massive bill for pensioner

czabby

hope you guys can help as i feel overwhelmed a bit by all the info available...my dad lives on his own and is with e-on...he pays quarterly(wont do direct debit!!)and has an economy 7 plan...which may be the issue....for the last 2 winters he has had a quarterly bill of £950...previously december about 600 and the summer about 300...he is 88...he has storage heaters but tend to only be on in the hall overnight and barely uses washing machine etc and keeps himself to pretty much one room... but has 3 oil radiators which esp in winter he likes to keep on 2 for his bedroom and one for the bathroom...the house is electric only...how can the bill be so big for an old man on his own...is it the radiators or is something wrong...ie the wrong tariff plan etc!! also was thinking of ringing e-on for advice but is there anyone i can go on his behalf for independent advice

cheers

Cardew

It is the oil filled radiators I am afraid.

The first thing he wants to do is come off E7, if he is ot using storage heating, as you pay extra for all your other electricity.

Then look at the cheapest tariff - couldn't you run an internet based account for him?

Magentasue

Electric heating is very expensive. Try and work out how much electricity is used overnight - storage heaters use a lot but those oil filled heaters will be using a lot of expensive day time electricity. He may be better off on a single rate tariff and using just plug in heaters.

czabby

thanks guys...trouble is he still uses the storage heater for the one room ...and hes sooo frustrating...wont change it to his room either....would it be any cheaper with another provider or shall i just change to single tariff and hope for the best??!!

Magentasue

You need to look over old bills and work out annual use - peak and off peak. If off peak is less than a third of the total, single tariff probably best. More than 60% off peak, stick with E7. Between - you need to do the sums.

You can use the annual kwh on a comparison site to see what savings could be made. Cheapest will be online and pay by DD.

Generally, with E7, storage heaters will probably be best if the alternative is a plug in heater on all day. If he gets rid of E7, would probably be best to use plug in heaters only.

The good thing about doing DD now (rather than starting in winter) is that he could be paying 1/12 every month even through the winter. You would need to check the meter every month to make sure he's doing OK but it would save the worry of a huge winter bill and if he did use a bit more than estimated, he could probably use the winter fuel payments to bring the account back into line.

KimYeovil

Is a StayWarm tariff not available in his region?

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi czabby

At 88 your dad could be eligible for a number of benefits and offers to help reduce his bills.

Give our Caring Energy team a call on 0800 051 1480. They will be able to advise what is available. Things like free cavity wall and loft insulation may be an option.

Make sure he is on our Priority Services Register. This helps us recognise vulnerable customers and help them with their energy needs.

Energy efficiency advice is available as well checks to see if your dad is claiming all the benefits he is entitled to.

As well as going to a single rate as other posters have advised ask about other tariffs. He may be eligible for the Warm Assist tariff. This gives extra discount and he will not need a Direct Debit.

Once you have the information have a look at the comparison websites to see how we do.

Hope this helps your dad.

Malc