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Southern electric - horrendous bill!
We have a combined account gas and electric with southern electric. We pay a fixed amount each month and have done so for 4 years. Our gas is always more or less even, but our electric has continuously gone up and up each winter to the point that we are now £350 in the red and looking at payments of £111 each month. We can't afford to pay the full bill and switch.
We have put the increase down to underfloor heating we had installed last year, in one room only. But it is set very low and only ticks over in the winter months. We need it on to combat freezing temps in our conservatory.
We live in a 2 bed house, quite modern and warm, we have 2 children and use all appliances regularly. This bill is crippling us. How can we reduce it??
We have put the increase down to underfloor heating we had installed last year, in one room only. But it is set very low and only ticks over in the winter months. We need it on to combat freezing temps in our conservatory.
We live in a 2 bed house, quite modern and warm, we have 2 children and use all appliances regularly. This bill is crippling us. How can we reduce it??
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Comments
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Welcome to the forum.
Your £350 debt could have built up over a period. What is your consumption in kWh?
Any electrical heating((unless you are on Economy 7 which with Gas is unlikely) is seriously expensive, so underfloor heating is the probable culprit. Do you have any details of its power rating?0 -
We have been inn arrears with SE for years :eek:, we haveto pay £60 for leccy and £51 for gas, they did want us to pay £80 on each but we said we coudlnt afford it.
You can pay what you can afford but I would pay as much as you can cos otherwise the arrears will never be reduced, maybe if you get a bonus from work or have a flush month pay some more off your bill.
We have recently had the E7 meter taken out as we wernt using enough leccy at night to warrant it, SE changed it free of charge.Just owe Dad £2500 for a new car
:A
Paid off car loan 22nd August 2009. :T0 -
Thanks for the welcome. I have made some serious cutbacks. The drier will only be used as a last resort, lights are being turned off, have been working my way through the lights as they blow and chnging for lower energy ones, not leaving things on standby etc etc. I am determined to get back in the black by the end of summer so we have a clean slate for winter! Worked out the drier uses 70p per hour!! That for me, is about £5 a week. I have also started washing in cooler water and doing the dishes on a,lower setting on the dishwasher. Could hand wash them but we all need our luxuries! Thanks for the advice. I am amazed SE allow it to get to this level without calling the debt in.0
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Worked out the drier uses 70p per hour!! That for me, is about £5 a week.
Whilst undoubtedly dryers are one of the appliances with the heaviest consumption, their running costs are nowhere near 70p per hour.
Most driers are 2.5 kW or 3.0kW.
Your electricity should cost 8p to 10p for a kWh. after the first units each quarter - which you will consume on essentials.
So even on maximum heating they should cost between 20p and 30p(maximum) per hour.
Bear in mind that in an hour's running cycle it is not heating at maximum for the the whole time; so costs will be even less.
Obviously avoid using a dryer where possible, but don't frighten yourself(and other readers) with unrealistic costs.0 -
I have used a dryer for year's and I don't think they are all that expensive to run.
if someone tells you they eat your electric then they are telling fibbs.
don't believe them
I used quite abit of electric when my fridge/freezer (a rated) went on the blink.
I kept telling myself it couldn't be that cos it wasn't that old.
but it gave up the ghost at christmas.
it was eating up all the electric.
and southern electric told me something in th house was eating up my electric,
they even went to the trouble one day of phoning me and going through some energy tips.
once I got a new fridge/freezer they then phoned me up and told me that whatever I had just changed (fridge/freezer) was the culprit.
I went through ebico to go with them.
and I cannot fault them
cw.
Pls be nice to all MSer's
There's no such thing as a stupid question, and even if you disagree courtesy helps.
Tomorrow never come's as today is yesterday and tomorrow is today
MERRY CHRISTMAS FELLOW MSer's:xmastree:0 -
I know you have proabbly looked at this.. but is your bill based on real readings or estimated readings? If you haven't checked (and as this is MSE i bet you have
) please check this out in case you are being over estimated! 0 -
I give them my own reading's every 3 month's as the meter man only come's twice a year.sunshinejoclaire wrote: »I know you have proabbly looked at this.. but is your bill based on real readings or estimated readings? If you haven't checked (and as this is MSE i bet you have ) please check this out in case you are being over estimated!
but thanks.
cw.
Pls be nice to all MSer's
There's no such thing as a stupid question, and even if you disagree courtesy helps.
Tomorrow never come's as today is yesterday and tomorrow is today
MERRY CHRISTMAS FELLOW MSer's:xmastree:0
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