Big Bill Help

Rojack

Due to a change in housemates Npower recently made us close an account and open a new one so as to add the new name to the bill. We received our first bill for £223 for one month.

Our most recent bill for December to March Gas/Electricity bill is for £586 - £183 in Electricity and £475 in Gas (edit: we are on the standard tariff). I know prices have gone up and more energy is used in winter but in the past our average bills over 3 months have been between £200-250.

We are not the 'average' household, we are 4 bedroom house and it can be busy with people in and active most times of day. That said we mostly have the gas heating on timed and the house was even empty for a week over Christmas. This bill would put us at around £2400 a year, £200 a month!

Does this big sound normal/possible. What should we do first, how should we approach this? Any help welcome.

Cardew

£223 for a month is certainly high, but not 'outrageous' for the scenario you describe.

Provided the meter readings are correct, the only options are to get a cheaper tariff and cut down on consumption - particularly on electricity.

It sounds like a student house?? One of the problems where people use a bedroom as a 'bedsit' is that central heating in houses is designed so that when the temperature in living rooms is at, say, 21C , the bedrooms will be at around 17C.

The thermostat in the living room or hall shuts off the boiler and the bedrooms are not warm enough for other than sleeping. That is why many occupants have a fan heater in their room - and they are expensive to run.

macman

Get off Standard tariff, that's the most expensive.