First big Gas bill has arrived

mrs-stressed

My first big gas bill has arrived. I pay £18 a month to EDF and the bill has come to £75 after all their piddly little discounts!!

Has anyone else had their bills yet and were you shocked or quite pleased! I live on my own so I was shocked!! Heating is going off January 1st instead of March 1st!!

mrs s

spinningsheep

How long is the bill covering? if it's a quarter then that is very good! You need to consider what your gas is used for, do you cook with it as well as run your heating? How long is your heating/hot water on for?

mrs-stressed

Yes thats a quarterly bill. I use gas for cooking and heating. I have it on timed for 4 hours a day (1 in morning and three at night). But with the latest weather I have had it on all day when it was really really bone chillingly cold.

My last bill was for £1.75 in the summer! So maybe I was being swayed by that comparison. I still feel compelled to turn it off except for heating the water of course. If this is bad now what the hell is it going to be like for the next 2-3 months....

I am scared witless TBH.

mrs s

[Deleted User]

Mrs s, I would think that there are very many people out there who would love to get a bill for £75, which includes the bad december weather. You have done very well to keep it that low

nickyhutch

Crikey. I wish mine was £75. You're going to be bl00dy cold if you turn it off on 1st Jan!

HappyMJ

mrs-stressed wrote: »

Heating is going off January 1st instead of March 1st!!

I bet it's on again by the 2nd Jan.:)

janninew

I though by the title of your post that your bill was going to be hundreds and hundreds! If you've been paying 18.00 per month and had a very small bill in the summer are you in credit? Or is that 75.00 after your credit is taken off?

dogshome

Hi mrs-stressed - Sounds as though you have only recently moved to this address, (One summer bill at £1.75 & one winter bill at £75 ?).
Check that these bills are based on actual readings and not on Estimates If they are Estimated subtract your Start meter reading from what the meter reads now, to establish your true consumption.

Whilst your 12 monthly D/Debit payments are supposed to equal the costof what you use in a year, depending on your house and the people in it, £18 a month, (£216 a year) is remarkably low, though two winter Qtrs at £75 leaves £66 to pay for your low consumption in Summer.

It is important that you monitor your meter reading weekly to establish just what your annual cost will be, and be prepared to increase your D/D a bit if there is a shortfall

mrs-stressed

I have only just gone direct debit as I used to stump up at every bill. Its just that £75 is a lot when you dont have any money whatsoever. How the hell are people managing. I am obsessive with lights, cooking and heating and got so anal that I was reading the meter every single day. Didnt make me feel better - it just made be more responsible and aware of my energy consumption. I even watch telly with candlelight to save!! Quite nice when its something like Bleak House - very atmospheric - until you stand up and fall over as you cant see the obstables in the way!!

I always seem to be weighing up whether to have a bath or shower, whether to have a cold meal as opposed to a hot one and whether or not to light the fire when I get home from work (at 7pm) to save on fuel..

Apart from that I am a very cheerful person.......LOL

penrhyn

If you are on direct debit then its quite usual for you to have a debit balance at this time of year.
It not a bill you have been sent, its a statement.

It will even itself out over the year.

skibadee

I'd swap!!!