Is your heating ON or OFF?

dandy-candy

Just got quarterly gas bill, nearly died. The bill is usually about £300, this one was £670! I am gobsmacked. This is gas only, electricity one still to come. Heating is off now and we are wrapped up and freezing. Horrible metal windows here that don't shut properly

WantToBeSE

dandy-candy wrote: »

Just got quarterly gas bill, nearly died. The bill is usually about £300, this one was £670! I am gobsmacked. This is gas only, electricity one still to come. Heating is off now and we are wrapped up and freezing. Horrible metal windows here that don't shut properly

Ouch, Dandy, thats a lot! Are you on the cheapest tarrif for you?

I am on pre-pay meters, and put £30-£35 a month on each of my gas and electricity. It has been seeing me through, but some months are closer than others.

My heating is definitely OFF now, apart from 45 mins in the mornings.

dandy-candy

WantToBeSE wrote: »

Ouch, Dandy, thats a lot! Are you on the cheapest tarrif for you?

I am on pre-pay meters, and put £30-£35 a month on each of my gas and electricity. It has been seeing me through, but some months are closer than others.

My heating is definitely OFF now, apart from 45 mins in the mornings.

With the bill they said that I could go on a cheaper tariff but that wasn't much cheaper, about £100 a year saving. I think it is so high because I have my heating on by thermostat and it has been very cold the last 6 weeks or so.

malamay

I have had our heating on for two half hour periods per day, and that is it. Blankets are a permanent fixture on our sofas (I have two on mine!), and I have a snuggli or whatever you call the blanket with arms for if I am upstairs. If we are drying laundry inside, we use a dehumidifier in a bedroom with the door closed, and usually the cat and I will sit in there and enjoy the warmth!

I was recently away for three weeks, and came home to see that Hubbs had heating on for about 6 hours per day! He got mightily told off for that one, as I pay the utility bills.

Our normal usage is £80 a month, combined gas and electric averaged over the year to ensure a steady direct debit, for our 4 bed semi. I can switch and save £30 a month according to the MSE cheap energy club, and will be doing this before the month is over!

good_advice

Gosh Danny £670 for 12 weeks gas! that is a lot.
Sounds like you may have to watch those bills.

Can you change from quarterly to being an online customer? I say that because I am an online customer with Scottish power. I read my meters weekly and know haw much fuel for the house cost me for the last 7 days. Last week duel fuel was £20.30.

Heating is a big part of the bill and a lot of people say they will not live in a cold house.
Our home has been on the cool side all winter and is well insulated.
It is not the best - being cool/cold but then we have to watch the pennies like many other families.

Learn and take care...

nannygladys

Hi all, ouch danny £670 are you sure its right?

I also read my meters - gas and electric - every week and submit the readings online to my utilities company, it keeps me on track and I can guage how much I use, some weeks I have tried having the heating on low for most of the day and other weeks Ive had the heating on higher for a couple of hours, I found, having it on lower for longer was more efficient than higher for shorter hours. The electric stays around the same since last November, so I think I have clocked that one now.

Another thing I did this year was to fleece line my curtains and what a big difference that has made!!!!!
nannyg

sistercas

We have had had a high bill too, £704 :eek::eek: that's gas and electric quarterly bill , so I'm sat now and darn't put the heating on .

It's £250 up on this time last year , we haven't changed anything that we know of, we have the thermostat set at 18c during the day only and it's off at night. DH is retired so in the house all Day We have double glazing, cavity insulation , loft insulation , switch appliances off , everything I can think of to save.

It's ridiculous

Torry_Quine

Just got my electric bill and we are getting £100 back as we're in credit which is great after the long winter. The bill was under £450 and no gas.

elantan

My heating is in all year round ... I can manage to cut it down to about four hours in the summer but even on really warm days I still need it on to take the chill out the room at night

sistercas

Torry_Quine wrote: »

Just got my electric bill and we are getting £100 back as we're in credit which is great after the long winter. The bill was under £450 and no gas.

:T nice to hear some good news