Help Please

fedupwiththeworry

When we had our old business an EDF rep called in and managed to get us on a cheaper rate for our electricity. As we also did some work from home he managed to get the same rate for us there i.e. business rate, which as we now work soley from home we've still got and it's currently just gone up from it's fixed price of 8.96p to 10.02p.

The thing is our bill is horrendous, our work now doesn't involve anything more than computers as our work has changed but our latest bill for the 1/4 is £852.27 :eek:

This is based on 16 Nov09- 1 Jan10 4717 units (E) & 1 Jan 10-3 Feb 3382 units (A)

We've got a semi detached house with no gas so used in the cold winter 3 convector heaters & 2 Halogen heaters as and when during the day/evening. A tumble drier (I know) and as and when needed the immersion is turned on for baths, then off again straight after. Cooking is also done via electric oven/hob. There are 4 computers, 2 are on from mid-day to mid-night for work and 2 for around 6 hours a day. Most rooms have energy saving bulbs and from around Oct last year we've been unplugging everything at night so nothings on standby.

I've just checked the reading and it's used 4972 units from 3 feb to date so that's another £498.00 odd. As we only use 2 rooms for work would we be better off changing to a domestic tarrif where we don't have a standing charge on top ? We always thought the business rate was cheaper which is why we've stayed put until now.

This really needs sorting as it's a nightmare and we're currently having to pay £200 per month, yes per month.

Help appreciated.

The gas boiler died last year and we can't get it replaced so we're all electric

kjsmith7

For one, the bill you have received. Is the first meter reading on there an estimate as your 'E' implies after the first set of units used? If it is, then this bill could be a catch up bill - you've been being underestimated for a while and now it's caught up. Check the 'actual' meter reading against the meter - your meter reading should obviously be higher now. Also, check your meter serial number and compare it to what is printed on the bill, just to be sure. How many units are you using a day at the moment?

The 3 convector heaters and 2 halogen heaters will cost an absolute fortune. Electric heating is highly inefficient. Say each heater is only a 1kWh heater, then that would be using 5kWh per hour, or costing you roughly 50p an hour. As you work from home, due to the awfully bad weather we had, your bill will be higher as you're in to use the electricity more. Say you only had the heaters on for a measley 6 hours, you'd be looking at £3 JUST for the heaters, per day. This would be £250 over a quarter. It's likely the heaters are on for far more than 6 hours, or at least they were, and it's likely that one or more of them is higher powered than a 1kWh heater. For instance, if the 2 halogen heaters were 2kWh and the convector heaters 1kWh each, on for 6 hours, you'd be looking at £370+ for the quarter. But, like I said, you probably had them on for more than 6 hours over Xmas & New Year and due to bad weather.

When you add on your immersion heater being switched on for the bath now and again, the computers being on most of the day, any other electrical appliances you have (hair dyer, straighteners, phone charger, kettle, tv, sky box, broadband router, printer, other peripherals, games consoles, food processor, washing machine, tumble dryer) etc. etc. etc. The bill looks about right.

Do you have any debt on the account? This could be another reason for the direct debit being so high. It's likely that the bad winter, a catch up bill, and inefficient electric heaters are resulting in the bill being high. Doesn't hurt to do a comparison - use a switching site with your last years consumption in kWh (add it up from your last years bills, make sure accurate readings on each end) and see what you get. I hope that helps.

fedupwiththeworry

Hi and thx for your reply.
No there are no arrears, and the meter s/n is correct.
Hear what you are saying re the heaters etc, hopefully now summers arriving we will drop down in usage drastically, and hopefully have a new boiler in time for next winter.