Npower lowered my payments, but now they seem too low??

chocoholic_chick

I've only been with Npower for about 9 months and they only produce bills every 6 months. I've recently entered my meter readings and got my bill through. My direct debits were set at £77 per month for gas and electric, a summary of the breakdown of my bill is:-

Balance from previous bill £58.37 debit
Gas charges £227.65
Electric charges £182.65
Payments to account £462.00

New balance £6.67 debit

They've estimated my usage over the next 6 months to be:
Electric £177.21 ( including £37.08 debit balance brought forward )
Gas £105.49 ( including £30.41 credit balance brought forward )

So have reduced my payment to £48 per month

I just don't understand where they've got these estimated figures from, surely if I've used £410.30 for half a year it would be a similar amount for the remaining half a year? How can they think I'm going to use much less in the next 6 months? I just don't want to be left with a huge balance I'm going to have to pay off in 6 months time because they've underestimated my usage

macman

Because summer (if we ever get one) usage is a fraction of winter usage. Once the heating goes off in the spring your gas consumption will drop dramatically (less so with your electrcity, assuming gas CH and DHW). You use maybe 60% of your total gas in the coldest 3 months of the year.
So you can't pro-rata based on 6 months (though it does depend which 6m period you use-you didn't say). Jan-June might be not too far out, October to March would be very inaccurate.
As long as you give readings at least every 3 months then a large deficit will not arise.
Your monthly DD should be your annual bill divided by 12. So if you put your annual kWh figures into any comp site using your current tariff, you can easily calcuate what that should be.

chocoholic_chick

Oh I know that, but my bills span summer and winter so my next 6 months goes from July - December so covers Autumn/Winter as well which is why I can't understand how they've estimated my usage to be so low.

I have to say as soon as my 12 months with npower are up I'll be moving away, I don't like there 6 monthly billing and think the website is difficult to use, half the time it doesn't seem to work for me and when I've entered meter readings in the past it says its accepted but doesn't seem to do anything with them

macman

If your estimate is based on estimated readings not actual, then that will distort the forward projection.
Do yout own calculation first via a comp site as suggested above.

chocoholic_chick

No it's actual readings as well, I'll try one of those sites and if it says the payments should be higher I think I'll contact Npower. Don't want to be hit with a large bill for an underpayment

DUTR

chocoholic_chick wrote: »

I've only been with Npower for about 9 months and they only produce bills every 6 months. I've recently entered my meter readings and got my bill through. My direct debits were set at £77 per month for gas and electric, a summary of the breakdown of my bill is:-

Balance from previous bill £58.37 debit
Gas charges £227.65
Electric charges £182.65
Payments to account £462.00

New balance £6.67 debit

They've estimated my usage over the next 6 months to be:
Electric £177.21 ( including £37.08 debit balance brought forward )
Gas £105.49 ( including £30.41 credit balance brought forward )

So have reduced my payment to £48 per month

I just don't understand where they've got these estimated figures from, surely if I've used £410.30 for half a year it would be a similar amount for the remaining half a year? How can they think I'm going to use much less in the next 6 months? I just don't want to be left with a huge balance I'm going to have to pay off in 6 months time because they've underestimated my usage

There is no reason why you cannot keep the payments the same. Especially as the lack lustre summer we are having, my CH is on right now :eek:
Anyways as for moving, I went to SP, but to be honest, there does not seem to be any saving to write home about compared to having my electric with npower and gas with BG.

jalexa

chocoholic_chick wrote: »

as my 12 months with npower are up I'll be moving away, I don't like there 6 monthly billing

It is unlikely you will find another supplier much different on that point and quite likely significantly worse.

There is another issue which may be be distorting the costs. *If* you are on a seasonally weighted tariff the (expensive) primary units are loaded onto the winter period bill.

What you do is up to you but as long as you understand "deferred discount":eek: and seasonal weighting, NPower 12 month costs are consistently towards the top of the price comparison (paid for by the generosity of those who don't:D).

*smurfy*

I'd ring them and demand that you still pay the higher amount!
Myself have had nothing but trouble with this company,we swapped from a pre-paid meter that was there when we moved in to N power direct debit.They kept sending us letters saying we were in credit,so lowered DD,we kept saying we couldnt be we were using electric,they'd say they'd look into it and sort it,anyway after a year and half we got lumped with a bill of nearly £2000! that got sorted and they did lots of checks and set us up a DD of £79 as that would they said cover our electric from now on,well we now have a bill for nearly £700! eight months on, so my advise dont trust NPower one bit!