.. put on their central heating yet. ?
Yes. Did it yesterday. My name isn't Phil :grin:
My house is well insulated.. It has a front porch and sunroom which help to keep the heat in..
But it is starting to feel chilly now.. My Ugg boots are out.. and sweat pants are on..
I have my thermostat set at 21.. It was at 22... I am trying to cut back..
I still use my Steps gadget that Crabby mentioned.. but it's boring walking and getting nowhere..
Mine is a Victorian terrace. Being a terrace helps but the 9 inch non-cavity walls don't. I did have all the windows renewed and the roof redone which means that the building regs insist on really thick loft insulation. All the crap up there probably helps too.
I think we are on the verge.
I am weakening - don't have central heating, but a mix of storage heaters and direct heaters plus a gas fired imitation wood burner on the small lounge (no mains gas here)
This morning I used the gas heater for the morning cuppa as it was 17C in the main lounge, too cold for comfort for me, but I object to paying the current obscene cost of electricity
Mike
Mine isn't on yet, but today is cold so I'll probably have to get the book out and sort the timer sometime this week.
I've got a smart meter thinggy, I came downstairs this morning to make a cup of coffee and the screen was already on 92 pence ! made my drink and it went up to £1.00. I'm thinking of putting the bloody thing back in the drawer. :cool:
Nope and I'll have to be turning blue before I do. :yell: Had the fire on in the den a few times in the evening for watching the telly.
Throw the bloody Smart Meter away.. far too depressing.. I prefer a good book..
You could burn that when you're through with it...
I'll flog it to Alex.. she likes all this sex and violence stuff..
Some people are so untrustworthy :busted:
Quote from: Alex on September 27, 2022, 10:05:43 AMMine isn't on yet, but today is cold so I'll probably have to get the book out and sort the timer sometime this week.
I've got a smart meter thinggy, I came downstairs this morning to make a cup of coffee and the screen was already on 92 pence ! made my drink and it went up to £1.00. I'm thinking of putting the bloody thing back in the drawer. :cool:
Our bloody thing lives in the drawer :grin:
Mine went in the bin when the meter stopped working because we changed supplier. It is working again now after that provider went bust and I was swapped to Octopus. Their smart meter dashboard runs a day behind and rather than showing money shows kWh for electric and cubic feet of gas so unless you get out a calculator is as much use as a chocolate teapot.
Quote from: klondike on September 27, 2022, 09:01:12 AMYes. Did it yesterday. My name isn't Phil :grin:
As you well know, ours isn't on yet. :clap:
It's 16c at the front of the house but still 21c at the south-facing rear of the house so I'm still in a tee shirt.
When the temperature at the rear of the house drops to 14c I may switch on the boiler's central heating function.
Our bathroom rarely gets warm, we've had the heating on briefly the last few mornings to take the chill off. OH is layered up and I have a fluffy blanket.
I can check my daily usage on line. However it only shows the unit charge, not the standing charges or VAT.
Quote from: Diasi on September 27, 2022, 12:26:28 PMAs you well know, ours isn't on yet. :clap:
It's 16c at the front of the house but still 21c at the south-facing rear of the house so I'm still in a tee shirt.
When the temperature at the rear of the house drops to 14c I may switch on the boiler's central heating function.
21c South facing rear of the house.. Sounds good to me.. The rear of my property is south facing where my living room is..
I don't use the heating in the bathroom.. I turn the shower on.. and jump in.. :smiley:
Careful with the jumping....
Based on our last year's energy consumption, Shell have estimated this year's total post-budget annual cost to be £1915 so £1915 / 12 = £160 per month.
The £400 over 6 months = £66 per month & if you take the £300 over the same 6 months & then the £200 WFA over the same 6 months we could be paying £11 per month from October to April.
It's a bit chilly for a ride in an open top bus today.
Quote from: Diasi on September 27, 2022, 01:00:48 PMBased on our last year's energy consumption, Shell have estimated this year's total post-budget annual cost to be £1915 so £1915 / 12 = £160 per month.
The £400 over 6 months = £66 per month & if you take the £300 over the same 6 months & then the £200 WFA over the same 6 months we could be paying £11 per month from October to April.
I've been factoring in those payments too. Plus we're quite a bit in credit.
Quote from: GrannyMac on September 27, 2022, 07:47:23 PMI've been factoring in those payments too. Plus we're quite a bit in credit.
We're in credit by £426.61 at the moment but we use less energy than our DD payment each month.
Now, remember, we had an email saying our annual energy cost would be £1915 after the October price cap.
Well I've done a quick calculation of what Shell said was our last year's energy consumption (accurate readings as we have smart meters) would be based on the October kWh prices & our usage for the year would cost £1653.
Well here's what's on our account & talk about confusion & what looks like a complete con.
Current balance
£426.61credit
Please be aware that your tariff will increase on Saturday 1 October, in line with the Energy Price Guarantee.
To keep your account on track, we recommend increasing your monthly payment to £173.00. This doesn't include the EBSS discount, as it will be applied as a reduction of your Direct Debit payment when we collect it.
How we calculate your monthly amountWe review your account frequently to make sure you're paying the right amount.
First, we calculate how much energy you're likely to use between now and the anniversary of when we collect the first Direct Debit.
We then combine your predicted energy use with your current account balance. This leaves us with your total remaining amount to pay.
We divide this amount by the number of months left. This gives us your new recommended monthly payment.
Remember, the 12-month period isn't based on the calendar year, but the time you've been with us.
Predicted energy use
£1200.35
Minus current credit
£334.15
Remaining amount£866.20Divided by remaining months
5
New monthly payment£173.00
It looks like they predict you will use £1200 over the next 5 months or £240 a month and because of the current credit level £173 will pay that. BUT you won't actually pay £173 because the government payment subsidy will be knocked off what they actually take.
It's an odd way of doing things.
I've heard nothing from mine.
Do you think wou will be using the predicted amount though? I can't see how any of them can predict that because thay have no idea whether or not behaviours will change because of the high prices or by how much.
Quote from: klondike on September 27, 2022, 09:06:37 PMIt looks like they predict you will use £1200 over the next 5 months or £240 a month and because of the current credit level £173 will pay that. BUT you won't actually pay £173 because the government payment subsidy will be knocked off what they actually take.
It's an odd way of doing things.
I've heard nothing from mine.
Do you think wou will be using the predicted amount though? I can't see how any of them can predict that because thay have no idea whether or not behaviours will change because of the high prices or by how much.
We've had smart meters since 2015 with three providers all using them.
Our annual energy consumption has remained virtually unchanged thoughout all this time with an average of 3,000 kWh for electricity & 6,000 kWh for gas & as I said, I've done a quick calculation of what Shell said was our last year's energy consumption (accurate readings as we have smart meters) would be based on the October kWh prices & our usage for the year would cost £1653.
Of course, the standing charges are now £15.36 for electricity & £8.83 for gas which adds £290.28 per year, so the total would be £1943 or £162 per month.
But if you look at the figures they show a credit of £426 on the account & a credit of £334 on the calculation, so even that doesn't make any sense.
I wonder if it's done on purpose & they hope customers will be too dim to be able to do a couple of simple calculations.
Quote from: Diasi on September 27, 2022, 09:18:14 PMWe've had smart meters since 2015 with three providers all using them.
Our annual energy consumption has remained virtually unchanged thoughout all this time with an average of 3,000 kWh for electricity & 6,000 kWh for gas & as I said, I've done a quick calculation of what Shell said was our last year's energy consumption (accurate readings as we have smart meters) would be based on the October kWh prices & our usage for the year would cost £1653.
Of course, the standing charges are now £15.36 for electricity & £8.83 for gas which adds £290.28 per year, so the total would be £1943 or £162 per month.
But if you look at the figures they show a credit of £426 on the account & a credit of £334 on the calculation, so even that doesn't make any sense.
I wonder if it's done on purpose & they hope customers will be too dim to be able to do a couple of simple calculations.
We're with Shell too. Not home ATM to look at the figures but ours is worked out in a similar way but based on higher usage. I'm not planning to increase our DD to their suggested figure.
Yes. I didn't look closely enough to see the change in credit. Regardless of what they say I'm pretty sure you can just set the DD to whatever you want. I certainly can. Plus I think you can simply ask for all credit to be repaid.
I don't mind just letting it even out over the year so long as it does. I'd expect to see a zero balance about the end of April.
Quote from: klondike on September 27, 2022, 10:53:01 PMYes. I didn't look closely enough to see the change in credit. Regardless of what they say I'm pretty sure you can just set the DD to whatever you want. I certainly can. Plus I think you can simply ask for all credit to be repaid.
I don't mind just letting it even out over the year so long as it does. I'd expect to see a zero balance about the end of April.
When I put petrol in the car I pay whatever the pump reading is so it shouldn't need rocket science to be able to pay, each month, what the smart meter readings are via a variable DD.
I think I'll ask Shell the question.
Since we have smart meters I don't see why we can't just pay whatever the meter readings are at the end of each month.
When I put petrol in our car I pay whatever the amount the pump shows.I suppose I should have warned them that their reply will be slapped all over the internet.
I imagine they'll say that the bulk of their customers prefer to pay the same each month. I do anyway. They should be able to handle your way too though as pre the DD era that's exactly what they used to do with quarterly bills iirc.
I prefer to pay the same. But I accept not everyone does. The problem isn't with people like Diasi who can afford extra costs in winter, but with those who don't make any provision in the cheaper months. I like a credit balance, sitting in the bank at 0.02% wasn't earning, although the increased interest rates could mean a rethink.
Quote from: klondike on September 28, 2022, 09:11:33 AMThey should be able to handle your way too though as pre the DD era that's exactly what they used to do with quarterly bills iirc.
That's part of my gripe, we paid for exactly what we'd used pre-DD so I can't see any advantage, for the consumer, of a fixed price DD as all we're doing is providing the energy companies with interest-free loans.
Quote from: GrannyMac on September 28, 2022, 09:19:09 AMa credit balance, sitting in the bank at 0.02% wasn't earning, although the increased interest rates could mean a rethink.
You must be a glass half full kinda gal.
(https://letschat.club/Themes/default/images/membericons/halfglass.png)
You really think they'll pass on the higher interest rates they'll be charging borrowers at any worthwhile level to those in credit?
Well that was easy, Shell replied to my question quite promptly & they're now changing our account to a variable Direct Debit whereby a payment for the exact amount of the bill will be taken 10 days after the billing date.
So full marks to Shell for their customer service & efficiency.
I put heating on this morning for an hour.. Went for a walk.. done washing.. Temp still comfortable in the house..
🤞🤞🤞 Haven't put any heating on yet 0 trying to get used to the house being 17-18 rather than 21-22
Only the fire, a couple of times. Weather man says it's warming up a bit next week.
hope he's right
So do I, I hate the cold. Got a right shock a couple of days ago. Went into the pool for my morning swim and yelped out loud.......it was bloody freezing. :yell:
I only managed 20 lengths before I couldn't take any more, shot into the jacuzzi only to find it too was a lot cooler :yell: Complained at the reception on the way out but was told they had to save on heating bills somewhere and lowering the temperature was the way..... For now.
Bloody disgrace that many pensioners are working out when to use the heating.. kettle.. hot water..
When talking to my mates the conversation inevitably gets around to whether or not we have used our heating.. :boo: :boo:
Once again I say BLOODY DISGRACE to be concerned about keeping warm .. having a cup of tea.. and a shower... in our later years..
I have given in and turned the heating on, although only in the lounge and the kitchen, and then only low, but in the words of Popeye 'I's had as much as I can stand, I can't stands no more'.
16C is just too cold - my hands are so cold I keep mistyping
Mike
Scrumpy, your dead right it is a bloody disgrace, most Pensioners have probably put more years into work than the younger generation, and have been through hardship (well the working class ones anyway) we didn't have heating at all in our younger years, we deserve at least to be warm in our retirement.
It's a disgrace that we worry about the cost of heating and the dinghy boys in their hotels don't have to worry about their heating bills. Something is very wrong here.
Jacqueline... How right you are..
Something is very wrong here..
Quote from: Michael Rolls on October 01, 2022, 09:19:37 AMI have given in and turned the heating on, although only in the lounge and the kitchen, and then only low, but in the words of Popeye 'I's had as much as I can stand, I can't stands no more'.
16C is just too cold - my hands are so cold I keep mistyping
Mike
I've not yet switched on the central heating function, the front rooms are down to 15c but they're not used.
My bedroom, where basically I live, is at 21c at the moment.
The cost of energy is also deflecting attention away from the cost of shopping, £1:15 for a can of Morrisons own baked beans with sausages. :wtf:
And no, I didn't buy them, but it's at least a 50% increase from just a few months ago.
... I repeat.. Bloody disgusting.. No fine dining for us.. :boo: :boo:
The shame.. of working out what to eat... the cheapest store.. the 'Offers'..
... suffering with a toothache.. Suffering with an illness.. Waiting to be treated..
Waiting to be seen.. Waiting.. waiting.. waiting..
I've still not switched on our boiler's CH function.
The temperature in the North-facing front rooms is 14.7c at the moment & around 18c in the South-facing back rooms.
I have, however, reduced the CH flow temperature to 55c so that the boiler will work in full condensing mode which should make it run at it's full efficiency rating.
Has anyone else still not turned on their CH?
Sadly no. Our North facing bathroom is always cold, so its been on for a wee while first thing. Thats been pretty much all though. OH has reduced the hot water top temperature, we don't really need it scalding. Our house was often too warm for me, but OH wants to keep the costs down, so he's wrapping up more.
Streaming sunshine into our sitting room at the front atm, I'm comfortable without my cardigan.
don't have central heating - rooms have individual heaters, some storage, some radiant. At the moment heat only on (and then on low) in the big lounge and the kitchen - no, I lie. Both bathrooms have their towel rails on low
Mike
Quote from: GrannyMac on October 12, 2022, 11:41:07 AMSadly no. Our North facing bathroom is always cold, so its been on for a wee while first thing. Thats been pretty much all though. OH has reduced the hot water top temperature, we don't really need it scalding. Our house was often too warm for me, but OH wants to keep the costs down, so he's wrapping up more.
Streaming sunshine into our sitting room at the front atm, I'm comfortable without my cardigan.
I've been ok in just a tee shirt but it's dull here so I've put on a lightweight jumper, more or less to keep my arms warm.
As I've said before, I doubt that any of us would have guessed, a year ago, that we'd be having this conversation.
The weather here in the SE has been above average temp for this time of the year..
I doubt many have put their heating on yet..
5C first breakfast time, now 11C - positively balmy
My house is 18C at the moment.. I have sunroom door open ..
I've just put my heating on for a couple of hours, it's really cold here in spite of wearing a jumper and a cardigan. I've bled the radiators but the boiler is still making trickling noises so I'll just turn up the music :grin:
I seem to be feeling the cold more now than ever so the heating is on, to hell with the expense!
Mine has been on but set lower than normal for a couple of weeks. It seems to only come on first thing and npt for long. I haven't felt cold at all.
I think that I am getting used to 18-19C rather than 21-22C. Mind you, I am more heavily dressed than usual
I wonder if the prices will ever go down to what they were previously. Weren't we told that the windmills would give us cheaper power? I heard that the price many of the companies get is variable and based on the price of gas so they haven't saved us anything at all during this period of price instability. They get paid to turn them off when there is sufficient power without them. It's all a shambles. Same as most things it seems.
Quote from: klondike on October 18, 2022, 09:30:53 PMI wonder if the prices will ever go down to what they were previously. Weren't we told that the windmills would give us cheaper power? I heard that the price many of the companies get is variable and based on the price of gas so they haven't saved us anything at all during this period of price instability. They get paid to turn them off when there is sufficient power without them. It's all a shambles. Same as most things it seems.
I've not turned our CH on & I'm going to try & get through the entire winter without doing although I'll enable the frost protection function.
Well wholesale gas prices fell by 21% in August so I'd expect a reduction when they start using this gas as I know they buy it in bulk in advance.
The renewable energy producers must be making a phenomenal profit, far higher than the gas & oil energy producers, as their prices are matched to the price of gas energy.
There are no charts showing the wholesale prices of wind & sun.
Quote from: klondike on October 18, 2022, 09:21:49 PMMine has been on but set lower than normal for a couple of weeks. It seems to only come on first thing and npt for long. I haven't felt cold at all.
That's like us. Our thermostat is set much lower than previously, we just take the chill off first thing for showers.
We worked in the garden yesterday for a while, it was warm and sunny, the weather is a big plus.
'Hunt the *unt' has said that after April 2023 targetted help will be given to vulnerable households & not the rich.
For pensioners this is the usual code to indicate that it will only go to those in receipt of Pension Credit.
All pensioners who get a private pension, no matter how small, are classed as rich.
that does seem to be the thinking
Quote from: klondike on October 18, 2022, 09:30:53 PMI wonder if the prices will ever go down to what they were previously. Weren't we told that the windmills would give us cheaper power? I heard that the price many of the companies get is variable and based on the price of gas so they haven't saved us anything at all during this period of price instability. They get paid to turn them off when there is sufficient power without them. It's all a shambles. Same as most things it seems.
If they don't bring the price down, what's the point of ruining the land and sea to build them? Especially when it takes more energy to build a windmill than it can generate in its entire lifetime. It's a money laundering scam again.
Quote from: Alex on October 18, 2022, 08:19:21 PMI've just put my heating on for a couple of hours, it's really cold here in spite of wearing a jumper and a cardigan. I've bled the radiators but the boiler is still making trickling noises so I'll just turn up the music :grin:
Alex... Every old boiler needs a yearly service...
Quote from: Scrumpy on October 19, 2022, 09:14:21 AMAlex... Every old boiler needs a yearly service...
Quote from: Scrumpy on October 19, 2022, 09:14:21 AMAlex... Every old boiler needs a yearly service...
That's bit rude to call Alex an old boiler & she may want more than a yearly service. :grin:
Anyway the yearly boiler service is a money-making scam.
We only get our boiler looked at if it develops a fault & only then if it's a fault that means touching any part of the gas side which is a criminal offence & voids house insurance.
It's a scam with modern ones where they just plug in a gas analyser then play Candy Crush Saga on their tablet for half an hour to justify their charge. With old boilers it can be different - they used to be taken apart and cleaned, That never gets done with modern ones.
I still get a service every year.. It makes me happy to know all is working well.. :wink: :wink:
Quote from: klondike on October 19, 2022, 09:42:50 AMIt's a scam with modern ones where they just plug in a gas analyser then play Candy Crush Saga on their tablet for half an hour to justify their charge. With old boilers it can be different - they used to be taken apart and cleaned, That never gets done with modern ones.
Yes, you're right but the last boiler we had that fell into the 'old' category was pre the 2005 Gas Safe regulations so I used to strip it down & clean it.
October 19, 2022, 09:49:34 AMQuote from: Scrumpy on October 19, 2022, 09:45:58 AMI still get a service every year.. It makes me happy to know all is working well.. :wink: :wink:
And what about your boiler? :shocked:
You walked into that one Phil...