Energy when moving - help please!

Inca2022

Hi all,

I am moving to a flat with central heating from a flat with just electricity at the end of February.

The new flat is in an older building, and has a smart meter.

We are currently on PAYG (we’re topping up £50 every 6 days roughly, it’s quite expensive) with Bulb and the flat we are moving to has Bulb as it’s supplier as well. The current tenants told us their prices for energy went from £60p/m to £130p/m after the price rise.

I just wanted to ask if there’s any advice on things we need to do when moving in terms of our gas and electricity. Should we look to move to a fixed tariff as soon as possible? I’ve never lived anywhere with central heating/gas since moving out of my family home, and with the prices what they are and what they’re going to be, I just wanted to see if anyone had any advice? 

Thank you!

(it’s my first time posting here so apologies for any mistakes I’ve made!)

Robin9

On leaving your old property read the meters (inc water?) take photos ring the supplier

At your property read the meters (inc water?) take photos ring the supplier.   You will go onto a standard tariff - resit any suggestion from that supplier to go on a fix.

There's no point in trying to move suppliers at the moment - it's a moving target - watch this forum.

As you are moving from gas heating to electric be prepared for very large bills.  What form dooes the electric heating take ?  storage/panel/ underfloor/ wet radiators ?

Inca2022

Robin9 said:

On leaving your old property read the meters (inc water?) take photos ring the supplier

At your property read the meters (inc water?) take photos ring the supplier.   You will go onto a standard tariff - resit any suggestion from that supplier to go on a fix.

There's no point in trying to move suppliers at the moment - it's a moving target - watch this forum.

As you are moving from gas heating to electric be prepared for very large bills.  What form dooes the electric heating take ?  storage/panel/ underfloor/ wet radiators ?

Hi Robin, 

thanks for your response! Noted that we should just stay on the variable (I assume this is what a variable tariff is) once we move.

We’re moving from an electric-only flat to a flat with central heating. Our current electric only flat just has small heaters on the walls and struggle to spread any heat. The flat we’re moving to has radiators in every room directly under the windows, and seem to have been adjusted in size to suit the window size if that makes sense!

Should we be expecting our bills to go up massively since we’re moving from electric to gas heating?

QrizB

Inca2022 said:

Should we be expecting our bills to go up massively since we’re moving from electric to gas heating?

Gas is a lot cheaper than electricity which will work in your favour. However the amount you use will depend on the new flat. Is it bigger/smaller, newer/older, have more outside walls?

Robin9

Sorry @Inca2022  I got the heating move the wrong way around.

Enjoy your new gas heated property

Inca2022

@QrizB we’re moving from an EPC C to an EPC D (aware this isn’t great unfortunately!) and the new flat is slightly bigger.

However our current flat is very open plan and has large floor to ceiling windows on both ends of the property, and is near the waterfront so the windiest part of the city we live in. Because of the way the flat is set out, you have to be sitting very close to the large windows too in all the rooms. Also our next door neighbours on one side are only in their flat for a couple of weeks a year, so we get no heat from them on one side. 

Our new flat actually has rooms and standard size windows, and is away from the waterfront. So while it is older and has a lower EPC rating I’m hoping it will balance out!

QrizB

Your old flat sounds as though it looks very nice in estate agent's brochures but is a bit of an energy black hole when you live in it!

I would expect your new one to cost less, even if it needs a bit more energy - just because gas is so much cheaper than electricity.