First timer - New Flat - Bills

SteveS_R53

Hi all,

I've just moved in to my first property and I'm trying to sort out the bills etc...

I know I need to sort out the following...

Council Tax
Water
Gas
Electricity
Broadband

I'd just like to confirm a few bits / ask a few questions...

1) Council tax is simply a case of speaking to the council - When will I first pay it as Feb / March are usually free I've been told.

2) Water - I've got a form to complete - I'm guessing there is only 1 supplier of water!?

3) Gas / Electricity - They're currently provided by separate suppliers which for ease I guess I could just continue with - Can I request a smart meter so I can monitor what electricity I'm using as the flat has electric heated towel rail / under floor heating etc etc so I'm conscience of what the cost will be.

Any help / advice / guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

footyguy

SteveS_R53 wrote: »

Hi all,

I've just moved in to my first property and I'm trying to sort out the bills etc...

I know I need to sort out the following...

Council Tax
Water
Gas
Electricity
Broadband

I'd just like to confirm a few bits / ask a few questions...

1) Council tax is simply a case of speaking to the council - When will I first pay it as Feb / March are usually free I've been told.

2) Water - I've got a form to complete - I'm guessing there is only 1 supplier of water!?

3) Gas / Electricity - They're currently provided by separate suppliers which for ease I guess I could just continue with - Can I request a smart meter so I can monitor what electricity I'm using as the flat has electric heated towel rail / under floor heating etc etc so I'm conscience of what the cost will be.

Any help / advice / guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

1. Regarding council tax, the annual cost was traditionally split over 10 months ... but can now re requested to be split over 12 months.

In your case, you will be liable for CT from the date you became liable for the property. It is caculated on a daily basis. The council will contact you shortly. If they are quick, they may split the bill over 2 monthly installments ... or if tardy, you'll get a bill for the total 2 months of this year.

2. Water - yes there is currently only your local supplier

3. You need to register with the esisting gas & electricity suppliers. You can certainly speak to your supplier about requesting a smart meter ... but be aware that it won't work as smart if you later change supplier.
I would suggest once registered with the existing suppliers, you consult a comparison site to endeavour to find the best deal(s) for you.

HappyMJ

SteveS_R53 wrote: »

Hi all,

I've just moved in to my first property and I'm trying to sort out the bills etc...

I know I need to sort out the following...

Council Tax
Water
Gas
Electricity
Broadband

I'd just like to confirm a few bits / ask a few questions...

1) Council tax is simply a case of speaking to the council - When will I first pay it as Feb / March are usually free I've been told.

2) Water - I've got a form to complete - I'm guessing there is only 1 supplier of water!?

3) Gas / Electricity - They're currently provided by separate suppliers which for ease I guess I could just continue with - Can I request a smart meter so I can monitor what electricity I'm using as the flat has electric heated towel rail / under floor heating etc etc so I'm conscience of what the cost will be.

Any help / advice / guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Steve

Don't stay with the current provider foe "ease". Switch and save.

If you're going to watch live TV then you might want to consider a TV licence. They start from the 1st of the month in which you register so don't register in the last few days of the month. Wait till the 1st.

Feb/March are not free you have to pay for them. You can opt to pay more in the first 10 months of the council tax year then you can skip paying in those months but there's no need to just switch it to 12 monthly payments.

SteveS_R53

Ah yes, I forgot about the TV licence! I'll get that sorted today.

So best to register with current suppliers and then go to a compare site and get a smart meter through the new supplier.

Thank you.

HappyMJ

SteveS_R53 wrote: »

Ah yes, I forgot about the TV licence! I'll get that sorted today.

So best to register with current suppliers and then go to a compare site and get a smart meter through the new supplier.

Thank you.

Forget about the smart meter. They'll use the current meter. As long as you read it regularly then that's all you need to do.

You can get an energy monitor from a shop which although isn't perfectly accurate it gives you a rough idea of the cost of running the towel rail.

System

Agree forget about the smart meter. Suppliers are not installing them on request. They are targeting regions with teams. Moreover, older SMETS1 meters will be replaced later this year with SMETS2 meters. The rollout is very slow ( from the latest Smart Meter progress report):

An Early Rollout Obligation – a requirement on all large suppliers5 to take all reasonable steps to install, commission and enrol with the DCC 1,500 meters that meet the Smart Metering Equipment Technical Specifications 2 (SMETS2) standard, or 0.025% of a supplier’s total meter points, whichever is the lower, by 1 February 2017

If you want to keep an eye on your cost then spend 99p on Meters. Enter your tariff details and as many meter readings as you want, and it calculate how much you owe since your last statement.