British Gas Final Bill

Perksy5

Hello!
So my British Gas fixed rate is coming to an end in the next few days. I had arranged for us to switch to another supplier as checking the monthly payments on their existing customer deals was well into £70 p/m, and managed to get approx £55p/m for gas and electricity with new supplier.
Switch already to go through and my account recently said £16 credit which i thought was strange.

Weirder still it now says I'm £500.78 in debit! Almost had a heart attack waking up.

This is my first home and I'm new to gas and electricity and all this. I currently pay £25.65 a month which I thought was average monthly payments, and even thought my £55 p.m new deal seemed a bit high but I thought maybe leaving a switch late would do that.

I've just messaged British Gas to query if this is correct and waiting on a reply.

Is this normal? I'm really worried about it all now and not sure what I'm gonna do to get that paid in such short notice. If there was a problem with my monthly payments shouldn't that get picked up before? I'm so anxious!

Any advice would be welcome 😭

Robin9

Are you normally billed 6 monthly or 3 monthly ?

If so have a good look at your account and you may well find that the account shows your DD's and any credit/debt at the time of your last bill  but not the costs of the energy used since.

Neil_Jones

What you pay in direct debit terms is not your bill.  It is a contribution towards your usage.

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits/

You are reading your meters and giving them to British Gas I presume?  Far likely what's happened is all your previous readings are estimates and now they've had an actual reading (whether supplied by you, a meter reader or the cat) it just reveals how far out you've been.  £26 a month for both gas and electricity sounds far too low in the first place.

[Deleted User]

Hi,

have you been providing regular meter readings, or accepting estimates?

Perksy5

[Deleted User] said:

Hi,

have you been providing regular meter readings, or accepting estimates?

No the tariff was supposedly meant to have a smart meter when I first took it out but it never arrived (I'm guessing covid), so figured they still do readings somehow. It must've all been estimates.  Oh god ☹

Robin9

Perksy5 said:

This is my first home and I'm new to gas and electricity and all this. I currently pay £25.65 a month which I thought was average monthly payments, ...........

@Perksy5 - I rather think you are on a steep learning curve - there is no way that you can heat and light your property for £25.65  a month -  where did that figure come from.   Standing charges alone will amount to half of that.

What figures have you been using to get your new quotes ?  Hopefully you have used your ACTUAL annual consumption.

Perksy5

Robin9 said:

Perksy5 said:

This is my first home and I'm new to gas and electricity and all this. I currently pay £25.65 a month which I thought was average monthly payments, ...........

@Perksy5 - I rather think you are on a steep learning curve - there is no way that you can heat and light your property for £25.65  a month -  where did that figure come from.   Standing charges alone will amount to half of that.

What figures have you been using to get your new quotes ?  Hopefully you have used your ACTUAL annual consumption.

Yes. Very helpful. I know that now.
I checked my app and went to usage and tapped those figures in for new quote so hoping new payments are accurate for new supplier. 
My issue is if what I have been paying is low how can it not be picked up if I don't know any different? Would much have rathered they doubled my payments or whatever months ago than face this now 🙃

Robin9

You must take responsibility for this - your supplier will review every 12 months (some at 6) but you have the same information from the meter readings you have been giving and the statements you have received all of which will be on your app. As has been said  - you have been reading your meters haven't you ?

Perksy5

Robin9 said:

You must take responsibility for this - your supplier will review every 12 months (some at 6) but you have the same information from the meter readings you have been giving and the statements you have received all of which will be on your app. As has been said  - you have been reading your meters haven't you ?

No as I said it is a smart meter tariff that was to have a smart meter installed but its not been done as I already said im guessing due to covid? 
So the payments would be based on their estimates which is obviously whats caught me out here. I don't know how to read meters or that I have to. Didnt know thats a thing! Hard learn i suppose but there we go.
Naieve to think that a smart meter tariff would be assessed remotely and I dont have to worry about all that. 😐

Robin9

Google is your friend for reading meters  -lots of videos. Some of them can be very difficult to read  - particularly those with a  small key pad and always watch out for the decimal point.

   Even if your meter had been changed to Smart almost certainly your new supplier will require you to read meters

Hasbeen

OP if you are switching suppliers the smart meter might not be compatible anyway.

Also any debt would have to be paid off before a switch is allowed.

The recommended comparison sites are Switch with Which and the C.A.B sites. They do not have filters that only show some deals. They show all tariffs.

Google your meter types there are instructions on how to read them.

Try and input every month your readings.