Have I calculated my energy usage wrongly?

macman

rosie383 wrote: »

Sorry. I'm confused again. When I have done a couple of comparisons just now, using the kwh, they are showing that I could save £200 by switching to Scottish power and my annual spend would be £800 roughly. Our spend last year was much less than this.

I assume that this post is based on the incorrect consumption fig of 4772kWh? Please resubmit with correct figs.

rosie383

I spoke to e.on who are my current suppliers and they have worked out for me that gas was 15500 for the past year, so this ties is with what you were saying it should be. Now back to the comparison websites!!!!!!
Another wee question if I may, is it better to pay a standing charge and lower rates?

victor2

Sounds like you've got a good figure there. Worth looking at e.on's online tariffs also. I found that much cheaper than the best they could offer me over the phone and the rate is capped for a year. They even told me on the phone that I would get it cheaper from them online, but that was the only way to get it.
As regards the difference between a standing charge and two rates, it's a case of swings and roundabouts really. If they don't have a standing charge, they get it back by charging more for the initial energy you use - and you will always use up to the "primary rate" threshold. With a simple bit of maths, you can figure out what the equivalent standing charge would be on a two rate tariff - bet you're so glad you delved into this!:)

macman

The difference between SC and no SC is usually absolutely minimal.

rosie383

A lot of the online tariffs are cheaper, but my dh is adamant that we go for one that allows variable quarterly DD. There aren't many out there, and Southern Electric actually looks like the best for us.

macman

rosie383 wrote: »

A lot of the online tariffs are cheaper, but my dh is adamant that we go for one that allows variable quarterly DD. There aren't many out there, and Southern Electric actually looks like the best for us.

You're really shooting yourself in the foot there, as most (but not all) of the cheapest tariffs require monthly DD payment.

rosie383

Believe me, You know that, and I know that, but my dh won't be swayed. Oh well, he is a brilliant saver and we cut costs in as many ways as possible, so I can't complain this time. I have explained to him that it would be cheaper, but he is the breadwinner and he has made his decision. We are paying quarterly bill, not DD at the mo, so this would be an improvement.

Premier_2

rosie383 wrote: »

Believe me, You know that, and I know that, but my dh won't be swayed. Oh well, he is a brilliant saver and we cut costs in as many ways as possible, so I can't complain this time. I have explained to him that it would be cheaper, but he is the breadwinner and he has made his decision. We are paying quarterly bill, not DD at the mo, so this would be an improvement.

If it helps at all I can understand the decision of your dh.

I feel the same way haveing been bitten once before by paying monthly DD's (many, many years ago)

Yes, it is true that most monthly DD deals are cheaper overall (you're helping the supplier with their cashflow if nothing else), but if they are charging too much or too little monthly it can turn into a nightmare as many posts/threads here are testamount to.

In my case, the supplier was overcharging us monthly. Yes we knew we could get the money back eventually, but it more than was needed was leaving our account every month ... and that caused us cashflow issues, which to an extreme can be very costly.

So whilst we may pay a lttle more than we should overall, we know we never pay more than we have actually consumed and so owe.
If times are hard, we know we can lower the consumption and know we will have a lower bill at the end of that quarter

Depending on your usage, especially if low, Scottish Power may work out cheap as they offer £150 p.a. (paid/split over the year) prompt payment discount (which is guaranteed if you pay quarterly by DD). But a comparison site is the way to go for finding the best deal for you.

rosie383

Thank you Premier. You hit the nail on the head about the monthly DD. That is exactly why we changed. We were paying too much every month, and had a large amount of credit, which they wouldn't give back to us, but did eventually lower the monthly bill, so we got it back gradually. I know that the regulations have changed now, and they must do an annual review and pay back in the spring any overpayment, but, like you, I prefer to see the bill and pay accordingly. It is quite easy to use more than you need, if you pay the same per month in winter, as you do in summer. You can easily fool yourself into thinking that as you are not paying larger amounts during the winter, that you aren't using as much as you are IYKWIM!
Southern Electric are giving cashback after 12 months of £100 for prompt payment, and £100 dual fuel discount, so that brings them to a bit less than Scottish Power, and their unit prices are quite good too.

The_Goatreich

I've just done a comparison to see whether I could save money by changing to a different energy supplier. I'm currently with Scottish Power on the Online Capped Price Energy September 2011 (No Standing Charge) tariff. However every time I try a comparison which is at least 3 times in the last 18 months nothing comes close to the tariff I'm on, the nearest moneysupermarket can come is £80 per annum more than I currently pay.

I'm starting to wonder whether I'm calculating my energy usage correctly from the data tables Scottish Power give me online.

From the following table I have been taking 4 readings to be one year as the bills are quarterly. I have 2.5 years of energy usage in the chart so I've been taking the next 4 readings as the previous year then entering the average into the box on moneysupermarket as an annual kWh usage.



Am I doing this correctly or am I simply just on the right tariff?

My house is a two bedroom terraced with two people living there. One person is home most days all day and the other is home most evenings.