Moved into a one bedroom and payed 240 for the first month. Can this change?

merchcon55

Have you considered getting electric heaters instead of using the "wet radiators" you have at moment? If you are paying about £8 a day, say at 15p/KW ( i did not see your rate) that's 53KW per day. While these heaters can be expensive, they don't run all the time - they also have a thermostat and turn on and off as needed. You only need to heat the living room area when you are in that room - and you only need to heat the bedroom as required. Sure, it's not the benefit of central heating - and I am not suggesting this is a perfect solution. 

Dimplex DXFF30TSN 3kW Flat Fan Heater

I have one of these in my home office room - there are 2 setting 1500W and 3000W - i never ever use the higher setting. The room is about 4m x 2.5m with 2 outside walls and a flat roof (a former garage). I have the thermostat set about the half way level, and have it on through the day - of course it turns itself off when the room is at the desired temperature. I have put a monitor on it at times, and so I know I use say 4KW during a typical 8am - 6pm work day (10 hours). That's about 55p in electricity - very affordable for working in a warm environment.

I also have a low voltage foot warmer under my desk - its actually a heating pad for pets (45cm x 45cm) - only uses 20Watts (so 10hrs a day x 5 days = 1 KW = 13p). Very very effective in keeping my feet and legs warm. They only cost about £10 on ebay.

For hot water do you have a separate immersion heater? This could save money over running the boiler - some experimentation and monitoring is needed. Best of luck.

amapofthepiano

Okay so this is a never ending journey....EDF support told me that the moment i switch (three weeks from the application) they can switch me to one tariff without changing the meter. All of that was !!!!!!. When i switched i found out i have to wait for another month, apply for the switch, get the appointment to change the meter (not sure what my landlord will say about it but the agency kinda gave me the permission) and two weeks after the meter change the tariff will become active - the only bit that was faster in the reality. I FINALLY switched to a one rate and a direct debit yesterday so i think i'm on the cheapest combination this apartment can possibly be - even though i don't know how much it'll cost me in reality. Only took me 4 months - coldest and the most expensive of the year =\
Thanks for help and advices everyone! It's been very helpful.

Gerry1

You may be on the cheapest EDF tariff but that's unlikely to be the cheapest on the market.  As you're new to the UK, you may find that a credit check initially makes it difficult to switch to another supplier, but that should be your goal.  Even if you have to pay EDF an exit fee it might still be worth it, so do the sums carefully.  Make sure you are on the Electoral Register.

Start comparing tariffs with Citizens Advice and 'Which? Switch', entering your guesstimated annual kWh usage. Just compare annual costs, always ignore all projections and savings claims.  Also have a look at the customer service ratings on Citizens Advice and the 'Add your feedback on energy supplier xxxx...' threads here on the forum: Symbio are cheap but might not be the best choice !  Neon Reef might be a good choice if they are near the top of the results lists.

Remember to send monthly readings, keep your own records and check that your DD payments are keeping up with your usage, it's not All You Can Eat: if you use more than expected your DD will be increased twice, once to reflect your higher usage and again to reclaim your arrears.