Electricity bills

That is a welcome e mail Aveline.
We are using very little electricity this winter - it is the gas heating that is costing the most.
We cook by electric but are being careful to use it sparingly.
I don’t know why, sorry, but I am sure some of our GN’ers will be along to offer explanations soon.

I’m electric for cooking and have been careful. So far the £66 a month has covered what electric I have used. Gas heating is another matter but was expected.

Just when so many of us are all geared up with gas heating, fridges, showers etc. - it is particularly galling that it is now so expensive.

I am still in shock over our December duel fuel bill.

I appreciate that I baked and cooked a lot as we had a houseful over Christmas and New Year along with the cold spell in the middle of the month however, I was not expecting £470!!!

This was despite having solar panels, up to date insulation and double glazing throughout.

I was £700 approximately in credit for gas and electricity which covered the worst months and also a bout of covid. The amount they had suggested I pay for my direct debit had more than doubled. Now I'm paying less than I had previously.

I don’t know - I’m just fed up of constantly increasing DD. My smart meter tells me I’ve gone over my weekly average, whatever that means. So be it. I can’t economise anymore 😫

I’m glad to hear at least one electric company can count! Our Direct debit for electricity keeps being increased despite being hundreds of pounds in credit! Every time we reduce the DD ( which can only be reduced by a maximum by 10% by the house holder) they just put it straight back up again- usually to more than before! We only use electricity for cooking lighting and bathroom heating ( which is set low) so I don’t know why they are taking so much money when we are well in credit. It gives me hope that -maybe - we might get a refund too! I presume the electric company were worried the cost would go up higher than it has?

How glad I am that I refuse to pay by DD. Control is everything.

Germanshepherdsmum

How glad I am that I refuse to pay by DD. Control is everything.

Me too, after hearing of the rises on these fuel threads.

It feels like I've made EDF an interest free loan for months. Oh well. It's better than having the big increase I'd feared.

Yes I agree with you germanshepardsmum

Aveline same here with Edf they have nearly 500 pounds of mine sitting in the account!

I've recently finished with my set payment plan with EON and have been on the variable plan for the past month. I was pleasantly surprised, that despite my keeping the house warm, the amount is £110 per month for both gas and electricity.... that is almost double what it was a year ago but not as high as I thought it would be. I also have about £400 in credit

I recently got back £600 from Eon. I had to send readings and photos of both meters including the serial numbers. All that work to get my own money back - youd thenk they were doing me a favour.

I live alone and my estimation is £45 per month, I have paid nothing into my account sine the £67 started last year and £200 for my oil payment has just gone in too. Octopus have offered to refund my excess if I require it. Thought I might wait to see what the increase was going to be in April before I accept it.

You can control your DD . Well with Octopus you can!
You say what you are prepared to pay especially with the , hopefully, warmer months ahead. Always negotiate!! Never accept the first option.

I think that they always over-estimate future usage even for those of us who have smart meters so they always have the correct reading. Our own direct debit still seems to be higher than it really needs to be.
We're all getting the government contribution to our fuels bills at the moment so maybe that is why your dd is lower than you expected? Some companies seem to make more attempt to reduce DDs when possible. I pay the fuel bills for three of our family and have only had a reduced dd for one of them.
However the power use estimate is for the whole year rather than just the period for which we'll receive the deduction so I think that they are effectively spreading the government contribution over the whole year. This seems a bit unfair as everyone uses more fuel in the winter months.
We don't pay for gas in our home so all the contribution is going to electricity which makes more difference.

missdeke

I live alone and my estimation is £45 per month, I have paid nothing into my account sine the £67 started last year and £200 for my oil payment has just gone in too. Octopus have offered to refund my excess if I require it. Thought I might wait to see what the increase was going to be in April before I accept it.

I think that Octopus are very fair in their dealings and feel that I can trust them more than other companies. "Which" always recommend them.

Interesting to hear other people’s struggles and opinion in the whole energy situation. We are with Octopus, and had a bill for £700, which we paid, at the start of the winter. We hadn’t given too much thought, if I’m honest, about our usage, we usually quite frugal. We have the battle of the heating every winter, as my husband constantly moans about it being on, so this year was a gift for him. Our youngest daughter lives with us, and works from home, so needs laptop and portable heating. We have really turned everything as much as we can off. I don’t use the tumbler like I used to ( only for towels once a week). I have bought a heated airer, and the recent Octopus savings, sees us sitting in the dark for an hour, with everything switched off!! Power cut in all but name!
It’s a bonkers situation. We have also bought an air fryer and try to cut down on using the oven.

I am all electric and have been receiving bills every two weeks.
Am on the lowest possible tariff. A couple of weeks ago my estimated usage for the year was £3500 a year. Just got bill and the estimated usage is £2700 a year! My direct debit is less than last year and I am £230 in credit! What on Earth are they doing.

Bea65

Aveline same here with Edf they have nearly 500 pounds of mine sitting in the account!

Bea65. Ask for a refund. I got a cheque for £400. Still don't know how it was that much, I wasn't so much in credit before all these high prices occurred.

cc

missdeke

I live alone and my estimation is £45 per month, I have paid nothing into my account sine the £67 started last year and £200 for my oil payment has just gone in too. Octopus have offered to refund my excess if I require it. Thought I might wait to see what the increase was going to be in April before I accept it.

I think that Octopus are very fair in their dealings and feel that I can trust them more than other companies. "Which" always recommend them.

Definitely the best electricity supplier I've ever used. Very fair and easy to talk too.

I used to be with EDF and got fed up with the DD going up each month when it was not necessary. A few years ago I moved to Octopus and it has been like a breath of fresh air- I have around £300 in credit in case we get a really cold snap. I am fortunate because I am on a fixed tariff until the end of July- then I think I may have to emigrate!

I have a smart meter and I am paying £10 a month extra for gas.

Not sure about the UK, but here most people took the warnings about rising electricity and heating prices seriously and re-considered their use of both.

Then fortunately many companies in Denmark were already changing to solar or wind generated power both to run heating plants and to supply electricity to businesses and homes. We also have natural gas in our territorial waters and the EU has pooled imported gas and other fuels to a large extent.

The weather has helped too, as there has been no shortage of high winds all winter to power wind-generators.