First Bill

Lechop

Okay guy this is my first house and i am wondering when my first utility bills will come in (gas and electric) i am going to phone scottish gas tomorrow morning and tell them i am now living in the property (is scottish gas okay?) so when would my first bill come in?

I've heard some people tell me 3-6 months but i can't afford to pay 3-6 months off the bat like that.



Thanks for the help

Lechop

Also one more thing my electricity meters spinny pin wheel thing moves quite fast is that normal with just light and tv on?

Lechop

So confused on what to do don't want a huge bill on my first month.

Nada666

Read the numbers (ignore the disc - yes, it will spin even with just a light bulb switched on.) Work out where the point is and the whole numbers (the units digit may have a '1' printed underneath it, the tenths or hundredths will be in red or much smaller).

Each whole unit (kWh) will cost about 12p to 14p

You can either pay by direct debit or you can be billed quarterly. Even if you are billed every three months you are free to make a payment to your account whenever you like.

Alternatively you can request to have a prepayment meter fitted. But you should really just spend five minutes learning to read your meter and once a week or once a month approximate the cost of your usage and see how much you have to put aside.

RockPaperScissors

I moved into my first home in April.

The first bill we received was the end of June for our usage for those two months (because June was the end of the second quarter). That meant I had been saving what I calculated already for the two months I was in so it wasn't a problem.

Give them a call and they will explain in more detail as each provider varies slightly.

My estimate for the whole year (Scottish Gas will tell you this) was around 1k - I knew therefore that I had to save £80pm which I did from the day I moved in. Then when the bill came through it was sitting there waiting!

Congrats on the house

McKneff

Keep putting money away on a weekly/monthly basis then you will be able to afford it when it comes.

Poppycat

Also bare in mind your energy bills especially heating will be much lower than say between Nov-March so it worth over paying so you can build up surplus of cash/credit. We pay for gas/electric per annum around £1,100 but can can vary slightly if its cold Winter it could be less if your frugal and cut down usage you could pay less than that. Gas is much cheaper to heat water/heating too

StuC75

Or sign up for monthly direct debit..

You will need to contact the existing provider, since you will start on a deemed contract with them until you are able to put a supplier change through. Assume you have the readings from when moved in to provide.

What size is the property? how many living there - that will give a good guide of expected usage.

Yes Gas usage should be low at this time of year but you want to start building a buffer now for winter usage..

as a guide my house is 3 bed, with 2 adults, 2 children usage is (per annum)

Gas - Approx 15,000 kwh (not reading units!) and pay £60 a month.
Elec - Approx 3,300 kwh, and pay £36 a month.

So all in just over £1,100.. so its easier to pay fixed amount all year rather than try to find 'more' over the winter time...

Gas is only for Heating and all how water.. Heating quite sensible over the winter months - wireless room thermostat to control temp when on..

matelodave

You can usually save a bit by paying on a direct debit and most supply companies will give a small discount for monthy direct debits and they will average out your bill over the year so if it's estimated that you'll use about £1200 a year they will DD you £100 a month. However it's up to you to keep an eye on your meters and make sure that any estimated bills are corrected immediately otherwise you could find yourself under paying. Make sure you read the meter regularly - at least once a month so you can see what you are using and can check that your DDs will cover it.

Another way of doing it is to put £100 a month away in a jar or other savings account and pay the bill when it comes in - however it relies on you being super efficient, making sure you pay every month and don't have a crafty crafty borrow if you feel a bit skint one month because you'll be in arrears before you start. Another problem with doing this way is that, depending when you start doing it, you could end up in arrears for your first quarterly bill if you haven't paid enough into your savings to cover it.

You've got to be aware that your usage in the summer will be significantly less than your winter use so although you might end up in credit during the summer, don't be tempted to reduce your payment or borrow from it as you won't then have enough for the winter quarters.

If your estimate is £1200 a year then you'd expect the bill to be around £150-200 or so a quarter for the two low quarters and £400-450 a quarter for the two winter ones. If you haven't any idea of how much you'll be using then make sure you put at least £100 a month away, then you'll have a fair bit to pay towards the bill if you've under estimated.

It's not hard to work it all out and keep on top of it, but ever so easy to lose track and end up with big arrears and a ginormous bill - just read a few of the threads on this forum to see the state some people have managed to get themselves into.