I used to pay £82 a month for gas and electric and that built up this surplus..
On 23rd Nov 2022 Your balance was above zero: £511.11
These are the current bill admittedly including a lengthy cold snap
22nd Nov 2022 — 21st Dec 2022
Electricity - £73.60
Gas - £173.06
Admittedly there was a £500 Winter fuel allowance and £67 monthly credit from HMG but...
Only half the house has any heating on and that at a lower temperature than it was. I wear a fleece at all times and certainly aren't sweating.
I don't doubt that Mike wishes his bills were that low and don't have any problem paying but the increases have been swingeing - Electric from about 13p a unit to 33p and gas from 3p to 10p both with big standing charge increases.
Couple that with inflation declared at 10% but from observation grocery shopping is at least 20% and sill with weekly increases.
Then look at taxes - highest since WW2.
Is it any wonder that there are lots of people going on strike?
Never mind the 2024 election. Can the government survive this winter?
I love my heated throw and so does the cat! He lies on top of me and I pull the throw over him.
In Dec 2021 we used 300kWh of electricity & 1257kWh of gas with a bill of £92.61p & the house was heated to 18c upstairs & downstairs.
By our billing date of the 25th Dec 2022 we'll have used around 167kWh of electricity & 560kWh of gas & it'll cost us around £150 & the house is heated to 14c upstairs & 12c downstairs.
it's mad!
I've switched off the little monitor thinggy, I don't want to know what heating has cost when I was trying to get the pipes de-frosted. Mañana :grin:
Our billing period has just renewed today so our bill for the month to the 23rd Dec will be
Electricity £ 72.97
Gas £ 67.41
Total £140.38 - £66.00 = £74.38 which will come from our credit balance of £312 so our DD payment will be zero again.
I'm hoping that the £66 + our credit balance will sees us through to April when we won't need the heating on.
This winter is the first time I've ever calculated what our energy bills will be. :downvote:
Quote from: Diasi on December 24, 2022, 03:09:00 PMOur billing period has just renewed today so our bill for the month to the 23rd Dec will be
Electricity £ 72.97
Gas £ 67.41
Total £140.38 - £66.00 = £74.38 which will come from our credit balance of £312 so our DD payment will be zero again.
I'm hoping that the £66 + our credit balance will sees us through to April when we won't need the heating on.
This winter is the first time I've ever calculated what our energy bills will be. :downvote:
I was a bit out as the billing date was extended for December & I ran the heating at a higher temperature on the last couple of days.
Our electricity usage was £85.87 & our gas usage was £78.13 = £164.
So that £78.13 for gas just kept the house at a temperature that requires me to wear outside clothing the whole time.
Needless to say, the heating is back down to 12c / 14c.
Looks like mine was double that but I don't fancy getting frostbite.
We've just had our January energy bill & it's £136.22p, of which £91.94p is electricity & £44.28p is gas.
With the £66 grant & our credit balance we haven't had to pay anything again & we've probably got enough credit balance left to pay for next month's as well.
My bill for December was £414. Gas was £271, electricity £143. Standing charges were £15 elect, £9 gas.
Usage charges are 9.9p gas and 32p elect , which is up from 16p elect and 3.2p gas in October 2021.
Do I think someone is ripping me off?
Yup. :wtf: :boo: :waiting:
My latest monthly electric bill is £126.15, it was given in two halves up to 31 December then 1 - 22. I usually use much the same each month and I reckon it has gone up by about £20, but won't really know until next month.
It's the oil that has gone up the most, I put away £130 a month but will need t increase it. I seem to be getting though it quicker but of course it's been so blooming cold, and I am still cold with the heating hiked up to 21 degrees, I seem to be feeling the cold more this year than ever.
My electricity account has been frozen intil it's investigated.
My last bill was . for some reason, only for 11 days ,Jan 1st to Jan 12th, and was for £93.00 ( all electric) which for a small one bedroom flat I thought was exorbitant when I only have 2 storage heaters on the lowest setting to keep the flat at a comfortable 58F ... and I wear an extra jumper and woolly knickers. £300 a month for a small 1 bed flat is extortionate.
I've had nothing but trouble since last October. My meter had to be investigated then because my meter is one of those first generation smart meters. When I moved into my flat in July 2019 it was working as an ordinary meter and I read it manually.
Then last October ... it was remotely activated without my knowledge and my bills went haywire.
I'm getting good at complaining thesedays. :sad:
January 29, 2023, 06:30:40 PM
I notice you guys are quoting your December 2022 bills .... mine went up again in January 2023. Has yours?
Morty, Yes the second half of my bill is what shot it up by £20, I think the price cap (which makes no sense whatsoever, it's the unit price and standing charge that you need to know) went up on 1st January that's why the increase. Will be interesting to see when the next bill comes along.
I hope they sort out your meter, you expect the smart metre to be accurate that's the point of it. Your not the first person I have heard having trouble with their meter though.
And whilst it's under investigation they still sneakily slipped in the suggestion that I go on Direct Debit so I don't fall behind. :waiting:
In their dreams .. I pay cash ..once a month at the Post Office.
I'm a bit of a dinosaur.
We are with Octopus. Same as Klondy.
The thermostat is kept at 21*, 24/7, all year round.(I have to be warm at all times)...
Paying, £88.13 per month. The January balance is -£13.27.
What are we doing right. Compared to everyone else? :hmm:
You're with Octopus ?
Which magazine always rates them as pretty high, if not top of all the providers.
Quote from: morty on January 29, 2023, 08:17:48 PMYou're with Octopus ?
Which magazine always rates them as pretty high, if not top of all the providers.
Ever since Avro went bust.
Very happy with them!
Your place must be well insulated I think. I live in a big old house that was built in 1900. The roof insulation is up to scratch and the double glazing should be good but it has solid walls with no air gap which must leak a fair bit of heat.
As in single brick? No cavity?
You're probably right. Must be hard to heat and stay heated.
Double brick but no cavity. That was the standard back then. There will be millions of houses the same. You can have external insulation but it's expensive and usually looks pretty horrible.
Compact, 1969 3 bed semi. Cavity insulation. 8" deep, in loft.
New windows/ doors 2yrs ago. New Baxi boiler, 1 yr old, reduced annual gas usage by 20%.
Heating on 24/7, for the past 4 yrs. Energy use, reducing annually.
Last year, to Jan 1st.. Gas 8,200kwh Lec 2,200kwh.
Quote from: 1955vintage on January 29, 2023, 12:23:43 PMMy bill for December was £414. Gas was £271, electricity £143. Standing charges were £15 elect, £9 gas.
Usage charges are 9.9p gas and 32p elect , which is up from 16p elect and 3.2p gas in October 2021.
Do I think someone is ripping me off?
Yup. :wtf: :boo: :waiting:
Cheaper than ours with Shell. 10.24p gas, 33.06p electric. Standing charges similar.
I thought that most just charge the cap unless lucky enough to still be on an old fix. The cap does vary slightly by region.
Mine on Octopus after Avro went bust
YOUR TARIFF
Flexible Avro
Flexible Avro October 2021 v1
Prices follow wholesale costs
What is a flexible tariff?
32.81p/kWh 44.12p/day
Flexible Avro
Flexible Avro October 2021 v1
Prices follow wholesale costs
What is a flexible tariff?
10.24p/kWh 26.84p/day
Quote from: Dayjo on January 29, 2023, 08:15:17 PMWe are with Octopus. Same as Klondy.
The thermostat is kept at 21*, 24/7, all year round.(I have to be warm at all times)...
Paying, £88.13 per month. The January balance is -£13.27.
What are we doing right. Compared to everyone else? :hmm:
You're not & you need to get ready for a massive bill when Octopus bring your account up to date as £88.13p per month is ridiculously low.
Of that £88.13p, around £24 is your standing charge & there's no way on earth are you heating your home at 21c 24/7, plus whatever electricity you use, for £64.13 a month actual energy used.
Our gas charge, including the standing charge of £8, was £44.28, with the downstairs heating set at 10c 24/7 & the upstairs heating turned off.
Looking again I see "The January balance is -£13.27"
It would be interesting to know what the balance was back at the start of September as it may have been quite large. Mine was above £500 mostly built from payments of ~ £83 on a well heated pretty inefficient house.
Oh yes - with Octopus the government £66 / £67 goes directly into the account too so the last few actual payments will have been £154/5.13
Phil, Klondy.
I am paying, just what Octopus ask me to! And,the government is adding £66 to my payment.
Up to Sept 12, I was paying £131/ month and, £259 in summertime credit.
This was then pared back to £63.32. Then in January to £88.13.
Did you note my annual averages? Last year, to Jan 1st.. Gas 8,200kwh Lec. 2,200kwh.
If I have any nasty surprises in the future, I'll let you know....
Quote from: Dayjo on January 31, 2023, 10:34:08 AMPhil, Klondy.
I am paying, just what Octopus ask me to! And,the government is adding £66 to my payment.
Up to Sept 12, I was paying £131/ month and, £259 in summertime credit.
This was then pared back to £63.32. Then in January to £88.13.
Did you note my annual averages? Last year, to Jan 1st.. Gas 8,200kwh Lec. 2,200kwh.
If I have any nasty surprises in the future, I'll let you know....
"I am paying, just what Octopus ask me to!" Which is the precise reason we've switched to a variable PAYGO DD.
We haven't 'paid' anything since September, but that doesn't relate in any way shape or form to what we've used.
Our bills have been paid by the £66 per month grant & the large credit balance we had before we changed to a variable DD.
In January we used 220 kWh of electricity & 329 kWh of gas which means that our 20 kWh rated gas boiler was running for about half an hour per day, which is about right for our 24/7 10c heating setting, plus what hot water we used.
We don't expect to 'pay' anything in February which will see our credit balance cleared & after that we'll pay as we go.
"I am paying, just what Octopus ask me to!" Which is the precise reason we've switched to a variable PAYGO DD.
Obviously, monthly payments will have to increase, by quite a lot...
But, as I've said....
I'll let it run. And let you know, how it goes.
As a member of Unite I signed up to its scheme whereby it invited annual bids from the energy companies
& switches participating members to the most competitive bidder.
In 2020 we were switched to Octopus & then in 2021 we were switched to Shell & since then the bidding process has been shelved as there was hardly anything to choose between any of the energy companies.
From Jan 2022 to Dec 2022 our usage, for a 2014 fair sized 3 bedroom detached house, was electricity 2839 kWh & gas 5005 kWh.
That's with the reduction in October with the downstairs heating set at 10c & the upstairs heating switched off.
In 2023 our electricity kWh usage will be about the same but I expect our gas kWh usage to fall to around 1800 kWh for the year.
I checked my 2022 usage
Electric 2,167 kwh
Gas 9,969 kwh
Not far off either on electric. Gas 20% higher than Dayo and nearly double Phil. I've never had the heating on 24/7.
4th quarter gas
2021 4,200kwh
2022 3,264kwh
So I've cut down on gas by 22% by only heating half the house to a bit lower temperature. I think the cold spell we had in 2022 was a lot worse than 2021 so my percentage savings may be a little higher.
This bit was a bit of a shocker as the guarantee runs out after April this year..,
11th Jan 2023 15083.0 Customer reading
22nd Jan 2023 15147.7 Smart meter reading
Energy Used 64.7 kWh @ 63.09p/kWh £40.78
Energy Price Guarantee 64.7 kWh @ 31.84p/kWh -£20.58
Just got my paper bill and studied it, my next years electric estimate is £170 a week up about £70 since before Christmas, well that wipes out the pension increase and more.
Klondike your right the price guarantee run's out which accounts for the big rise, I worked out it should only be £20 until I saw that. I still have my Winter Fuel Allowance in my savings so that will help, but I don't know how my kids are going to pay the extra when they go from having the £66 a month help to nothing plus a bloody great increase, things are going to get worse still for many people after April.
There are some folks with jobs in Westminster who will be facing hard times too. Sadly not hanging from lamp posts although they probably should be.
Jacq, I hope you mean £170 a month!
Quote from: Dayjo on January 31, 2023, 12:04:48 PMI'll let it run. And let you know, how it goes.
Just received my February bill....
Total gas & elec. £209.39.
Total paid, me + gov. £155.13.
Balance. -£67.53.
Can't grumble at that....
Quote from: Dayjo on February 25, 2023, 10:56:10 AMJust received my February bill....
Total gas & elec. £209.39.
Total paid, me + gov. £155.13.
Balance. -£67.53.
Can't grumble at that....
:upvote:
Quote from: GrannyMac on January 31, 2023, 10:42:22 PMJacq, I hope you mean £170 a month!
Yes it was a month, sorry, even I am not that cold!!!!
We've just had our February bill from Shell Energy & it's £117:85.
The actual usage cost is £70:73 for electricity & £18:47 for gas = £89:20 with the standing charges & vat adding the other £28:65 which is 25% of the total bill.