Green Supplier Ltd switch to Shell Energy

Shades2

Received my email from Shell now with new prices, projected increase in cost £426 for the year, I think that's underestimated a little so I may choose to increase the DD by more to put in a little cushion for what might happen in October.

Seahorse6

We were switched from Green to Shell in October. had to wait until just before Christmas for first bill was £560!  We were in credit with Green £140 it was carried over. Our monthly bill with Green was £130 but with Shell it  immediately went up up to £220 a month we were put on Flexible 6 Variable not option or choice they said it is their cheapest tariff. Why did it go up by so much under the price cap!   Yesterday had email from Shell telling us from April 1st we will have increase of £1294 per year that is a monthly bill of £311!!!!   We are a retired couple in a 4 bedroomed house but only 2 of us. Our useage has not changed in fact I have compared our bills and useage from last year with Green and year before with Avro and our useage has gone down a bit.  This is criminal we cannot afford to pay this. What can we do?

Verdigris

Why did it go up by so much under the price cap!

Because you were paying well below the cap price with Green.

craig1912

Seahorse6 said:

 This is criminal we cannot afford to pay this. What can we do?

It’s not criminal. What can you do? 

Only two of you living in a four bedroom house…..move to a smaller house. If you genuinely can not afford it then it is probably the only solution

MWT

Seahorse6 said:

Our useage has not changed in fact I have compared our bills and useage from last year with Green and year before with Avro and our useage has gone down a bit.  This is criminal we cannot afford to pay this. What can we do?

If you want to tell us what your actual annual usage is, we can validate the £311 estimate you have been given, but the reality is that your original tariff with Green was too cheap, and what you are seeing now is the harsh reality of the current prices.

... but do check your Shell account as well, are your current payments too much or too little to cover your use?

masca

craig1912 said:

Seahorse6 said:

 This is criminal we cannot afford to pay this. What can we do?

It’s not criminal. What can you do? 

Only two of you living in a four bedroom house…..move to a smaller house. If you genuinely can not afford it then it is probably the only solution

There are arguably reasons why a couple shouldn't perhaps be living in a 4 bedroom house but, unless the house has electric heating (maybe unlikely in a house of that size?), electricity bills are unlikely to be one of them.  Why would a smaller house have lower usage?  It's the number of people, the lifestyle and the equipment used that dictates this, surely?

lisyloo

masca said:

craig1912 said:

Seahorse6 said:

 This is criminal we cannot afford to pay this. What can we do?

It’s not criminal. What can you do? 

Only two of you living in a four bedroom house…..move to a smaller house. If you genuinely can not afford it then it is probably the only solution

There are arguably reasons why a couple shouldn't perhaps be living in a 4 bedroom house but, unless the house has electric heating (maybe unlikely in a house of that size?), electricity bills are unlikely to be one of them.  Why would a smaller house have lower usage?  It's the number of people, the lifestyle and the equipment used that dictates this, surely?

You’re right it’s down to the equipment and lifestyle, but that is often related to size (not always).
for example a tiny studio won’t have 2 separate offices in and if 2 people were working there they probably wouldn’t have the same number of screens etc.

but you’re point about consumption is entirely valid.

Ultrasonic

masca said:
Why would a smaller house have lower usage?

A larger house has more rooms to heat, likely larger communal rooms like lounge and kitchen, and more surface area to lose heat from. A detached house will also lose more heat than one attached to another home that is itself heated.

Edit: the financially more significant change would of course be the equity released on selling the larger home, or reduction in rent if rented. Council tax would be cheaper too. I'm not saying everyone should move to smaller homes but there was financial logic behind the original suggestion.

masca

Ultrasonic said:

masca said:
Why would a smaller house have lower usage?

A larger house has more rooms to heat, likely larger communal rooms like lounge and kitchen, and more surface area to lose heat from. A detached house will also lose more heat than one attached to another home that is itself heated.

Edit: the financially more significant change would of course be the equity released on selling the larger home, or reduction in rent if rented. Council tax would be cheaper too. I'm not saying everyone should move to smaller homes but there was financial logic behind the original suggestion.

Thanks for the lesson...!  However, the query here relates to the previous poster's electricity bill.  Moving house is a somwhat drastic suggestion/response, and assuming no electric heating (which the pp hasn't mentioned so far as I can see), then a smaller house is unlikely to make very much difference to an average retired couple's electricity consumption.

Ultrasonic

masca said:

Ultrasonic said:

masca said:
Why would a smaller house have lower usage?

A larger house has more rooms to heat, likely larger communal rooms like lounge and kitchen, and more surface area to lose heat from. A detached house will also lose more heat than one attached to another home that is itself heated.

Edit: the financially more significant change would of course be the equity released on selling the larger home, or reduction in rent if rented. Council tax would be cheaper too. I'm not saying everyone should move to smaller homes but there was financial logic behind the original suggestion.

Thanks for the lesson...!  However, the query here relates to the previous poster's electricity bill.  Moving house is a somwhat drastic suggestion/response, and assuming no electric heating (which the pp hasn't mentioned so far as I can see), then a smaller house is unlikely to make very much difference to an average retired couple's electricity consumption.

Hence my edit that you quoted...