Help please. N-Power huge monthly payment

janwilliams3

Long winded sorry. Moved into big victorian wreck of a house last June (no central heating, hardly any electric sockets etc). One old lady lived in three rooms and obviously was not using much energy. Had gch put in and rewire and myself and three children now using normal amounts of energy....we are not frivolous but don't walk around in duffle coats in December! Had my dual fuel payment set with n-power at £74.00 per month and told them this was not enough. Have had electric meter readings done but not gas (man only collected one reading when he came). Have supplied meter reading on line but no communication from n-power. Latest bill came electronically and it was clear again that I'm not paying nearly enough. Sent e-mail and new monthly payment is sent back to me as £367 per month. I earn less than £100 per week and have to claim both working and child tax credit. I cannot pay this amount. Spoke to nice lady at n-power who said I'd been overcharged for gas even though I'd supplied a meter reading in July and I should wait for new monthly statement to arrive. I should then call back and she woud try to get some help from departments that help people on low income? (first step and fuel direct). Got new statement. Stll can't afford £336 per month so rang back. Got a not so nice young man who said I could either have my montly payment set at £224 (not a real option obviously) or I have to go on a prepayment meter.

I don't really want to do this as I've been told I would pay more for my fuel using a pre-payment meter. Is that correct? And I also like to pay for everything direct debit as I am a worrier and like to have everything boxed off if you know what I mean. He wasn't hehelpful and I don't know if the choices I've been given are the only options. Please help.....the first payment will come out on 16th September!!

Katie-Kat-Kins

I think you need to work out what you actual usage is and what amount of this is paying off the debt. You will have to repay the debt somehow, although they may be able to spread it over a longer period to help you.

Pre-payment meters do tend to be more expensive so you are right to avoid them if you can.

You need to work out whether once you have repaid your defecit you can afford your usage, or whether you need to cut back. You also need to work out why your usage is high, are you wasting power somewhere or are you on an inappropriate tarriff (E7?). Once you know what is going on you can work to bring down your usage and become more efficient.

I suspect poor insulation may have you using a lot of power to heat your home. Is your water boiler gas? If it is electric that is probably the culprit. If your hot water tank is poorly insulated you will wast a lot of power too. Ours will keep our water hot for 24 hours without us turning the immersion on. Also consider whether you have any appliances that are left on permanently or are high consumers like a tumble dryer. Taking a daily reading for the next few weeks should help you get a handle on things, check out imeasure for help tracking your usage.

Read the not using gas and electric thread and the preparing for winter thread for tips on insulating, conserving heat and generally being as energy efficient as possible.

Good Luck.

keithadams

if you look at the tarrif details now you will find the difference between prepayment meters and credit meters are minimal if anything. have a look at the rates and see

Katie-Kat-Kins

Though it would be loaded in order to include the debt so she may still find herself having difficulty with the payments. All a prepayment meter will do is spread the payment and mean that she is PAYG, she needs to work out why she is using an amount that she can't afford to pay for and address that too.

Is it rented or owned property??

Cardew

janwilliams3 wrote: »

Long winded sorry. Moved into big victorian wreck of a house last June (no central heating, hardly any electric sockets etc). Had gch put in and rewire and myself and three children now using normal amounts of energy....we are not frivolous but don't walk around in duffle coats in December!

The first thing to determine is just what you think is 'normal amounts of energy'.

Victorian wrecks tend to have very poor insulation and you need to get that sorted as a priority.

With low incomes you can get that insulation subsidised - it may be free - contact your local council for advice.

Bear in mind that average gas and electricity costs are over £100 a month and you will be paying back any debit balance.

janwilliams3

How kind of you all to bother to reply. Yes insulation was a problem when I first moved in. I can't get the walls cavity insulated (as there is no cavity) but the roof was done in December gone so hopefully things will be a bit cheaper this year.

All appliances are switched off whenever possible and we shower much more often than bathe...usual economising stuff and don't leave lights on around the house etc.

After having the conversation with the "not so nice advisor" I rang back and said I was confused and not sure that I had all the relevant info at hand. I've got to say they were super helpful....spoke to people in prepayment and collections and it appears there are loads of different options not just the ones offered in the first phone call. Had I opted for prepayment there was stuff I could do and if I stayed with direct debit there were other options. I had to persevere to get through to the First Step Team who help people on lower incomes but everyone was nice. It's more a case of you don't know what to ask and in some cases they don't know what you want. Sorry to ramble but if anyone finds themselves in the same/similar position just keep asking and phoning until you feel satisfied you know what you're doing and why. I may get some sleep tonight!!!

KimYeovil

Or instead of ripping apart the fabric and destroying the character of your Victorian home start living according to it's character. And that means wearing the duffle coat if you are more than three feet radius away from the one fire on each floor.

No-one died of living without central heating in the sixties and seventies.

(And why would one woman need any less heating than your family? You both just need one living room. You both have the cooking to warm the kitchen. You both just need one bathroom.)