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Can someone help me

Chuzzle
Chuzzle Posts: 625 Forumite
Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
HI

Is there anyone out there that would like to go through my gas & Electric bills and see if I can get cheaper elsewhere? I know its a cheek to ask someone else to do it, but I really don't understand the results I get from the comparison sites. Also my DH did look after the bills and when I look online at all our previous bills its a bit confusing as too exactly how much we've used, we also pay a set amount each month. I'd be happy to email copies of our bills if someone would like to help me.

Thanks so much
Banana Lovers
Buy your bananas in bunches of 5 on Sunday. Then arrange them in order of ripeness and write a day of the week on each banana in felt pen, Monday on the ripest, Friday on the greenest to save time making those decisions on a hectic weekday morning
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Comments

  • Magentasue
    Magentasue Posts: 4,229 Forumite
    To get accurate results, you need to know how many kwh you use annually. To help those happy to search for you, post your annual use in kwh if you know it. If you don't, look on your bills/statements - can you see some actual meter readings? They will say actual, (A), read by us or similar. If you have these, post as many as you can with dates.

    Also, the first half of your postcode.
  • McKneff
    McKneff Posts: 38,857 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    When i was with Scottish power and wanted to do a comparison i just rang them up, They gave me my annual usage and what the cost was for this.
    they were quite happy to help.

    I ran the same information in a comparison site and found EDF to be much cheaper.

    It really was as easy as that.
    make the most of it, we are only here for the weekend.
    and we will never, ever return.
  • Chuzzle
    Chuzzle Posts: 625 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Ok so here are my reading and dates. My post code is IP22 and I am currently on Scottish Power Capped For Free Online for both electric & gas. And we currently pay a set amount of £120 each month by direct debit.

    Night is currently charged @ 5.923
    Day is currently charged @ 11.334
    Standing charge of 13.070
    Gas is currently charged @ 3.592
    Standing Charge is 11.63
    I get a the following discounts
    Gas & Elec £2.52
    Internet discount £3.78

    Here are the readings and dates, I can give you more if you need them.

    08/03/2008
    Electric Night 453
    Electric Day 1153
    Gas 4091

    31/05/08
    Electric Night 1204
    Electric Day 2932
    Gas 4142

    24/09/08
    Electric Night 1889
    Electric Day 4412
    Gas 4169

    05/01/09
    Electric Night 2706
    Electric Day 6531
    Gas 4253

    14/05/09
    Electric Night 3789
    Electric Day 9315
    Gas 4377
    Banana Lovers
    Buy your bananas in bunches of 5 on Sunday. Then arrange them in order of ripeness and write a day of the week on each banana in felt pen, Monday on the ripest, Friday on the greenest to save time making those decisions on a hectic weekday morning
  • Magentasue
    Magentasue Posts: 4,229 Forumite
    OK, two things.
    Firstly, you probably shouldn't be on Econ 7.

    Secondly, which of the above readings are actual and which are estimated?
  • Chuzzle
    Chuzzle Posts: 625 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Hi Magenta

    All readings actual.
    Banana Lovers
    Buy your bananas in bunches of 5 on Sunday. Then arrange them in order of ripeness and write a day of the week on each banana in felt pen, Monday on the ripest, Friday on the greenest to save time making those decisions on a hectic weekday morning
  • Magentasue
    Magentasue Posts: 4,229 Forumite
    Looking at your May 08 and May 09 readings, you have:

    31/05/08
    Electric Night 1204
    Electric Day 2932
    Gas 4142

    14/05/09
    Electric Night 3789
    Electric Day 9315
    Gas 4377

    Elec Night = 3789 - 1204 = 2585kwh
    Elec Day = 9315 - 2932 = 6383 kwh

    Elec total = 2585 + 6383 = 8968 (wow!)

    Gas = 4377 - 4142 = 235 meter units

    It looks as if you have electric heating - what sort?
    Is your gas meter metric or imperial?
    What do you use gas for?
  • Chuzzle
    Chuzzle Posts: 625 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Gas is for gas hob, heating and water (I think - the boiler is gas and I'm sure that heats the water as well.)

    Electric is for the oven lighting and tv, computer etc etc.

    Considering 4 of us live here (2 adults 2 kids) and during the day 5 days a week we are either at work or school I think maybe our electric useage is a bit high. I do constantly go round after everyone switching stuff off, but DH has an electric heater in his shed - oil filled radiator type and I think that is on all the time. He claims its ok cos it doesn't come on but as far as I can see the little power light is on therefore its using electric??

    How do I know if my gas meter is metric or imperial it doesn't say anything on my bills.
    Banana Lovers
    Buy your bananas in bunches of 5 on Sunday. Then arrange them in order of ripeness and write a day of the week on each banana in felt pen, Monday on the ripest, Friday on the greenest to save time making those decisions on a hectic weekday morning
  • Magentasue
    Magentasue Posts: 4,229 Forumite
    That doesn't seem right at all. You use very little gas if you have gas central heating - are you sure those are actual readings?

    Your electricity use is very high - we are a family of six with someone home all day and used just over 5000kwh last year. The heater will be a killer - it may not be 'on' all the time because it will cut out when the thermostat cuts in, but in a shed it'll be on a lot, I'd have thought. Also, for some reason, you have Economy 7 so you pay more for daytime electricity than you need to.

    Your gas meter will say cubic feet (ft3) or cubic metres on it somewhere.
  • Chuzzle
    Chuzzle Posts: 625 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    I will check the gas meter when I get home, I'm at work atm (ssshhh don't tell no1!!)

    I try and do a load of washing overnight but thats all really overnight and we've never had electric heating since we moved in the house 13 years ago it's always been gas heating. We do have a tumble drier but that only gets used in an emergency. We are very good in that we didn't turn the heating on until November and I keep the thermostat at 18c if we get cold then its extra clothes and blankets I'm afraid! And the heating went off at the beginning of April I think, or maybe end of March. Maybe I need to invest in one of those reader things to check our usage? Although the electric meter was replaced last year in February and its now one of those digital meters.

    When I look at our bills the readings are either E or C I've listed all the C readings. I will study them a bit more later just to make sure there are no A readings in there that I can give you instead.

    Thanks for your help so far, anyhow.
    Banana Lovers
    Buy your bananas in bunches of 5 on Sunday. Then arrange them in order of ripeness and write a day of the week on each banana in felt pen, Monday on the ripest, Friday on the greenest to save time making those decisions on a hectic weekday morning
  • Chuzzle
    Chuzzle Posts: 625 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Just had a thought, we have an electric power shower which is around 12 years old it gets used at least once aday and sometimes 3 times aday, don't suppose that'd make much difference would it?
    Banana Lovers
    Buy your bananas in bunches of 5 on Sunday. Then arrange them in order of ripeness and write a day of the week on each banana in felt pen, Monday on the ripest, Friday on the greenest to save time making those decisions on a hectic weekday morning
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