Eye watering amounts some pay for energy

savers_united

Looking though some recent posts of many legacy fixes coming to an end and people being moved to the SVT or offered a new fix.

Just a bit shocked at a number of posts with "Been on a fix for the past 1 or 2 years and paying £250 a month"

Wow, that's £250 at a unit rate I guess somewhere between 2p & 3p gas and 12p-18p Electric.

Whilst there may be credit on the account and estimates have meant overpaying I doubt they are that far off. 

After April these household bills are going to be potentially upwards of £500 a month. Annual energy bill of £6k.

We don't live in a small modern house, it's a decent sized 1960s, 4 bed detached and I feel we already use too much energy as it is at £110 a month (smart meter so it's accurate and reflects actual usage), and that inc EV charging overnight.

1, The amount of energy some properties are consuming is hard to imagine. 

2, They differ enormously to come to the average figure

2, The Ofgem average although no doubt based on accurate data provided, does not really reflect the scale of increases some home owners are going to face. 

MattMattMattUK

savers_united said:

Looking though some recent posts of many legacy fixes coming to an end and people being moved to the SVT or offered a new fix.

Just a bit shocked at a number of posts with "Been on a fix for the past 1 or 2 years and paying £250 a month"

Wow, that's £250 at a unit rate I guess somewhere between 2p & 3p gas and 12p-18p Electric.

Whilst there may be credit on the account and estimates have meant overpaying I doubt they are that far off. 

After April these household bills are going to be potentially upwards of £500 a month. Annual energy bill of £6k.

We don't live in a small modern house, it's a decent sized 1960s, 4 bed detached and I feel we already use too much energy as it is at £110 a month (smart meter so it's accurate and reflects actual usage), and that inc EV charging overnight.

1, The amount of energy some properties are consuming is hard to imagine. 

Not really, large households, uninsulated houses, people who like their house too hot, hot tub users etc.

savers_united said:

2, They differ enormously to come to the average figure

That is because the average is an average, there will be lots of people close to it and some at the extremes.

savers_united said:

2, The Ofgem average although no doubt based on accurate data provided, does not really reflect the scale of increases some home owners are going to face. 

It give a fairly good example, for example if, as looks likely, the Ofgem figure will increase by 50%, then those people can also except their costs to rise by 50%.

There is an issue with the "price cap", which is an inaccurate name, it should really be called the rate cap, and the rates should be published as the headline figures, rather than the amount, which is largely meaningless. However it appears that is because the general public have a preference for dumbed down information, even if that means it is overly simplified or even inaccurate. 

Verdigris

Whilst I have every sympathy for people on very restricted incomes, too many people, apparently, don't give a fig about how much energy they consume. If you are old enough to rent/buy a house, you are old enough to take responsibily for how you run it. If any good comes out of this energy crisis it may be that some thoughtless people will rein in their consumption.

Awaits torrent of abuse

bristolleedsfan

savers_united said:

We don't live in a small modern house, it's a decent sized 1960s, 4 bed detached and I feel we already use too much energy as it is at £110 a month (smart meter so it's accurate and reflects actual usage), and that inc EV charging overnight.

You are on a tariff which Octopus have consistently said is loss making for them

FreeBear

MattMattMattUK said:

savers_united said:

2, They differ enormously to come to the average figure

That is because the average is an average, there will be lots of people close to it and some at the extremes.

I'm at the other end of the scale - Combined gas/elec bill is around £75 per month at the moment (rates are fractionally under the SVR).

savers_united

MattMattMattUK said:

savers_united said:

2, The Ofgem average although no doubt based on accurate data provided, does not really reflect the scale of increases some home owners are going to face. 

It give a fairly good example, for example if, as looks likely, the Ofgem figure will increase by 50%, then those people can also except their costs to rise by 50%.

Yes, it is 50% for everyone but those with a higher energy use will see a much larger rise.

£100 goes to £150

£300 - £450

£500 - £750

You can quickly see how many more will be classed fuel poverty, even those with decent earnings. 

£500 a month would mean an annual household income of £60k or more. 

ProDave

I keep saying it, but much of the UK housing stock is absolutely appalling in terms in (lack of) insulation and (again lack of) air tightness.

People have had the opportunity for years when buying houses to be informed about this via the EPC rating, but have largely chosen to ignore this.  IF you want a low running cost of your house, buy one with a low EPC.

Perhaps this "energy crisis" will eventually force people to sit up and notice, and if demand is higher for energy efficient houses, then the poorer expensive to run houses might be worth less to reflect the work they need doing to them.

MattMattMattUK

ProDave said:

I keep saying it, but much of the UK housing stock is absolutely appalling in terms in (lack of) insulation and (again lack of) air tightness.

People have had the opportunity for years when buying houses to be informed about this via the EPC rating, but have largely chosen to ignore this.  IF you want a low running cost of your house, buy one with a low EPC.

Or do something about it, there are a multitude of options for most homes, it is amazing how many people still don't have loft insulation which is easy to fit, let alone more complicated and expensive types. 

ProDave said:

Perhaps this "energy crisis" will eventually force people to sit up and notice, and if demand is higher for energy efficient houses, then the poorer expensive to run houses might be worth less to reflect the work they need doing to them.

I doubt it, many people are remarkably resistant to change, the majority of people will either complain about the cost, complain about being cold, or both. 

wild666

savers_united said:

Just a bit shocked at a number of posts with "Been on a fix for the past 1 or 2 years and paying £250 a month"

Wow, that's £250 at a unit rate I guess somewhere between 2p & 3p gas and 12p-18p Electric.

Whilst there may be credit on the account and estimates have meant overpaying I doubt they are that far off. 

After April these household bills are going to be potentially upwards of £500 a month. Annual energy bill of £6k. 

Imagine someone on benefits without a job having to pay £500 per month? In the majority of cases that would be more than their monthly benefit, especially if they lived in a large house and were trying to move to a smaller property. Councils might act quickly to free up the large home but if the person rented privately they wouldn't help or the place was their own paid for home. 
I know it could be down to them just turning the heating on when they felt the slightest bit cold but in reality there are ways of keeping warm without putting the heating on and one is a hot water bottle, another is layer up with clothing.

maisie_cat

When we moved here to an old stone cottage we inherited ancient storage heaters, an ancient oil rayburn for HW and a wood burner.
The fuel costs were horrendous so we worked our way through improvements as investments.
Now the prices have increased we are still paying less than we were. The problem is that many people either can't or won't make changes that reduce consumption.
My nephew has his house at 24 degrees and sits around in shorts, cooks 2 sausages in the oven and has 2 baths a day.

whirlyhead

My £130 a month (actual usage) has gone to £295 a month (actual usage). That's a 3-bed terrace, 2 adults, well-insulated, heating on 4 hours a day, thermostat at 19 degrees.  I'm with good energy so no price cap.  I don't feel like we're using loads of energy - all low wattage lights, walk around in the dark a lot etc.  We're actually using less energy than this time last year!