Energy prices already doubled/trebled

Lisawhatnow

Hi

Just had a ridiculously extortionate gas and electric bill (£1500 for 72 days!) from Scottish Power. Recently moved into this property and SP were my provider at the previous address. Looking into why this might have happened I see on my new tariff electricity price per kWh is double what I was paying previously and gas is triple! The energy prices haven't even gone up yet have they? And I thought it was by 50% not 300 % ?! In shock.

TheMilkmansDad

what was your opening read and what tariff did you get set up with? Did you default to the deemed tariff or did you fix?

what are your readings now, are you still on the same tariff? Are your bills based on readings or estimates?

Verdigris

Did you stay on the SVT, which you'd have automatically been put on when you sent the opening meter readings? Or were you talked into a fixed deal? Have you checked the opening reading on the bill, against the one you sent? It's possible they've put the previous owner/tenant's usage on, if you didn't supply a reading.

QrizB

Welcome to the forum.

Lisawhatnow said:

Just had a ridiculously extortionate gas and electric bill (£1500 for 72 days!) from Scottish Power. Recently moved into this property and SP were my provider at the previous address. Looking into why this might have happened I see on my new tariff electricity price per kWh is double what I was paying previously and gas is triple! The energy prices haven't even gone up yet have they? And I thought it was by 50% not 300 % ?! In shock.

As others have said, without knowing what your tariff is (and how much energy you've used in those 72 days) we really can't help.

As you're in a new home and have no usage history, have you been taking weekly meter readings so you can get a feel for the property and identify any parasitic loads?

Robin9

More checks - do the serial numbers on the bill and the meter match?

- what letters are after the readings on the bill -  A, C or E ?

- are the opening reads on the bill the same as what you gave SP ?


and keep your own records even if you have a Smart.

Tri2012

our eonnext tariff about to end been offered 2 as an existing customer my fixed ends 31/3

DD from £110 to £117  a 1 year fix 

Electric

Next Online v4  current 

Fixed term ends 31/03/2022

18.23 p/kWh 20.17 p/day

(All rates inc. VAT)

Gas Next Online v4Fixed term ends 31/03/20223.18 p/kWh 21.67 p/day

(All rates inc. VAT)

New tariff 

Electricity

Next Flex   New 

Starting on 31/03/2022

20.59 p/kWh 25.09 p/day

(All rates inc. VAT)

Gas

Next Flex

Starting on 31/03/2022

4.05 p/kWh 26.12 p/day

(All rates inc. VAT)

Lisawhatnow

Robin9 said:

More checks - do the serial numbers on the bill and the meter match?

- what letters are after the readings on the bill -  A, C or E ?

- are the opening reads on the bill the same as what you gave SP ?


and keep your own records even if you have a Smart.

Wasn't really asking about the ins and outs of this, I can look into all that myself. My point is that they have hiked up the price per unit already, when it's supposed to be on 1 April, and by a lot more than 50%. My bill says the prices are fixed until December 2023 so presumably that's true and it won't go up again. But why so much so soon !!!!!!? Some real pieces of work on here btw 🤣

molerat

Tri2012 said:

our eonnext tariff about to end been offered 2 as an existing customer my fixed ends 31/3

DD from £110 to £117  a 1 year fix 

Electric

Next Online v4  current 

Fixed term ends 31/03/2022

18.23 p/kWh 20.17 p/day

(All rates inc. VAT)

Gas Next Online v4Fixed term ends 31/03/20223.18 p/kWh 21.67 p/day

(All rates inc. VAT)

New tariff 

Electricity

Next Flex   New 

Starting on 31/03/2022

20.59 p/kWh 25.09 p/day

(All rates inc. VAT)

Gas

Next Flex

Starting on 31/03/2022

4.05 p/kWh 26.12 p/day

(All rates inc. VAT)

Next Flex is their standard variable so you will be in for a nasty shock as on 1st April those prices will be something around electric 27p / 45p and gas 7.5p / 27p

emmajones1976

Lisawhatnow said:

Robin9 said:

More checks - do the serial numbers on the bill and the meter match?

- what letters are after the readings on the bill -  A, C or E ?

- are the opening reads on the bill the same as what you gave SP ?


and keep your own records even if you have a Smart.

Wasn't really asking about the ins and outs of this, I can look into all that myself. My point is that they have hiked up the price per unit already, when it's supposed to be on 1 April, and by a lot more than 50%. My bill says the prices are fixed until December 2023 so presumably that's true and it won't go up again. But why so much so soon !!!!!!? Some real pieces of work on here btw 🤣

What has clearly happened here is you have been on a cheap fix at your old address, once you moved that ended.
What unit rates are you currently being billed at?

If you can look into it all yourself I am confused as to why you started this thread. No "pieces of work", you started a thread with little info and people asked you for more.

EssexHebridean

Lisawhatnow said:

Robin9 said:

More checks - do the serial numbers on the bill and the meter match?

- what letters are after the readings on the bill -  A, C or E ?

- are the opening reads on the bill the same as what you gave SP ?


and keep your own records even if you have a Smart.

Wasn't really asking about the ins and outs of this, I can look into all that myself. My point is that they have hiked up the price per unit already, when it's supposed to be on 1 April, and by a lot more than 50%. My bill says the prices are fixed until December 2023 so presumably that's true and it won't go up again. But why so much so soon !!!!!!? Some real pieces of work on here btw 🤣

At the risk of being described as a "real piece of work" for trying to help....as others have said, it sounds as though you  may have inadvertently agreed to a fix.
- What tariff does the new bill say you are on?
- What are the actual unit rates and SC's on the bill

If the bills states your prices are fixed until December 2023, then that is a fixed deal and is outside of any capped rates that are in place currently. 

ps - the questions Robin asked were all absolutely sensible and relevant - had it not turned out you had got a fixed tariff it would have been exploring the possible reasons why your bill was so high. 

QrizB

Lisawhatnow said:

Wasn't really asking about the ins and outs of this, I can look into all that myself. My point is that they have hiked up the price per unit already, when it's supposed to be on 1 April, and by a lot more than 50%. My bill says the prices are fixed until December 2023 so presumably that's true and it won't go up again. But why so much so soon !!!!!!? Some real pieces of work on here btw 🤣

Ah, that explains it. You've chosen a 2-year fix which is almost certainly more expensive than both the current cap *and* the coming April cap. It's no wonder that you are paying 2x what you were for electricity and 3x what you were for gas.

I'm guessing here, but if your old fixed-rate tariff was say 15p/kWh for electricity and 3.5p/kWh for gas it's quite possible that you've now chosen a fixed-rate tariff that's closer to 30p/kWh and 10p/kWh.

On the plus side, you know your tariff is fixed for two years so no surprises; you'll be paying £1500 for those 10 weeks next winter, too.