If I go into debit, should I top up straight away or wait until spring for it to balance out?

Adam1996

I moved into a flat in August last year but didn't start paying Electricity until September so not had the opportunity to build up a balance on my electricity bill.

I live alone and work from home full time, so increased usage for a single person during the day. Over the past few months where I've had heaters on (I have electric panel heaters in each room rather than central heating and tend to heat the room I work in during the day ) I have noticed I am regularly going into debit on my electric balance (not by huge amounts).

Should I be balancing this out immediately by making manual payments, wait to see if my supplier adjusts my direct debits, adjust myself or leave the balance as is for it to balance itself out in the spring/summer?

Thanks in advance for any advise!

Astria

I'd leave it alone, see if it balances out in the spring/summer when you'll be using less heating.

MWT

Different suppliers have different attitudes on this, some require you to pay a month in advance so they can insist that you keep your account positive with enough balance to cover the next payment at all times.

Others are more relaxed about it. Which supplier are you with?

Personally, if you can afford to do it, I would take the half-way position of just eliminating any negative balance when it occurs with a one-off payment and then over time your normal payments will build up a buffer so it should not be necessary to do it next year if the estimates of your annual use are accurate.

If you wait for your supplier to react you may find they will be inclined to put the DD up higher than you would prefer...

Adam1996

MWT said:

Different suppliers have different attitudes on this, some require you to pay a month in advance so they can insist that you keep your account positive with enough balance to cover the next payment at all times.

Others are more relaxed about it. Which supplier are you with?

Personally, if you can afford to do it, I would take the half-way position of just eliminating any negative balance when it occurs with a one-off payment and then over time your normal payments will build up a buffer so it should not be necessary to do it next year if the estimates of your annual use are accurate.

If you wait for your supplier to react you may find they will be inclined to put the DD up higher than you would prefer...

Thank you. I'm with Scottish Power. Currently using about £25 a week on electric and paying £61 / month in DD. 

Adam1996

Just in context, I was using about £15 a week just before winter and didn't use the heating.

EssexHebridean

Personally - and if I were new to an energy supplier - I'd be looking to keep things topped up during the winter as otherwise the risk is they will insist on increasing the direct debit and the chances are they'll want to take more than you'd prefer to pay!  Oddly enough, we too joined our current supplier last autumn - I've been keeping an eye on use (the DD was already set at a level we knew would be a little higher than we'd really need, but with what is going on with energy prices we didn't see that as a bad thing) and also stashing an added amount into an account as a buffer against future price increases. 

MWT

Adam1996 said:

Just in context, I was using about £15 a week just before winter and didn't use the heating.

If your use before winter was around £60 a month and your DD is set at £61 then that would suggest your DD is too low and you are not going to clear the debt you are currently building up...

Adam1996

MWT said:

Adam1996 said:

Just in context, I was using about £15 a week just before winter and didn't use the heating.

If your use before winter was around £60 a month and your DD is set at £61 then that would suggest your DD is too low and you are not going to clear the debt you are currently building up...

It was a little odd, Scottish Power reduced my DD a couple of months after I had moved in from around £77 down to £51 because I was using less than expected, but I guess this hasn't helped in the long run

Adam1996

Adam1996 said:

MWT said:

Adam1996 said:

Just in context, I was using about £15 a week just before winter and didn't use the heating.

If your use before winter was around £60 a month and your DD is set at £61 then that would suggest your DD is too low and you are not going to clear the debt you are currently building up...

It was a little odd, Scottish Power reduced my DD a couple of months after I had moved in from around £77 down to £51 because I was using less than expected, but I guess this hasn't helped in the long run

*correction* - £61

RogerBareford

Personally i always prefer to have a negative balance as much as possible because it's far better to have the money in my account than in theirs... especially when a supplier fails!

MWT

RogerBareford said:

Personally i always prefer to have a negative balance as much as possible because it's far better to have the money in my account than in theirs... especially when a supplier fails!

If your supplier will let you do that, and you do keep the money aside for when it is needed then good luck

Most of them do have T&Cs that will legitimately require you not to do that though if you want to avoid having your tariff increased.