edf doubling direct debit almost! :( help!

lacrymosa

just got home from work and opened up our electricity bill. for the oct-dec period, we used £180 of electricity. this is normal. in the summer we used something like £130!

anyway, we pay £60 a month by direct debit.

they've wrote to us and told us that they are increasing our direct debit to £100 per month. whhhatttt?! how do they work that out if our bill was £180 over 3 months. our winter bill is usually same as autumn bill!

me and my flatmate can't afford £40 extra a month. i dont even know why they are charging it us what should we do? i actually have no spare money next month. its all accounted for.

Magentasue

It sounds as if they're asking too much. However:

Are you bills based on actual meter readings?
Have your kwh costs recently gone up (most proabably unless you're on a fixed rate tariff)?

You need to look back over your bills and work out how many kwh you use in a year and then cost that at current rates. Edf will work this out for you - or should do - if you don't have the records.

Fire_Fox

You mention just two of you in a flat, in which case £60 a month is quite high usage. You might consider looking at reducing the amount you use a tumble dryer, putting your hot water on for a shorter time or at night (if you have E7), lowering your thermostat, turning things off that are not being used rather than leaving them on standby etc.

suegoo

I am with edf and found they are very good if you ring them up and ask to vary your direct debit.
Assuming you don't owe them money I would give them a ring and ask to stay at £60 a month.

MandyLou66

They did excactly the same to me! Usually pay by d/d at £40 per month, they sent a letter saying revised payment would be £120 per month!!.

I cancelled my d/d and phoned the customer service dept, they were very good and looked at my usage (I do my readings online each month) we have now agreed at £60 per month until the annual review in June. I did find them to be very helpful, the figure they quote is only a guideline apparantly so you can really pay what you think is feasible. I have however changed to paying by standing order so they cannot just change the amount.

mel_mel

Just had mine in today and wanted to change to £48.00 a month. I rang them and said no. Then they said £28.00 a month I still said no. I want it at £20.00 month and no more. They said they calculated over a year divided by 12 mnths etc. Told them impossible as havent been with them a year and am now on social tafiff so bills even less. I do my own meter readings and send them in online,so told them if my calculations are wrong we will see in the next 2 bills and I will ring and change it myself. They were ok about it as nothing really they can do, I could just stop d/d and keep money in bank until the bill came and pay then.