Need some advice please (Utility point)

PennineAcute

You say you gave UP estimated gas and elec readings when you started with them (based on the previous 18 months) What were those figures and what is the unit price and standing charge for you gas and elec?

You are using around 11 kWof electricity a day, which is on the high side. This is around 4000 kW per annum (not accounting for seasonal usage).

£70 seem low to me.

Also are you being billed using your monthly readings, or are they being estimated?

j4g3d

Gerry1 wrote: »

It seems very likely that your DD has been set too low so it will have to rise so that you keep up during the winter. Not much point in challenging that because you'll only complain all the more when you're in debt at the end of the winter and it'll have to rise even more.

You need to understand how DDs work. It's not all all you can eat tariff like the TV licence, so your usage has to be paid for sooner or later and it all comes out in the wash at some stage.

What you really must do is to find the reading from two years ago and see how many kWh you have used in the meantime. You can then work out your actual consumption (not estimated) and check that you're on the best tariff. Once again, forget DD amounts, think annual kWh and annual costs.

You can't escape the exit fee just because the DD changes.

Yes fully understand that, you pay for what you use, pay as you go if you like. But as I say, before joining them I gave them readings as to what I've used.

This was based on a reading from 18 months prior and reading to the day I was taking out the dual energy with them. I divided it and calculated what I use per 12 months. This should of worked out higher than I use because the previous 18 months we had 2 bad winters. We left our last supplier because the monthly bill went from £60 to £85, they said energy prices are increasing, not because what we were using, but because of what ofgem recommended (or something like that) I forget exactly what they said in the email without checking it.

Now the new supplier will be more expensive than the last :rotfl:

j4g3d

PennineAcute wrote: »

You say you gave UP estimated gas and elec readings when you started with them (based on the previous 18 months) What were those figures and what is the unit price and standing charge for you gas and elec?

You are using around 11 kWof electricity a day, which is on the high side. This is around 4000 kW per annum (not accounting for seasonal usage).

£70 seem low to me.

Also are you being billed using your monthly readings, or are they being estimated?

On one bill it says the following:

Price p/kWh 13.759p kWh used 298.8
Cost of electricity used: £41.12
Standing charge for 31 Days @ 15.430p

This is just a 2 bedroom terraced house.

PennineAcute

So if you are using around 4000 kW per annum, @ 13.579p per kW and 15.42p per day, this is a total of around £600 pa just for electricity, which works out @ £50 per month.

What was your figure you gave UP for your gas estimate? I am going to assume around 10,000.

Using the figures I was paying, when I was with UP 12.621p S/C and 3.1101p per kW (which will be reasonably accurate), 10,000 kW pa is around £360, which is £30 pm.

This gives a total of £80 a month for both gas and elec. You have been paying £70 a month for 6 months, when you should have been paying £80 a month, so are already £60 down.

The increase they are asking seems pretty reasonable to me.

j4g3d

PennineAcute wrote: »

So if you are using around 4000 kW per annum, @ 13.579p per kW and 15.42p per day, this is a total of around £600 pa just for electricity, which works out @ £50 per month.

What was your figure you gave UP for your gas estimate? I am going to assume around 10,000.

Using the figures I was paying, when I was with UP 12.621p S/C and 3.1101p per kW (which will be reasonably accurate), 10,000 kW pa is around £360, which is £30 pm.

This gives a total of £80 a month for both gas and elec. You have been paying £70 a month for 6 months, when you should have been paying £80 a month, so are already £60 down.

The increase they are asking seems pretty reasonable to me.

This is where I am getting confused.
If by your maths I am using £50 per month right now for electricity and £30 per month for gas, thats £80. Where does £94 come from? And why is my account in credit so much money when i've only been paying £70 per month?

My estimate for electricity is that I will use approx 3700kWh per year @ 13.579p per kW and 14.42p per day = £558 per annum
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My estimate for Gas is that I will use approx 3600kWh per year @ 2.905p per kW and 13.810p per day = £154 per annum.

Which divided by 12 = £59 per month.

As I say, im not great at maths and the GAS readings may be higher than expected during the winter, i'll need to dig out my old readings for that. But I still am unsure where £94 comes from? I mean, if its showing im using £59 a month and im paying £70, how do they work out that I now need to pay £94?

PennineAcute

Where are getting 3600 kW for estimated gas use? I very much doubt - unless you like to live in the cold, that you will use this. I am in a one bed flat, and your estimation is approx 1/2 of what I use in a year.

1 unit on your gas meter is not equal to 1 kW of gas.

1 unit measurement on your gas meter is equal to approx. 11.5 kW of gas, if it measures in cubic meters, or approx 33.5 kW, if it measures in cubic feet. Your meter will say which it is.

The conversion from either cubic meters, or cubic feet, to kW depends on the calorific value. Energy companies use the mean value for the period of your bill.

Gerry1

kiloWatt hours, not kiloWatts ! !

PennineAcute

See this for how your gas bill is calculated. The only variable is the calorific value, which is calculated at the time of your bill

PennineAcute

Gerry1 wrote: »

kiloWatt hours, not kiloWatts ! !

yes, I stand corrected.

Gerry1

PennineAcute wrote: »

See this for how your gas bill is calculated.

If you miss the microprint, that will give the wrong answer if you have an imperial meter. It's easier to use this calculator.