Gas & Elec usage & DD (Click Energy 6)

JodyBPM

I'm trying to get a handle on our usage of gas and elec, as I don't want to build up arrears on our accounts. I'm on Click energy 6, so can check my account online. We last had a bill around the 5th December, and according to them we're around £1.00 in credit on each account. However, having recently submitted readings, it seems that our average usage as shown on their charts is 100cu for gas and 16 KWH for elec (I assume per day, they don't state). I'm not terribly up on how they do the calcs, but I think that would equate to about £100 gas pm and £50 elec per month. Our DD is set at £80 per month, yet they don't seem to think we're in arrears? Does anyone else have similar usage so that they can confirm roughly what they pay? I accept that its winter, so usage is likely to be more than dd amt, but surely not twice as much? We can afford to up the dd if needs be, but I don't want a huge sum of arrears on the account.

The other question is, is this a huge amount to be using for a family of 4 in a smallish 3 bed house? I think our usage is likely to be more than some, as we have two preschoolers, a LOT of washing and I have the rads (GCH) on at least 2 days a wk during the day to dry load after load of washing! Would I be better off using the TD in winter? There's definately things we could cut back on to save energy, but as I say I would expect and accept being a little above average due to the age of the children, but is it at least roughly the right amount of usage?

Thanks.

Cardew

If it is daily consumption then, it is 100kWh for gas and(as you say) 18kWh electricity)

Your electricity consumption is not likely to vary much throughout the year, it is a little higher in the winter as lights are on longer and possibly more tumble dryer use.

So you are likely to be using in the region of 6,000kWh pa and, depending where you live an electricity bill of £600 -£700pa. So as you say £50 a month is about right.

Gas is much harder to calculate because you will use the majority in the winter. However I would have thought that £80 per month would not be far out.

Rather than upping your DD, why not put say £30 a month into a 'piggy bank'? - in case you use more.

JodyBPM

Thanks for the reply. My concern is that we're currently paying £80 a month DD IN TOTAL for Gas and Elec, which must be too little. However, previously we were on the standard tariff (never switched, so prob a v expensive tariff) with EDF, and paid approx £100 a month between the two, and were several hundred pounds in credit when we left them. They then wanted to put it up to approx £115 a month, so we followed the advice on here, did a comparison and switched (with cashback!) to Click Energy 6 who initally said the DD would be £80 a month, which seemed a great saving. I understand there have been huge rises in prices, but I'm sure our usage seems to be coming in at £150 a month or so, so 50% more expensive than our old supplier, which doesn't seem right, as BG were quoting 20% lower. BG aren't asking us to change dd amt or anything, but I want to keep an eye on it, and make sure we don't unwittingly build up huge arrears. I'm genuinely confused as to how their estimation for the DD could be 100% out??

Maybe my sums are completely out, I wonder if anyone else can confirm the rough £££ amount for 100cu of gas and 16kwh of elec per day?

Thanks

Cardew

Unfortunately the initial DD is often meaningless.

Unless you know your annual consumption in kWh nobody can really estimate your gas costs accurately - you won't be using 100kWh a day all year.

However £130 to £150 a month would not seem unreasonable.

JodyBPM

Hi

I appreciate that the initial DD amount could be meaningless (which is why I've been submitting regular meter readings and keeping an eye on it, hence this post!) but if £100 pm allowed us to build up a credit balance on the old supplier and the comparison sites (I used several) all said that Click energy 6 would be cheaper than our existing supplier by around 20% in a year then something seems not quite right???

TBH there are many ways we could save on energy if we were more careful, and ultimately, the most important thing, we can afford it, (I might not like it, but that's not the point, it won't bankrupt us even if it is £150 a month) BUT I'm just confused by why it would have gone up so much? I'm feeling that perhaps the comparison sites are a complete con.

Having said that, I'm wondering if my maths is way out, since the online account is still showing us in credit, despite updating our usage charts etc. Maybe I'm even misreading the graphs, as there's no level of explanation with them.

savemoney

I also agree about energy usage I monitor my regularly and it hardly changes on usage for electricity we use around 16-18kwh a day and gas obviously various depending on season.

We pay BG on dual fuel £85 per month, have some credit on gas but a little debit on electricity due to way direct debits were set up in Summer so I recently changed it to pay more for electric

Cardew

You don't say when you switched to BG Click 6. If it was last Spring/Summer it is quite possible that your payments would be sufficient for you not to be in debit by 05 Dec.

Also what data you gave to calculate your monthly payments. Stating what you paid is useless, you must use annual kWh.

Also of course you are correct about comparison sites being a complete con(if you let them) They want you to switch so they get commission. That said BG Click 6 generally came out as one of the cheapest tariffs whilst it was being offered.

However as said above - if you don't know your annual consumption, just stick £70 a month in a 'piggy bank' and await developments; especiall as prices are likely to be changing soon.

JodyBPM

We changed in September. Looking at the data tables, it does seem that our average elec is 16kwh (pretty constant since sept give or take part of a kwh) and average gas is 95cu from early December til now, and was around 65cu from Sept to early December. I guess it is just heavy usage over a really cold winter, and I am a bit of a horror for having the heating on all day on the days I don't work in order to dry loads of washing. I just felt that was better than using the TD (and I get to be warm too!), but I'm beginning to wonder now! Think I am going to have to make a real effort to wash every night and put it over the rads so that it dries during the time that we would have the CH on anyway (1.5 hrs morning and 3 hrs evening), rather than saving it up til my non-working days, and having the heating on all day to dry load after load of washing.

I guess the fact we've only been on this plan during the winter months is probably influencing the payment:usage, and although I'm sure our DDs will have to go up, it should even out to some extent over the summer months.

I would like to know still though, if there's anyone else on click energy 6 who has similar usage, roughly what it equates to in ££ per month, as I'm not sure on my maths!

madhouse05

Hi all, I am a British Gas customer, used to be on Click energy 5 where we paid £85 per month for both gas and electricity, then very stupidly switched to Npower (door salesman) who convinced us they were cheaper than BG, this turned out to be a load of tosh as our first bill just for the gas was £122.87. We were mislead by this salesman in more ways than one, so i complained and managed to get a reduction of £100 off this bill after many phonecalls and letters. Haven't yet got the electricity bill from Npower, i'm sure that will be just as extortionate lol....Anyways, we are now back with BG on the Click energy 6 tariff and am sure there is nothing cheaper out there at the moment. We are paying BG £75.00 per month for gas and electricity by d.debit...there are 5 of us in a large 3 bed house, so i am more than happy with the amount being paid to them and not at all concerned about it not being enough. It certainly pays to phone these companies if possible and not just look on-line, never sign a contract with a door salesperson cause some will lie through their teeth to get you to sign (as i have experienced first hand) not saying they are all the same but i will personally not give them the time of day any longer!!!! Anyways, have a great day Bex