High energy bills!

Lou67

Our gas and electric bills are very high! It's gone from £65 to £75 to £85 a month since April! We were over £180 in debt a few months ago, and raising our DD by £10 a month has barely put a dent in it, and it was summer too, and we didn't use the gas that much.

Do you think £85 a month is high for gas (we have a 1950s 3 bed semi and are 3 adults and are in sometimes in the day and in the evenings...) We have loft insulation but no cavity wall insulation.

The leccie is £60 month.

I read on here that the average gas bill is £700 a year or something and the leccie about £450. Ours is WAY above that.

Could it be anything to do with us being bankrupts? We are still with the same energy company. And we can't change because we have a crap credit record.

How much do people on here pay per month for gas and electric?

And what kind of property do you have?

I would really appreciate some advice. Thank you.

immoral_angeluk

I'd say its gone up because everybody's has. Suppliers are putting up prices seemingly every week. Nothing to do with you personally but if you still think it is, ask them.

Lou67

Thanks IA, so do you think this sounds a lot? £85 a month for gas and £60 for electric?

PippaGirl_2

I pay approx £80 a month for gas and electric together, the electric bit is most of it. I live in a 3 bed end of terrace. Insulation here is fantastic, can't use the loft as the insulation takes up most of is, wall insulation all around etc.

It's not all good news, constant damp and mould everywhere - a common problem in an overly insulated property.

I read my own meters on the last day of every month, type it into the energy suppliers website and it generates the bill and I pay it so it's paid in full each month for exactly what I use.

immoral_angeluk

Lou67 wrote: »

Thanks IA, so do you think this sounds a lot? £85 a month for gas and £60 for electric?

Depends on your area and supplier, I've seen as little as £50 a month combined up to £200 a month each! Have you had a look on comparison sites to make sure you're on the cheapest poss?

sniggings

do they do credit checks?

Think you know this already but have you looked into the warmer home scheme?

I'm on a gas meter and was shocked to see that just having the pilot light on for the boiler costs around £3.50 a week :eek: (yes I was that sad to test it )

Sad to say but £20 a week sounds about right, you could try and turn off/down heating in rooms not used so much and turn off the heating a little sooner because we/I tend to wait until it's too hot then turn of the heating, which is a waste but I doubt those measures will save that much to be honest.

I have just changed plans with British gas, by just changing plans with the same company I have saved 12% :eek: 6% on a lower tariff and 6% for paying by direct debit, so defo worth looking into changing or swapping tariffs, so on 2 phone calls I have saved £130 warmer homes scheme and 12% off my bill.

mynumber

Hi Lou67, I think £85pm is high, but its prob going to be around the same for most the way things are going. Is your loft insulation thick enough? i know there are companies calling to check for you. Have you looked into cavity wall insulation? There is help with the cost of it, dont know if the cost is a sliding scale on your earnings though but its worth a try.
Make sure your on a fixed tariff, ive just done mine. Dual fuel i pay £135, it didnt matter that i was bankrupt, i dont know if these are any help, i hate winter. K X

NewChapter_2

I would have thought it was high but my parents are currently paying something silly like £165pm at the moment for both! Energy board has told them to take daily readings as something doesn't seem right. They have a 3 bed bungalow. May be worth keeping an eye on the meters for a week to see how much they are going up daily? x x

Lou67

Thanks folks! Looks like it is massively different then for all. I guess it must be right, it just sounds really HIGH! Although a few of you seem to have high bills too.

But what some of the problem is; is that there is no cavity wall insulation and not enough radiators for the size of the house. The 'back area' has the kitchen and a utility and a small back hall (about 2 X 5 ft) with a downstairs loo, and not one radiator in that whole area. (In the 2010/11 winter it hit ONE DEGREE C in there: in the utility and back hall and downstairs loo area...) The kitchen can be closed off with a door luckily. The dining room has a radiator, and the lounge does and the hall and all three bedrooms, but the house is kinda old (circa 65 years) and isn't brilliantly energy efficient.

The landlady won't do a THING to it unless she has to by law, as she doesn't give a s.h.1.t about the property. Our tenancy ends in April and we won't be renewing. It needs modernising and updating badly and I think this may be the reason for the high bills. The landlady won't do anything to the property - and the electric panel is early 1980s, the boiler is 20 years old, and the carport and back passage area leaks badly and we have floods by the back door when it rains heavy.

The property agent said there is nothing we can do as long as it's 'safe,' and they couldn't care less as ling as they get their £630 rent....and the rent is probably going up to £700 in April. We will get a smaller house soon. I have seen some as low as £480 in my area, and it will probably have lower bills too.

Thanks again all. xxx

debtinfo

You need to get your meter readings and work out what you are actually using rather than simply what you are paying

alastairq

I sympathise with your plight, Lou.....I don't have gas, so cannot benefit one jot from having dual fuel offers, discounts, etc.....and I also have economy 7 storage heaters.

I also live in a centuries-old farmhouse, which has 3 foot thick [damp!] chalk walls......but I do have a small coal/wood fire!

I am also lucky in having an agent who actually tends to look after their clients [the tenants, rather than the LL's]....a benefit of living in a more rural area, I suppose?

Wouldn't get me living in a city, or a metropolitan area for love nor money!

Probably best to isolate the non-heated rooms as best as possible? After all, you don't need the utility room to be 'comfortable?'

Do you have double glazing? Eliminating draughts from outside is a good ploy in winter....as are heavy curtains.......keeping them drawn does nothing for natural light, but does retain heat.

Kitchens often don't really need additional heat....since the cooker does just that.....maybe worth slow-cooking some nice stews and stuff? They do double-duty in keeping body & soul warm, as well as the kitchen?

I have off-peak rate electricity for 7 hours.....so I use timers, etc, to do all washing and drying, heating hot water, even cooking, etc......my usage is approximately 95% off-peak, 5% high peak...and it appears to annoy the electricity supplier no end.....they keep getting me to do twice-daily reads....but I get up early in the morning...do what I have to do before the meter clicks over....then I'm out at work all day!

Wood/coal fire in the evening, and I limit the storage heaters to salient rooms.....don't need it in my bedroom, for example.....there's a thick duvet if I'm chilly!



As others have said, you may not be on the cheapest tariff.

Currently the supplier has no obligation to ensure you have the cheapest option.

[recall recently our erstwhile Prime Minister making a huge gaff about compelling suppliers to ensure we are on the cheapest of tariffs???]

Might pay to get moved, but only if you can improve the situation....