Help with approx £700 pcm electric bills

Gerry1

Sounds like you're on THTC which is a weird legacy tariff that no-one else offers and which is becoming very expensive to discourage its use before being withdrawn.

https://sse.co.uk/help/electric-heating/other-two-meter-tariffs

Please have a look at the bill and confirm this.

Not much point in contacting your employer before establishing what you have and what the options are, because at least one the meters will probably have to replaced. They will probably know less about it than you do.

There are lots of similar posts on the forum, but first you have to establish all the relevant facts.

QrizB

SublimeEnvy said:

The bills are in our employers names, I can raise it with them and request a switch but I'm not sure if they would. up to 30% cheaper is a massive difference

I've done the sums and it's 34% cheaper per kWh; the 17p/day on the standing charge is less significant.

I would hope your employer will let you switch. (I don't know anything about Scottish property law but if you were a tenant in England the utilities would be in your name and you would have the right to switch.)

If they don't let them switch, but you're on reasonable terms, you could ask them to pay the 34% of the bill that you could otherwise save?

SublimeEnvy

Im going to ring these people tomorrow to ask as we are a vulnerable household and might qualify for some kind of heating upgrade. https://www.homeenergyscotland.org/find-funding-grants-and-loans/warmer-homes-scotland/

SublimeEnvy

Gerry1 said:

Sounds like you're on THTC which is a weird legacy tariff that no-one else offers and which is becoming very expensive to discourage its use before being withdrawn.

https://sse.co.uk/help/electric-heating/other-two-meter-tariffs

Please have a look at the bill and confirm this.

Not much point in contacting your employer before establishing what you have and what the options are, because at least one the meters will probably have to replaced. They will probably know less about it than you do.

There are lots of similar posts on the forum, but first you have to establish all the relevant facts.

Yes that sounds like exactly what we have and how our employer described it to use though. We don't have any working storage heaters in the home, there were 3 previously but they are broken, and off at the wall. The other heaters that work are electric radiators. 

SublimeEnvy

QrizB said:

SublimeEnvy said:

The bills are in our employers names, I can raise it with them and request a switch but I'm not sure if they would. up to 30% cheaper is a massive difference

I've done the sums and it's 34% cheaper per kWh; the 17p/day on the standing charge is less significant.

I would hope your employer will let you switch. (I don't know anything about Scottish property law but if you were a tenant in England the utilities would be in your name and you would have the right to switch.)

If they don't let them switch, but you're on reasonable terms, you could ask them to pay the 34% of the bill that you could otherwise save?

wow thank you for working that out, thats a huge saving and definitely worth asking them. 

Gerry1

No point in trying to find another water supply when your bucket has a massive leak !

Let's establish the facts first. 

SublimeEnvy

I'll contact our employer tomorrow to confirm the THTC, that link is very helpful too as it says even SSE are phasing it out and upgrading homes with it in. Thank you

SublimeEnvy

Sorry just found the bill, it says standard THTC. Tariff type evergreen 
Standard energy unit rate 21.76p per kWh Heating control energy unit rate 17.59p per kWh

Gerry1

Well, panel heaters etc that use daytime electricity represent the worst possible form of heating because nothing else is more expensive.  Correction: except when you use them on a crazily expensive tariff.  Please establish the facts, don't just guess that it's 'standard' which is meaningless.  It's like driving through snow without using wipers, it will just end in tears if you can't see.

What are the kWh rates and standing charges, including VAT?  You'd probably be better off on a single rate, which you can do without changing meters.

https://sse.co.uk/help/electric-heating/radio-tele-switching

Restricted Meter Good Practice Guide.pdf

Ofgem: RHT must offer single rate

Ofgem | Comply with Restricted Meters Requirements

Victory: 2 MPANs but one SC

A Dynamic Teleswitch Update – Successful Switch!

Once again, don't bother your employer or seek assistance until you have established the facts. Your existing system was intended for storage heaters and is desperately unsuited to panel radiators.  Your best bet would probably be to get modern storage heaters such as Dimplex Quantum on an Economy 7 tariff, and then you could escape from SSE and switch to the cheapest supplier.

Gerry1

SublimeEnvy said:

Gerry1 said:

Sounds like you're on THTC which is a weird legacy tariff that no-one else offers and which is becoming very expensive to discourage its use before being withdrawn.

https://sse.co.uk/help/electric-heating/other-two-meter-tariffs

Please have a look at the bill and confirm this.

Not much point in contacting your employer before establishing what you have and what the options are, because at least one the meters will probably have to replaced. They will probably know less about it than you do.

There are lots of similar posts on the forum, but first you have to establish all the relevant facts.

We don't have any working storage heaters in the home, there were 3 previously but they are broken, and off at the wall.

There's not a lot to go wrong with storage heaters, probably just replacement of a fusible link or the input thermostat.  In the short term it should be quite cheap and straightforward to get them fixed.  You'd then be able to switch to E7 from to a supplier of your choice with jut a little rewiring.  If the NSHs were designed for E10 or similar they may be under dimensioned by today's standards, but even if you top up using the panel heaters in the evening it would probably still be far cheaper, or you could add a modern storage heater (perhaps with a grant) to give greater output.

But don't shoot from the hip, keep your powder dry and make sure you understand what the best options are before doing anything.