High energy bills!

PippaGirl_2

I think that about the blimmin TV licence. How many people pay monthly? Do they realise that they have paid for the current years licence within 6 months and then they start paying for the following years, why give them your money to gain interest on?! If I can't afford to pay the licence in one go I set up the direct debit and cancel it once the 6 months is up and stop any further payments going out. Blowed if I hand my money over early so others can have the interest!

Lou67

PippaGirl wrote: »

I think that about the blimmin TV license. How many people pay monthly? Do they realise that they have paid for the current years licence within 6 months and then they start paying for the following years, why give them your money to gain interest on?! If I can't afford to pay the license in one go I set up the direct debit and cancel it once the 6 months is up and stop any further payments going out. Blowed if I hand my money over early so others can have the interest!

I didn't blimmin know that! :mad: Cheeky barstewards!

givememoney

Lou67 wrote: »

The thing that irks me is that they are making money off people who are 100s on pounds in credit! :mad:

After getting quite excited about this have found a `fly in the ointment`.

We have just read through the Npower letter received recently regarding their increases and it also shows our tariff etc.

What we had competely forgotten was, they pay us £100 per year for having direct debit and paying for both utilities together.

Even if we put our £414 in a savings account (it would only be for a limited time of course before we had to shell out on the bill) we would never make £100 in a year so it is in fact a no brainer.

Anyone else considering the same might want to check their agreement.

PippaGirl_2

£100 a year discount for DD? Flippin eck! Don't think EON do anything like that. If they did, I'd be tempted to set the DD at £60 a month and then read the meter on the last day of the month and pay the top up online. Sorted! However don't think EON do any DDiscounts on my scheme.

sniggings

agree £100 is excellent, mine British gas give me a 6% saving on my bills for DD, so still good but I would have to spent a load to get the saving up to £100.

Lou67

givememoney wrote: »

After getting quite excited about this have found a `fly in the ointment`.

We have just read through the Npower letter received recently regarding their increases and it also shows our tariff etc.

What we had competely forgotten was, they pay us £100 per year for having direct debit and paying for both utilities together.

Even if we put our £414 in a savings account (it would only be for a limited time of course before we had to shell out on the bill) we would never make £100 in a year so it is in fact a no brainer.

Anyone else considering the same might want to check their agreement.

I totally get what you're saying, that you wouldn't make much from the £414 being in savings. But think of the 100s of 1000s of accounts *combined* that are several hundred in credit most of the time. They must make a fortune.

givememoney

Me again have been onto their website

http://www.npower.com/campaigns/direct-debit/index.htm

and we can pay for what we use and still get discount but have to pay quarterly by DD

Deep_In_Debt

I only have electricity and was paying £35 per month. I live in a small mid terrace house and am out at work all day and I don't have central heating and everything switched off at the mains. I managed on that amount per month. Last year the electricity company tried to put my direct debit up to £118 a month - yikes! How does that work???!!! lol.

alastairq

I would only benefit by 40 quids a year, for going to DD....[nPower, single fuel customer].......which isn't a right lot considering.

Duel fuel [gas and lectric] benefit by a far greater amount....and it is for this reason amongst others, [mainly based upon cynicism and mistrust]....that I refuse to pay by DD.

This disparity leads me to the conclusion there is an element of discrimination going on.

[discount electric only--£40...gas only-£50...combined-£100 !!!!!]

I cannot receive gas. [therefore I am discriminated against by my power provider]

Just because I don't have [access to] gas, doesn't mean to say I don't ever cook, or heat my home or hot water!

So [to adopt DD] why cannot I have the same discount as a dual-fuel customer on DD? [Gas is cheaper, so they probably pay less per unit of energy than I do anyway]

I distrust the DD system anyway [witness other posts this day, noting how DD's were taken without authorisation?]

For sure, if a mistake is made, you gets yer money back...but...who has to identify the mistake in the first place?

[Bear in mind, most of us on this particular forum are bereft of a credit-powered safety net?]

By paying via a quarterly bill, at least I maintain absolute control over how my money is dispensed, and to a much greater degree, when!


I don't have to ensure a certain amount is cleared and available in an account the day before the DD is extracted.

And if I ever messed-up for some reason, there is a degree of flexibility using the old bill 'n pay system [2 weeks to pay, plus 1 week after red bill...as distinct from 5 days on quarterly DD!] that means I don't incur horrendous [penalty] charges for administration!

Of course, I have to adopt the old-fashioned methods of paying my bills........I do it online anyway....but if I didn't, at least I would have yet another excuse to go and chat to the lovely lady at my local Post Office...!!!


In my perfect world, the power supplies would be State-controlled.

Every domestic user would pay the same tariffs as everyone else.

The State would ensure the purchase of power gave the best possible value-for-money.

Profit would not be an issue.


And people could go through life secure in the knowledge the State would ensure their comfort and dignity in old age....

For sure it would cost.

But it would be worth paying for.


As it is now, our society/governments relish the prospect of keeping each and every one of us totally insecure in life!

jamesd

Lou67 wrote: »

But what some of the problem is; is that there is no cavity wall insulation ... The landlady won't do a THING to it unless she has to by law

British Gas will do free cavity wall insulation for any property whether one of their customers or not, provided they can get at least two thirds of the wall area done. British Gas and many others will do free loft insulation or top ups to places with no or low levels of loft insulation. Your landlady may not care but free things that will increase the value of her property with no effort on her part other than signing one BG consent form may be tempting to her.

Those deals end at the end of this year unless the government renews the schemes.

If she has any sense at all you should be able to get this done in time to save yourselves a hundred or so Pounds this winter.