Gas PP meter help for a stressed friend

BlueIsTheColour

Hi, I was chatting to a friend last night and she was telling me about her gas usage, and how much it is costing her. She is at her wits end with it and I said I would try and see if I could find any info out to try and help her.

She is with BG, and has been on a PP meter for about 6 months due to large arrears, more on that later, so the new meter was installed and it was agreed that she would pay £20 a week off the arrears plus obviously the new gas.... Her house is a 3 storey semi, with CH & gas cooker, and she told me that since Dec 12th, she has put in £360 for gas :eek: When she has rung BG they have said its normal, but surely it cant be normal to spend that much on gas in a month???? I have no experience of PP meters so have no clue what is realistic??
I spoke to her about her arrears as well, as they were almost £2k :eek: and yet prior to the PP meter being installed she had made monthly DD payments so it seems crazy that as well as making payments, they were accruing such massive arrears??? She doesnt have the bills from then she said, I think she hasnt been dealing with things too well, so is it possible for her to write to BG asking for copies of all her bills, similar to a SAR request for a bank or CC now?

Any help or comments that anyone can give me to pass on would be great, I have told her to come on here and seek help but am not sure she will just yet. This place has been great for me, so I thought if I could get some help for her, it might be a good start for her.

Thanks in advance and if I havent been clear please just let me know and I will try to explain

Magentasue

We live in a similar house with a credit meter paying about £5 a day. Someone else was saying theirs costs twice that (so about £300 for a cold month) so £360 sounds horrendous but possible.

With arrears of a couple of thousand, your friend sounds, um, a bit free and easy with the heating. Cannot say much because we use more than most but we are careful with other things and can afford the bills.

To be blunt, your friend needs to budget - she needs to work out how much she can afford to feed the meter, calculate how many units a day that is and stick to it. Prepayment meters are usually more expensive and your friend has a big house - maybe she could live in part of it over the winter?

Unfortunately, if she sn't dealing with things, it's likely that something else isn't being paid so that she can keep the house warm. I would suggest gathering as much paper evidence as you can and encouraging her to go to CAB Debit advice or similar. Going with her and helping her to make and stick to a plan may be the best thing you can do for her right now. Good luck!

BlueIsTheColour

Thanks Sue, I had guessed at about £5 a day being an expected amount at this time of year.

I believe you may be right, but I dont know for sure, unfortunately we live 2hrs drive from each other, so its hard to know. I think she tends to just want to make sure the kids are warm without thinking of the budgeting side to things.... What I am hoping to do is point her in the direction of this thread shortly to try to help her, well, I hope thats what it will do.....

I did say to her to visit CAB with her bills etc to see if they had more advice, I will make sure she writes to BG for her copy bills and if needs be will drive to hers and help her sort it. She is going insane with it, and has an "ostrich" for a hubbie.....

Fire_Fox

A major issue to investigate is the level of insulation in the property. If your friend is over-generous with the heating AND it's all escaping through windows, walls and roof then a bill of this magnitude is perfectly possible. Loads of helpful threads regarding this issue on this board.

BlueIsTheColour

You're right Firefox, it is an old house with single glazing in many windows, and the loft is converted into a bedroom, so its possible that lots of heat just escapes, hadnt thought about that side of things, I think it was just the amount that overwhelmed me.

I will have a scout round the board for threads to help her, thanks for replying

Joyful

Also direct her to the British Gas energy trust to see if they can help with the balance.

BlueIsTheColour

Thanks Joyful, I will do that, who are they? Do they help with hardship?

SwanJon

She could try speaking to them to see if they can cut back on the £20/week, even if only until the spring when hopefully it will warm up, but without that she would be paying £70 a week, so cutting back on how much is used will make a bigger difference.

BlueIsTheColour

Thanks SwanJon, I believe she has tried that with no success at all, tbh, from what she says, they sound most unhelpful, so yes it seems she needs to work more on the saving energy side of things.....

Thanks for all the replies so far, I am hoping that when she sees the thread it will convert her to the MSE way of life:T :T

Joyful

The British Gas energy trust may help people in financial difficulty with their bills as long as they are a customer of BG. The bills can be other than gas and electric also. They need to know how a debt came about and what others debts the person has. They then make a judgement so see if they pay towards a debt that the customer will not get in the situation again. Due to this I think she also needs to go to the CAB and breakdown her income and expenditure,

You can check this out and download an application form here...http://www.britishgasenergytrust.org.uk/

Magentasue

Thinking about it, this woman would be better off being steered on to the Debt Free Wannabe board. This isn't a case where someone has been caught out by a high bill and not sure how to deal with it. This sounds like someone falling further and further into debt and needing a holistic plan to climb out. It's not difficult to do this yourself - just basic maths and letter writing. Trouble is it gets loaded with the psychological stuff of dealing with failure and not coping so most people don't deal with it - there are at least three organisations that will go through everything with you for free. There are plenty more that charge - something she doesn't need. All explained on the DFW board.