Silly electric prices from npower - please help!

DJDolly_2

I have a problem right now with npower, I moved into an all-electric 1-bed apt in January (new property, central heating not storage) and have been charged on average £100 a month on my direct debits. Seeing as we are in the summer quarter and the heating hasn't been on since March, I have called them a couple of times to ask if this is a normal cost ... no great answers obviously.

I have a supposedly top-of-the-range Heatrae Sadia boiler with built in economy timings, and I only have the boiler on for three individual hours a day. I live on my own, so one shower a day and only thing left on all the time is the fridge!

I took the initial meter reading, and always give them a correct reading for bills, so I know that bit isn't wrong ...

Maybe bills are steep, but I am sure this can't be right? So I was wondering if anyone could advise if:
(a) npower allow you to move suppliers after 6 months
(b) who might be a better option
(c) where to look for supplier options (can you tell I'm new to this?!)

Many thanks in advance for you advice and suggestions ...

1carminestocky

If you are any npower tariff except their online tariffs the price of electric with them is simply horrendous and you should switch ASAP. If you are on the standard tariff there is nothing stopping you switching now. Best thing to do is get your actual usage from Jan - 30 Jun and double it to get an idea of annual usage. Then get on the switching sites and have a look. If you want to, alternatively just post your figure on here, along with your region and the particular npower tariff you are on and we will have a go at getting you a much btter deal.

DJDolly_2

Good lord! Thank you for such a speedy response ... I will check later when home from work and post some idea of figures, many thanks!

Cardew

In addition to getting the cheapest electric tariff, you need to ensure that you are operating the system correctly.

You say it has 'built in economy timings'. Those this mean you are on an economy 7 tariff?

Some of these boilers work with a 'heat store' of water heated at off peak rates.

Also what element of the boiler do you have on for 3 hours? there is a 3kW immersion heater or a 9kW heater for the central heating on some.

Or do you not have 'wet' central heating.

DJDolly_2

Cheers Cardew, all things I need to check in the (huge) manual they left for the boiler - they guys came out to give me instructions on how to efficiently use it, but were themselves baffled as nobody was sure who had fitted it or how it works!

All I do know is it has two settings, and automatically switches to a 'cheaper' setting for a certain amount of hours overnight (this is inbuilt, not an economy 7 setting), so I have two of the three hours within the lower rate, which I believe runs from 12 midnight til 6am ...

Cardew

Ah but the cheaper setting at night is only valid if you have an Economy 7 electricity tariff.

So if you don't have Economy 7, your 2 hours at night will cost the same as any other period.

That isn't a recommendation for getting an Economy 7 tariff by the way as you pay more for your 'normal' electricity(i.e. the other 17 hours)

You really need to ascertain what system you have, and how it works, first. Using the system incorrectly will have a huge influence on the size of your bills. You could be heating the water for Central heating every day, but not using it.

If you do need to be on an Economy 7 tariff, then that will probably mean a different choice of electricity supplier than if you have a 'normal' tariff - although in either case they will be cheaper than NPower.