Advice on energy bills please?

jessw640

Hiya, I have never posted here before so bear with please

I am in a rented apartment, been here 6 months. I pay £78/month gas + elec with EDF on their blue+ tariff. After numerous letters telling me I can get a cheaper tariff I decided to switch. When I originally set up my bills they asked for meter readings but I couldn't access my gas so they did it based on an estimate and sent someone to read it in September. My bills were £65 before this and after the reading went up to the current amount.
when I compare other energy prices, if I put in how much I currently pay it gives me the best quote of about £70 a month which is good but if I say I don't know how much I pay, the estimate on my house is about £60. So, could I just go by this estimate and wait for them to do my metre readings and they'll probably boost it up, in which case can I just switch again?

This doesn't sound right to me but what is my best option here?

(first time living alone if you haven't guessed!)

molerat

First things first. By law you must have access to your gas meter and main cut off valve so speak to your landlord now.

The only way to get an accurate price of how much you will pay with each supplier is to give an accurate annual kWh figure, giving anything else will produce at best a random monthly payment plucked out of the air.

Paying this random number is just putting off the inevitable and when you supply them with a correct reading you may be given a huge bill and you may not be allowed to switch suppliers.

Not supplying a correct opening meter read has possibly left you paying for the previous tenant's gas, always get the actual meter reading when moving into a new property and if the LL/LA will not give you access to the meter make a nuisance of yourself until they do - remember by law you must have access to your meter and cut off valve.