Redonkulously expensive gas?

robyn1991_2

Hello there! I'm new to MSE, but can't see any place to introduce myself so I'll jump right in with my first Q!

I just moved into a flat, 2 bed council flat, and to my dismay it has a gas topup token meter. I've never had one of these and dreaded ever having to get one as they are so expensive.

However, this one is even more expensive than I ever dreamed! I put my own carpets in throughout, and while this was getting done and decorating etc, the heating and hot water was left off, but still the gas meter was eating up 37-40 pence every 24 hours! There was no gas appliances being used at all, an empty house!

I topped up 10 pounds, and it's lasted us 3 days of heating only, as I've not dared to put on the hot water am just boiling the kettle for washing up and using my mums bath. I've had to put another 10 pounds in today, and really cannot afford this 20+ a week on gas alone, I have a 7 week old baby, I'm a single mum on income support.

I phone scottish power about this, and all she said was that the 37 odd pence a day could be my standing charge or something like that? over a grand a year I'd be paying just to HAVE A METER???

She said something about if I topped up more my gas usage would come up on their system and they'd evaluate it and I may get refunded on my meter? I'm majorly confused I have no idea how this works but I don't know what I will do if my gas is gonna be this expensive forever.

Any help appreciated! Can I threaten to change provider? She said it costs £210 to have a normal meter fitted (I get 150 back in a year) but I can hardly magic up £210

Cardew

robyn1991 wrote: »

I phone scottish power about this, and all she said was that the 37 odd pence a day could be my standing charge or something like that? over a grand a year I'd be paying just to HAVE A METER???

Welcome to the forum.

Your arithmetic is a little bit out!

37p a day is £135 a year.

Actually whilst a PAYG meter tariff is more expensive than the cheapest internet tariffs, they are now no more expensive than Standard tariffs - they used to be a couple of years ago.

Virtually all gas tariffs have a 'standing charge'. This can either be a daily standing charge of xxpence, or you are charged extra for the first few kWh(units) this is called the Tier system and it means that you will pay the same standing charge.

There is a firm called Ebico who do not have a standing charge, and their gas is the same price regardless how you pay. However they are only cheap if you are a low gas user, and being home all day with a baby you are probably not a low user.

Lastly £20 a week for gas in winter is not that high I am afraid, and although you might get gas a little cheaper with a normal meter, it won't be a huge amount cheaper.

macman

As Cardew says, SC's are a complete red herring-unless you are a very low user it makes no difference if on an SC or NSC tariff.
The charge for a meter change is £60-the rest is a returnable deposit against the credit you are given, as it appears that you failed the credit check. PPM's cost the same as the supplier's Standard tariff.

jimjames

As above the standing charge isn't nearly as much as you'd thought. We pay £120 per month for gas and electric to give some idea but we are not always at home during the day.

On the plus side at least with the meter it means you aren't building up a debt that you will be unable to pay when the bill comes in so at least you can pay for usage and control your spending that way if the rates are the same as the standard tariffs.

Neil_Jones

robyn1991 wrote: »

Hello there! I'm new to MSE, but can't see any place to introduce myself so I'll jump right in with my first Q!

I just moved into a flat, 2 bed council flat, and to my dismay it has a gas topup token meter. I've never had one of these and dreaded ever having to get one as they are so expensive.

However, this one is even more expensive than I ever dreamed! I put my own carpets in throughout, and while this was getting done and decorating etc, the heating and hot water was left off, but still the gas meter was eating up 37-40 pence every 24 hours! There was no gas appliances being used at all, an empty house!

A token meter? Are you sure? Do you not mean a little plastic A6 card that you put into a little slot and press the red button?

Your prices are here:
http://www.scottishpower.co.uk/PDF/DomesticStandardPricesv1.pdf

And list the Gas SC as 37.3p a day (£136.14 a year) and 3.796p per kWh used on top of that.
Electricity, assuming you've also inherited one of those prepayment, is listed as standing charges of anywhere between 26p and 34p a day depending on location.

You have contacted Scottish Power and told them you've moved in and received a new card/key, not just used any that may have been left behind?

She said something about if I topped up more my gas usage would come up on their system and they'd evaluate it and I may get refunded on my meter? I'm majorly confused I have no idea how this works but I don't know what I will do if my gas is gonna be this expensive forever.

You will always use more gas and electricity in the colder months of the year. Last year was one of the coldest winters on record, I myself ended up with a bill of probably £150 for gas alone for last winter.

Your price tariff is expensive, you can move provider if you don't own Scottish Power any money but you'll probably find all the prices are about the same for these prepayment meters. At least one supplier does do a tariff that has no standing charge but it all depends on your usage pattern.

Any help appreciated! Can I threaten to change provider? She said it costs £210 to have a normal meter fitted (I get 150 back in a year) but I can hardly magic up £210

If the meters were there when you moved in and you have a good credit record, you can ask for them to be changed but if you've been quoted £210 that probably isn't the case with regards to your credit rating. I was very fortunate when I moved into my council owned property (with prepayments for gas and electricity) that the supplier would swap them for regular credit meters and at no cost to myself.

As above, you can move suppliers if you want, but don't expect significant savings on while you're on prepayment meters. The best discounts are reserved for the online customers who pay by direct debit, which you can't do with these meters.

robyn1991_2

Thanks for the replies, I'm completely number illiterate, so it was my brother who did the maths for me! He shall get a telling off

135 a year sounds a lot more reasonable. As for the returnable deposit, a credit check was not done, I'm a brand new customer and the woman on the phone said my topups hadn't even registered yet as it was only a few days before I phoned her that I topped up. So I'm guessing there wasn't even a point in her doing one. Perhaps once I have more of a topup history it will be possible.

Yes I also have an electricity prepayment meter (the joys) but that one is very very cheap I've noticed. I have a second hand washing machine and have been putting it on boil wash a couple times a day to get it clean, plus boiling the kettle for washing up and making babies bottles, plus a small lamp is on all night for the baby, tv and lights etc,m but my electricity barely goes down. Probably just over a pound a day. Wondering whether getting electric heaters might be the way forward.

I did contact the company and got a new gas card and a code to reprogram my electric key, so definitely not paying the previous tenants debt.

Heres a little run through of gas usage since it started, let me know if this sounds ok. I took notes ya see (might be a bit obsessive over this haha)


Gas in property capped until 21/12/11 when gas man came and turned it on (1pm) he told me there was 30odd quid of debt from previous tenants and not to put any more money in because it will be eaten by the debt. He put it on the 5 pound emergency for me. the flat was empty at this point, being decorated. The heating and hot water was put on continuous to get everything warmed up

22/12/11 at 3pm I went into the flat and noticed the heating and hot water was off, the gas money had run out. £5 in just over 24 hours, altho not sure exactly when the gas cut out as I hadn't been in flat until 3pm.

24/12/11 bought £10 gas with a newly received gas card, meter deducted £5 for the emergency, and 97p for something which I didn't quite catch before the screen changed again. Leaving £4.03. It was decided to leave the heating and hot water off to save money while the flat was empty.

Returned on 25th at 7pm to find £3.66 left

Returned again on the 27th 11am to find £2.91

28/12/11 1pm £2.53 left, gas heating alone turned on (no hot water). at 6.08pm £1.54 was left after just Living room, 1 bedroom and kitchen radiators on. 10.35pm only 84p left. £10 credit inserted, All radiators turned off except bedroom, still no hot water being heated at all.

29/12/11 10am, living room kitchen and bedroom radiators on, £8.87 left, 10pm £6.96.

30/12/11 12pm £4.41 left

31/12/11 3pm, 70p left. £10 inserted.

1/1/12 (just now) 5pm £8.49 left.


Does this sound right to you? It's difficult to show you how cold it is in here...hallway and bathroom are flippin freezing, the second bedroom isn't heated either good job baby doesn't need it yet. Living room is on full blast and kitchen on medium. Main bedroom is also on medium.

robyn1991_2

I should say my gas cooker isn't hooked up yet so not using that either

HappyMJ

The kWh reading would be much easier to understand. I don't know what your unit rates are. Spending £3.71 in 27 hours and £2.21 in 26 hours is very reasonable. I would have expected more. To save running to the shops every few days try putting on £50 at a time. It'll last a few weeks then.

spiro

The main problem with paying for gas by quarterly bill or prepayment is that in the winter months you can use 5-6 times as much as during the summer. If you pay by DD these peaks are smoothed out.

As an example my gas consumption over the last 5 quarters was:
Jan'11 - 3954kwh
Apr'11 - 5637kwh
Jun'11 - 1074kwh
Sep'11 - 1358kwh
Dec'11 - 4307kwh

As a prepayment meter user these spikes will be very obvious.

Mati

Hi spiro

I have a 1 bed flat and a gas prepay meter. I am using about £1 a day with BG and this is for 3 hours a day heating on average, one or two dishes wash and no baths. What sort of boiler do you have?

boogiemaster

I've always been with British gas for my electric and gas and I've never had a refund.

I was in debt and paid it off sixteen years ago and wanted a credit metre and they've done a credit check every year for sixteen years and I've always failed?

I only have a gas cooker and a brand new boiler and central heating that's never on unless it minus temps and my gas never last either.

And they also like to put on debts you don't owe and when you spot this they say oh sorry our mistake yes a £70 debt I don't owe?

I wonder how many times they have done it without me knowing?

They want you to fail the credit check as they know people don't have a lot of money to go onto credit metres so they keep robbing you blind.

£10 in three days just for cooking?