Extremely high energy bills!

Carrot007

JKal96 wrote: »

It's a boiler that heats water through electricity. I switch it on only when I'm cooking or cleaning.

Well that's going to cost a lot. You want it heating on the cheap rate. Modern insulated boilers can keep hot pretty well.


And your usage seems VERY reasonable for an all electric flat.

Carrot007

JKal96 wrote: »

I've also been advised by CAB that I should've been on a single rate tariff not two. What can I do about this now? I'm on a out of contract tariff as So are trying to push me into a 12 month contract paying nearly £200 a month to cover the debt and estimated usage.

Well if your night usage is nothing and you don't want to reduce your bills by using night rate yes.


Out of contract tarrif? Are you actually a commercial business? Or maybe you mean your are on standard variable tarrif.


If you want a meter change ask for one, They may change or they may add up the units (which is a bodge and will not be noticed if you switch supplier).

JKal96

I've kept it on this week to study the energy usage and it seems like it's normal and not too high. I don't understand how my energy usage can be nearly 10,000 for a year. Yes, it's all electric but that is nearly double what my above average usage would be.

JKal96

my 12 month contract finished last week so I'm now on the out of contract tariff. Until I join a new one, I can't switch because they want the debt cleared first.

Carrot007

JKal96 wrote: »

I've kept it on this week to study the energy usage and it seems like it's normal and not too high. I don't understand how my energy usage can be nearly 10,000 for a year. Yes, it's all electric but that is nearly double what my above average usage would be.

Like I said fairly average usage for the property.


https://www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/guides/gas-and-electricity-user-groups/


Even there it says 1900 + 8000 for such a flat. You do understand you will still use the gas part right, just paying three times as much because you use it in electric (unless you start using it off peak).

Carrot007

JKal96 wrote: »

my 12 month contract finished last week so I'm now on the out of contract tariff. Until I join a new one, I can't switch because they want the debt cleared first.

Or you can take a better tarrif with them. Which is probably a good option. There really is not much in it. There are no massive savings as perople say. (always compare the tarrif you could go onto with your current supplier to the best of the market, good look geting more than 5% (comparison sites suck in the way they present the data)).

Gerry1

JKal96 wrote: »

I don't understand how my energy usage can be nearly 10,000 for a year. Yes, it's all electric but that is nearly double what my above average usage would be.

Er...we don't have heatwaves in the winter !

It's not a high usage figure considering there's no gas. As a Profile Class 1 low user (small flat, one person, out in the day) then the typical usage for dual fuel would be 8,000kWh gas and 1,900 electricity, total 9,900kWh.

So 'nearly 10,000kWh for electricity' is almost bang on target !!

Sorry to lecture, but there are hard lessons to be learned from the hard knocks:-

• take at least monthly readings to avoid estimated bills;
• off peak electricity costs an arm and a leg, peak electricity costs both arms and both legs - that's why most people use gas;
• use the CEC and CAB to explore the Economy 7 tariff (if necessary, you can usually revert to single rate, they just add the two readings together);
• check that your FDD is set at 1/12th the annual cost (better still, go for VDD if available) and;
• rely on hard facts rather than belief and emotion.