Am i paying too much?

tazibugs

I am paying £180 a month for electricity, I have no running hot water or heating on for this sum. Am i paying too much as I am in local authority housing and they claim this is economically viable? It is a three bedroom house with one adult and two children. We do have a laptop, televisions in bedrooms and a tumble dryer which I only put on three times a week. All my lightbulbs and plugs have been supplied from energy efficiency trust that claim to cut down my usage. I switch everything off when not in use and when I leave the house. I try to cut down but it doesn't make any difference. I've complained to councillors, MP's (including the Prime Minister), MSP's and my local energy department. It is taking a huge chunk of my earnings but scottish power insist I do not fall under the 10% category where I should be getting 20% discount. I will take help and advice from anybody as it is affecting our lifestyle. I don't know where else to turn.

seafarers_wife

first thing i would do is switch everything off and take a meter read about 15 mins after you have switched everytthing off. then leave it for an hour or so and then take another meter read.

the meter should not have advanced if everything is switched off. your frige and freezer will be fine as long as you dont open the doors and will stay cold till you put the power back on.

that confirms that you are only powering your own property.

your electric does seem to be a bit on the high side, so next step would be to check on a comparison site to see if you are on the best tarrif for your usage.

in order to do that, get your ANNUAL KWH and put that into the comparison site as that will give the most accurate informaiton.

remember though if you have no gas and everything is electric then you will be paying more for your electric than someone else who has gas in the property due to you needing to do heat with electric which is more expensive than using gas to heat.