prepayment meters - i need a cheaper supplier!

slash40

hi, this may have been asked before, but so many threads. we are on prepayment meters for gas and electric with british gas. my average use for gas is about £30/35 a month with the gas in the winter, slightly less in the summer. we have gas central heating which i only put on for an hour in the evening as a last resort. although i would like to reduce this if possible gas isnt really the problem.
our electric bill ranges from £25 to £35 a week.we have only a halogen fire which im told is cheap to run, plus the normal range of electrical equipment. i cannot afford to keep paying this. we have contacted bg and been told everything is running normally.
has anyone got any ideas how we can cut our bills and secondly i want to change my supplier, but when i try uswitch it tells me there is nothing suitable given our method of payment. we live in the south west.
thanks slash

mspig

This sounds really dear, i'd get them to check the equipment as i'm with BG on prepayment meters, the meters were replaced with new ones in November 05 so there on the right tariff, we have a three bed house and i pay £12.00 per week electric and £10.00 per week gas and the heating is on most of the day due to being at home with two small children.

Someone did tell me that powergen was cheaper on prepayment but i don't think i'm paying that much for mine so i'm sticking.

Kimberley

I was on BG prepayment which cost me £10 a week for gas and £10 electric. i switched to Seeboard and now pay £10 every two weeks for electric and £10 every 12 days for gas. Your electric bill sounds huge, you should ask them to check it, also ask them to check for leaks etc.

slash40

hi, we had a new meter installed just before xmas, and bg are insisting theres nothing wrong with it we rarely have any heating on and are permanently cold. i will check out the above suggestions and see if they seem any cheaper, thanks

Man-Alive

Might be worth taking some periodic meter readings & see if the readings are about the same each week. You also might spot some peaks in your usage & be able to cut back a bit.

lizzie666

pre-payment meters are the most expensive way to pay.and you should only have one if you are in debt or really really bad at paying bills as it means you have NO bills.(a pre-payment meter is the same as pay-as-you-go)
*have you recently moved in? if so, did you have your meter re-set but the company? There is the possibility that you could be paying off debt from the previous occupier. This happens, ALOT.
Check all the information on the meter by pressing the button. it should come up with some numbers..followed by ppu - this is the price you are paying per unit. compare this with regular prices. Any debts that have been set will also be on there.
If in doubt, get the company to come out and re-set your meter, this should be done for free.
Most electric fires are expensive to run, the best are the oil filled radiators as they use less power.
Changing supplier is the same for all types of meter but most companys can't be bothered to attract new customers with pre-payment meters.
the prices won't be competative and a bloke will have to come out to re-set your meter to their prices.
As I say, it is the most expensive way to pay and you would be better off changing your meter and paying by direct debit. but if it is not an option, you are a bit stuck with the high prices!

tigerlily

I have a pre-payment meter as I like to pay up front to avoid too many bills landing on the doormat. I am in the process of switching to equipower. They are a not for profit charity who charge everybody the same for their electricity no matter how they pay. For reasons too complicated for me to explain right now I will be paying the same as I have been for my leccy then once every 3 mont6hs I will recieve a rebate equal to the standing charge collected by the meter and the difference between what the meter takes and the charge per unit from equipower. Sounds complicated but it does all add up!! Hope that helps. You could always try one of the comparison sites to see what that comes up with for you.

wonderfullife_2

Hi
This sort of thing really p.....es me off, people on meters are paying through the nose for their gas and electricity and it's usually the people who can't afford it, and have to prepay, and the irony is that they are paying the most.

If there's anyway to get off the meter, then do it, and switch to direct debit, it really does save you money.

These gas and electric companys should be shot or at least taken to task over this, its a disgrace. All the profits they make, and this is how they treat the low income familys in this country.

Rant Over :rolleyes: for now

Hope this helps

PS I'm not saying that everyone that has a meter, is a low income family, but they usually are.

solitaire_3

It really sounds like there's a debt on the meter probably from the previous occupier, I have an electric meter as i owe over £1,000 (my own fault i know! *sighs*) and i have to put £10 on it before any other money counts! So im going through about £25 a week and i only live in a little 3 bed house that mostly runs on gas - which brings me to this.. sweb are coming next week to fit a gas meter because i owe another £1,000 (again my own fault!!) and they will be charging £15 before any other money counts on it.. i can barely afford it as it is!! So im assuming your meter must have a debt on it as these are the kind of amounts being charged (in some cases more!!) phone your electric company to find out asap or check the meter by pressing the button.