new here... problems with gas

scarlet_tigress

Hi. I'm new to posting on these forums (but not new to reading them)! Am just wondering if anyone is able to help me...

I moved into a private rented house last September. I signed up with british gas for both gas and electric. Now I'll freely admit that I'm rubbish when it comes to this as I just don't understand the whole usage charges etc. Just one of those things I guess.

The crux of the problem is that, after paying £24 a month for the last year for my gas,now I am about £400 quid in debt and they want to take £143 a month until the debt is paid off. I phoned in a panic saying I just could NOT afford to do that as I am on income support and that is 2 weeks money and I have a 5 year old. Basically, she said there is nothing they can do.

Where do I go from here? :-(

Any help would be greatly appreciated so thank you in advance x

Premier_2

It's probably possible to get it down a little, but probably not as much as you would like.

I presume you mean that you have been at the property about 14 months now.

First thing to do is make sure the readings they are billing against are actual, not estimated.

If they are actual, it implies you've used about £736 worth of gas & electric but have only paid for £336

That means you should have been paying about £53 pm just to keep up.

It should be possible to negotiate repayment of the £400 debt over the period it built up (let's call it 12 months for simplicity); that means paying an extra £33 pm.

This gives a current repayment of £86 pm (but that doesn't take full account of the 2 price rises we had during the past 12 months). A better way to work out how much it would cost without the debt is to work out your annual cost based on your annual consumption but at todays unit prices, then add the £33 pm debt repayment to that amount.

You'd probably struggle to get them to accept anything less than £100 pm.

scarlet_tigress

Hi and thank you for your help. I've been told by a couple of friends there are a couple of other options which are a pre-payment meter or getting the money taken straight off my income support at what I can afford? I don't know if that's true or not or if it is a viable option for me even?

Magentasue

Prepayment often means higher prices per unit unless you are charged at your current tariff. Better to go for an amended DD if you can, and slash your usage - lots of advice on these boards on how to do that.

How much could you afford?

scarlet_tigress

Hi and thanks for the reply.

I'm just not sure what to do next... the woman on the phone told me there is nothing they can do so I ended the call by saying something along the lines of "would you like me to go rob a bank then?"

As I stated I'm on income support, that and child benefit is the only money I have coming in. I can (sensibly) afford about £40 a month but can stretch to £50 a month... anyting more than that and I'm really going to struggle (more than I already do) but I know they just aren't going to accept that so not quite sure what to do. Tried ringing CAB all day to no avail!

Magentasue

I think a prepayment meter may end up as your only option. I can only suggest you ring again and ask for the DD to be increased to £40 a month and a hold put on the debt until you have got help from the CAB. If you look on the Debt Free Wannabe board, there are other alternatives - just make sure you go to one of the free ones.

I suggest you read your meters daily and work out your average daily consumption. Get the payment increased to what you can comfortably afford, use as little as you can and get some time (maybe a week?) to get some advice and support in negotiating.

Cardew

The average gas and electricity bills in UK are around £1,200 a year and gas is more that half of that.

As you paid £24 a month and have built up a debt of £400 in 14 months it would appear that you have been using approx £50- £55 a month.

Gas has just had an increase of aprox 30% so it is reasonable to think that you will be spending around £65 - £70 just to cover your costs(unless you can reduce consumption) and of course you need to pay back what you owe.

The difficulty you have with affording that sort of money, as suggested above, is best dealt with by CAB and other Boards on MSE.

1carminestocky

Yes, I would definitely see CAB. But, in the meantime, it really would be advantageous to try and reduce your consumption. Gas prices have increased approx 50% this year and I reckon many people will be caught out like you have been.
Get acquainted with your meter and take DAILY readings would be my advice as then you can see exactly how much you are using per day and calculate how much that costs. I think the result will genuinely shock you, maybe into becoming much more fuel-aware. Good luck getting this resolved but I do think CAB will get this sorted betterthan you trying to do so alone.

scarlet_tigress

Thank you all again. I guess the CAB is the way to go (IF I can ever get hold of them... their telephone advice line is supposed to be open 10am til 6pm on a monday... my last try at phoning was at 4:15pm only to get an answering machine message telling me "we are now closed. the opening times for the advice line is 10am-5pm mondays???!!!)

I must admit it is my own stupid fault as, like I said, I just haven't a clue how gas and leccy bills work and what I SHOULD be using and what I AM using, never checked my own meter! Actually saying that, I went outside to see if I could check it but it's in a white cupboard that I haven't got a key for? Am I supposed to ring my landlord to see if they have one or sort it with british gas?

But I guess at least I am now trying to ask for help on the upside lol

Magentasue

We've always had indoor meters except for our last house where he had gas put in and the meter was put outside. We had a key - your landlord almost certainly has one. I would ask him/her if you could have it or at least if you could read your meter every week so you can budget this winter. You don't have to say anything about the debt if you don't want to at this point, just say with energy prices so high you want to try and cut back.

From your statements, can you work out how many kwh you used in the last quarter? While you're looking, check that the meter readings on the statement say actual and not estimated (E).