for us it’s not necessary. But I realise some people are going to have to choose.

Greciangirl Have a look at Octopus.

Last month we had a letter reducing our direct debit....I'm guessing it will be back up again soon!!

Our dual fuel bill for a farily large house has been £92 a month for a long time; the new rate is £145 (ouch) or we could have a fixed rate for £245 a month - that seemed like madness, unless of course the charges become so hysterically high that we end up having to burn the furniture to keep warm. I did attempt to see what British Gas might be offering as we were with them some time ago, but they are not taking new customers. Evidently they are having to take on those whose energy companies have collapsed.

I live in a three bed semidetached house. Late Victorian. Insulated,
Gas central heating.

At present paying £68 per month, which will be going up to £136 per month on a three year fixed tariff This month.

Not happy, but trying to shop around now seems to be pointless.

Pepper59
I believe a slow cooker is 25p for 8 hours.

2507C0

What is Martin Lewis’ rationale on not fixing? Is he predicting that things might get better later in the year.

The general consensus is that all bills will go up in April

I live in 2 bed bungalow. Don't pay British gas monthly, just tell them the gas/electric figures and wait for their bill. I use a heated throw (lovely) during day and turn heating on 5pm. British Gas have made an appointment for them to come to install smart meters and will charge £30 if I'm out! What a cheek! Had to mess about contacting them to say I do not want smart meters (took 2 hours to contact them as they're working from home!

2507C0

What is Martin Lewis’ rationale on not fixing? Is he predicting that things might get better later in the year.

He said that nobody knows what the future prices will be, so any company offering a fixed tariff is going to go quite high to make sure they don't get caught out

What is Martin Lewis’ rationale on not fixing? Is he predicting that things might get better later in the year.

That sounds awful! It’s like going back to the 40’s.

I was on a fixed price with Utility and had just managed to get my direct debit down to 51 pounds a month until this October. Feeling over joyed and pleased with myself on reducing my bill, They were the first to close down the very next day.

Do you ever put your washing machine on a cold wash for clothes etc?

Gosh it sounds like you are paying more than people who live in older properties that are not so well insulated? Could this be because rates for energy are different in different areas? Though I never know why, it seems strange.

I am sitting here with my jaw on my chest! Can’t quite take in that you were declined solar panels because they would be on the front of the house. Was this when they first came onto the market? Do you think things would be different now?

Twenty percent increase eon

Wow that sounds very reasonable compared to some people I have heard about so it might be worth sticking where you are for now. I keep hearing microwaves are cheaper to cook with than ovens because they only heat up the food and now the air around it or the plate. I think so many people have already cut back energy use in an attempt to do their best for the planet for generations to come and to keep on top of their bills, you do wonder how you can safely cut back any further. It’s not pleasant or safe to be fumbling around in the dark is it?

Some very useful advice in this thread! We don't use a tumble dryer and run dishwasher only when full thus twice a week. We use a woodstove as well as gas CH. Our house is midterraced 5 bed and stone walls. Survey for air source heat pump said £15k but also recommended about £10k for insulation! Not viable and a lot of hassle. On a good fix till Oct 2022. Government needs to do a lot more!

At the moment, I am still using my tumble drier, although considerably less than I used to. Somebody mentioned the wool balls which you put in with the damp washing, and they they reduce the drying time? I was looking at them online, any feedback from users? The plastic things are useless, and very noisy, but I am interested in pure wool ones

win. No, you're not alone. It must be terrible to feel that you have no choice but to live in a cold house, but some people seem to do it when they could afford to keep warm. I think that all the dire predictions of rocketing bills have frightened them to death.
I try to help myself by wearing layers, and putting a rug over my knees, but I would never risk my health by letting my house get too cold.

Our combined gas and electric is £200 a month. (4 bed detached) No heating on upstairs but as we both work from home we have heating downstairs. We’ve been told it will be £310 from April, so will need to economise somewhere. The increase is scary for many young families

I cannot believe that anyone can live with the heating on a couple of hour twice a day between 16 - 18. I have my heating on 24/7 summer and winter, summer at 21 winter at 23 and I am still cold. I have a thyroid deficiency & Raynaud's so suffer the cold terribly, but still, it sounds pretty inhuman to me. I would rather economise on my food bill than on my heating, I am really alone here?