British Gas - Credit

ironman1

Since moving into our first place last November we have been paying by direct debit to British Gas, giving meter readings.

Our Gas is £95 in credit and Electric £85 in credit (both with BG), what actually happens to this credit? We pay £32 for Gas and Electric is £27 per month if that helps.


Thanks!

thriftymomma

You can ring to ask for a refund, but they may just adjust your direct debits.

Cardew

Is that credit shown on a bill? or looking on-line/telephone?

Bear in mind that your monthly payments are credited each month, but your account is debited quarterly; so it could be a false picture.

You have paid in a maximum of £192 gas and £162 electricity.(less if you have only paid 5 months) so you have only used £97 worth of gas and £77 electricity over a winter - remarkably low.

If that is the actual position, BG at a review point should reduce your Direct Debit to a nominal amount - perhaps £5.

ironman1

We pay monthly mate.

It's a 2 bed flat but we are quite careful with the electric and gas, turning everything off when going out etc.

We get bills online and I check them a couple of times a month. We started off about £20 in credit, then 35, then 50 now up to 80/90 quid.

Cardew

s.h.m.w wrote: »

We pay monthly mate.

It's a 2 bed flat but we are quite careful with the electric and gas, turning everything off when going out etc.

We get bills online and I check them a couple of times a month. We started off about £20 in credit, then 35, then 50 now up to 80/90 quid.

If you check your bills on-line then you can get a false picture.

For example,(to make the arithmetic easy) I pay £100 a month.

In early March I get a bill and am £50 in debit.

In March my £100 payment is paid in and immediately credited to my account. So when I look on-line I am £50 in credit.

In April my £100 payment is paid in and immediately credited to my account. So when I look on-line I am now £150 in credit.

In May my £100 payment is paid in and immediately credited to my account. So when I look on-line today I am £250 in credit.

However tomorrow my quarterly bill of, say, £290 is debited to my account and I am now £40 in debit

So for you, like anyone else, the true state of your account can only be seen when your next quarterly bill is debited to your account.

ironman1

So basically we may not actually be in credit? Last time i spoke to BG they said they were reducing our direct debit to £32 from £40. Everything helps and all that