Need advice on what i think is ridiculously high gas bill!

Bambi0895

Hi All,

myself and my partner have recently bought a four bedroom drafty old house. It takes a lot to heat it, although we are taking measures to stop the cold getting in!

We have a 'pay as you go' type meter with British Gas, which was here when we moved in. They won't change it to a credit meter on account of my credit. Odd when i have just got a mortgage, and every other supplier of everything in my house was just fine with my credit! Only reason i can think of is that i'm 19, and literally had nothing to my name before we bought this house! Anyway.. our bill comes to about £135-£150 a MONTH. I'm horrified! Obviously we are putting this in sort of as we go along but it all adds up when we have kept a track of it!

It has central heating all be it quite an old boiler, gas cooker and gas fire in the living room.
The heating system doesnt have a thermostat:huh:, so we have to have it set on a timer, which is a bit all or nothing. Its on for a total of 5 hours per day. Only half of the radiators are 'on' as we dont yet use half the rooms! We never really have the fire on maybe in total an hour or so a week. The oven is obviously used once maybe twice a day.

I am so confused as to why our bill is so high?! i've never done this before so un sure whether i am living in a dream world, and this is just normal, or whether i am spending far too much.

We have had lots of trouble with British Gas, at first we were paying off the last owners debt and spent £65 on gas in a week as every time we topped it up it got taken straight away. I complained about this, and their terrible customer service and got my £65 back, but i dont want to be a customer with them anymore so i have switched to Npower purely because my electric is with them and they will give me a cheaper rate. However even with this cheaper rate its still going to be a lot more than i bargained for!

can anyone help me, as i fear soon we will each be wearin 20 jumpers and cooking everything in the microwave!!

Thanks

Lauren

Southend1

Sounds about right for a 4 bed house. Remember this is the coldest time of year and you won't be using anything like as much gas in the summer months.

Bambi0895

blimey!!

how on earth does anyone afford to have their heating on! :-(

Southend1

It is very expensive to heat a house in winter! But if you were on a credit meter you would be spreading the payments across the whole year including summer when gas use is low. If you have to keep the prepayment meter you should try to save up over the summer for the winter period.

Bambi0895

saving up is all well and good when you have any cash spare to do so!

i didnt realise i would be stuck with a ridiculously expensive pre payment meter and need to save up!

In all seriousness i only heat 5 rooms of my house for 5 hours of the day! i could understand if i had the heating on 24/7

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

Bambi0895 wrote: »

saving up is all well and good when you have any cash spare to do so!

i didnt realise i would be stuck with a ridiculously expensive pre payment meter and need to save up!

In all seriousness i only heat 5 rooms of my house for 5 hours of the day! i could understand if i had the heating on 24/7

Change to another supplier who will allow you to change to a Credit meter. But the average in the UK is 100-110 a month, and that is with spreading the payments, and you have an above average sized house. I don't think what you're paying is ridiculous.

Southend1

Bambi0895 wrote: »

saving up is all well and good when you have any cash spare to do so!

i didnt realise i would be stuck with a ridiculously expensive pre payment meter and need to save up!

In all seriousness i only heat 5 rooms of my house for 5 hours of the day! i could understand if i had the heating on 24/7

You'd be saving up with a credit meter too. That has nothing to do with the prepayment meter it's about the way you budget your payments. Though you're right that cheaper tariffs are available for credit meters.

Once you've got through this winter just start putting by say £50 a month for next winter's gas - this will smooth your payments and you won't struggle so much through the colder months.

bsod

if you're struggling to pay to heat it, what happens when interest rates go up.

get some draught proofing strips, and use the gas fire, it's cheaper than central heating.

CashStrapped

Along with the suggestions above I would also consider/do the following:

1. Identify the make and model of boiler.
2.Identify the type of boiler (combi, system or conventional boiler)

If you have water tanks in the loft and a hot water tank in an airing cupboard, it is a conventional boiler. If you just have a hot water tank, it may be a system boiler. If you just have the boiler and no tanks, it is a combi.

3. If it has a hot water tank, ensure it is well insulated, a jacket is very cheap.
4. Look at getting a digital thermostat installed. Either a wireless one you can move around the house or for cost sake, a fixed one (honeywell are a good brand)
5. If you have a hot water tank, a tank thermostat would also help.
6. Thermostatic valves on radiators can also help save a lot.
7. Check the loft insulation, you heating may be working very hard to keep the house warm if it [heat] is just escaping through the roof?
8. Cavity wall insulation is also worth a check, has it been done?

9. If you have money to burn, you could consider a new more efficient system. However even an old boiler can be run much more efficiently if it is set-up and used correctly. Applying the cost saving measures above may save you a lot without the huge up front cost of a new boiler. If the boiler works well, I would try to use it as efficiently as possible rather than binning it.

[Deleted User]

In my area British Gas standard /variable tariffs ( which you are on ) are approx 25% higher than others like EDF or Eon or even Sainsburys ( which is British Gas) on a one year fix. Set your sights on getting rid of the prepay meter then lowering your gas tariff down with any of the more reliable suppliers. Give Npower/First Utility a miss. Their daily standing charges are amongst the highest too at 26p a day per meter..So ditch the prepays and get on one year fixes

lstar337

Bambi0895 wrote: »

how on earth does anyone afford to have their heating on! :-(

Not everyone can.