Please help, I'm lost!

schnegge_london

littlewren said:

As a P.S. when I spoke to Octopus this morning - and I have to say their customer service is excellent - the man tried to explain to me further but it still wasn't sinking in!

He said that staying on the new fixed tariff would be £152 per month, but coming off it and staying on the price cap it would be £120, so not a great deal of difference, which leaves me even more confused as to how he came to that price when I've been paying £78 on the current price cap.  I asked if that was because of the leap in electricity standing charge and he said no.

Also, if I was on a variable tariff (until I changed last night) why is it still referred to as being on the price cap?

Good grief this is so confusing.

Has anyone any ideas plse?

*Thank you for all your help*

I think their systems might take a bit to reflect your tariff correctly, usually around 48h, that is why you might not see it correctly atm.

You have any old bills with our usage? (Actual, not estimated!)
What might be worth is checking you much you really use over the low usage summer months compared to the winter months. 
Then you would have an idea what to expect. 
Also does the fix come with any exit fees?


I do feel you that these are uncertain times. I live in an all electric flat so it is a nightmare to be honest. Me and my partner have decent jobs, but we are paying over 200 a month just on electricity, which is just insane... And all the support this government is giving is a laughing stock. 

QrizB

littlewren said:

QrizB said:

It's quite unusual to have gas *and* Economy 7. Do you have a mixture of gas and electric heating?

Thank you so much for your reply QrizB.  No I only have gas central heating.  My electric meter has day and night readings so I presumed it was still called Economy 7.

The reason I ask is that the "day" electricity rate on E7 is a bit higher than a single-rate tariff. That's usually not a problem if you have storage heaters, as you make most of your use on the "night" rate, but if you're not using much night rate electricity you would probabbly save a little bit by switching to the single-rat version of the tariff.

EssexHebridean said:

littlewren said:

QrizB said:

It's quite unusual to have gas *and* Economy 7. Do you have a mixture of gas and electric heating?

Thank you so much for your reply QrizB.  No I only have gas central heating.  My electric meter has day and night readings so I presumed it was still called Economy 7.

So how much use do you make of the overnight cheap rate? 

If you can tell us your meter readings, showing how much electricity you use on each of the day and night rates, we can let you know whether you'd be better off on a single-rate tariff.

littlewren

If it's ok I will answer these kind replies tomorrow, I have to go to Specsavers to pick up some glasses and when I get back I'm going to chill and try and forget about energy as I'm feeling pretty stressed - like everyone else I imagine.  Back tomorrow and thank you again!

wild666

The two fixes I'm being offered by Octopus are very close if not slightly more than the 24% that Martin Lewis is saying that the prices will rise at present. I was waiting until the end of Feb. to see if the cheapest fix for me, 31.72p & 8.7p would be available but Putin invaded the Ukraine and the prices went up overnight, 24th to 25th, although they have decreased slightly they are over what I would fix at, 15% to 20%, I can only see prices increasing as one UK dock is refusing to unload Russian gas. 

Gerry1

You need to establish the kWh electricity usage over the past year based on actual meter readings so that you can do the sums as to whether E7 is worthwhile.  Even if your night kWh usage is as low as about 18 - 20% there can be a slight advantage with some suppliers.

If single rate is cheaper you don't need to change the meter, many suppliers including British Gas, Shell Energy, E.On, E.On Next, EDF, SO and SSE will just bill both registers at the same rate: I believe Octopus also offers this.

littlewren

Well, this morning I decided to ring Octopus Energy again and thanks to your replies to my post I have now sorted out a tariff which is much better for me, which is why I haven't posted my annual usage.  Thank you so much to all your replies, you've been a great help!