Energy bills go up TOMORROW - meter read TODAY!

Sea_Shell

kaMelo said:

Reading this thread prompted me to do some calculations, both for the here and now and a (Hopefully) worst case scenario of 50% rise in October. We use around 6000kWh Electric and 18000kWh Gas, so I knew it would be somewhat worse than the often quoted typical usage figures and costs but, if I'm being honest, it's pretty sober reading.

Previously we were with Symbio and Zog Energy, their combined costs annually were £1403. (£117 per month)
Now with eOn Next and EDF, their combined annual costs with April 2022 price cap  £3256  (£271 per month)
A (hopefully) worst case scenario 50% increase in October 2022 price cap results in annual costs of £4884 (£407 per month)

April's price cap is a 232% rise from what I was paying in October 2021 just before Symbio Energy went bust.
If the worst case scenario comes true then October 2022 will be a 348% increase on what I was paying in October 2021.

If ever I needed motivation to become more energy efficient this has to be it. 

@kaMelo

I'd say the same as I just have for MissRikkiC above, although your gas isn't quite as high....that electric is VERY high.

Are you charging an electric vehicle??

MissRikkiC

So we have got an Electric shower, but no other items such as fish tank etc. We use cloth nappies with my little one so washing machine and through the winter TD are on every day without fail. 

Gas, again a cold winter and a small child plus working from home since forever so heating has been on throughout the winter. 

The starting number was taken from my deemed reading when I moved to shell, which would have come from previous supplier and read by me, last reading was just prior to smart meter install so again deemed but accurate prior to starting the SM. Then the numbers to date are from the digital smart reader for electric. 

Gas was again deemed on moving to shell and then a reading taken by me about a week ago, converted to the kWh. 

All numbers have been roughly prorated but with a teeny bit extra to cover myself. 

I know it seems high, it’s worrying. we’re fortunate; it can be afforded but still don’t like it! 

EssexHebridean

With an electric shower plus a TD in use frequently the electricity use figures are probably explained to be honest - both those things guzzle power unfortunately!  Hopefully you're having the lovely weather we are currently and so your TD is staying firmly off!

MissRikkiC

Thanks @EssexHebridean

Well me and the smart meter have become good friends this morning, it’s sat next to my laptop and I’m monitoring what’s been used 😅 

Washing is on the line for the first time this year this morning with another load on ready to go. 

Does anyone know if when just on a standard tariff; there are cheaper periods throughout the day? Appreciate there have been other rates discussed previously (and annoyance to neighbours of noisy machines on at night!) but are they tariffs which require you to opt into them? 

Sea_Shell

MissRikkiC said:

Thanks @EssexHebridean

Well me and the smart meter have become good friends this morning, it’s sat next to my laptop and I’m monitoring what’s been used 😅 

Washing is on the line for the first time this year this morning with another load on ready to go. 

Does anyone know if when just on a standard tariff; there are cheaper periods throughout the day? Appreciate there have been other rates discussed previously (and annoyance to neighbours of noisy machines on at night!) but are they tariffs which require you to opt into them? 

AIUI You can be on both Economy 7 and the standard variable tariff, if your meter supports it.   So it might be worth doing the sums and getting moved onto that, possibly.   But usually that's designed for those with electric storage heaters, so they can charge overnight.

However, as yet, there aren't any more sophisticated "time of use" tariffs for general stuff (maybe for EVs), and not during the daytime, and anyway E7 would mean running washing machines and tumble driers overnight, which isn't recommended from a safety POV.

MissRikkiC

Sea_Shell said:

MissRikkiC said:

Thanks @EssexHebridean

Well me and the smart meter have become good friends this morning, it’s sat next to my laptop and I’m monitoring what’s been used 😅 

Washing is on the line for the first time this year this morning with another load on ready to go. 

Does anyone know if when just on a standard tariff; there are cheaper periods throughout the day? Appreciate there have been other rates discussed previously (and annoyance to neighbours of noisy machines on at night!) but are they tariffs which require you to opt into them? 

AIUI You can be on both Economy 7 and the standard variable tariff, if your meter supports it.   So it might be worth doing the sums and getting moved onto that, possibly.   But usually that's designed for those with electric storage heaters, so they can charge overnight.

However, as yet, there aren't any more sophisticated "time of use" tariffs for general stuff (maybe for EVs), and not during the daytime, and anyway E7 would mean running washing machines and tumble driers overnight, which isn't recommended from a safety POV.

Ah okay, probably not really the need here; I was thinking tumble driers but not necessarily overnight but instead early hours when my husband gets up that’s all 

EssexHebridean

If your meter is a single rate one then there's not really many options - octopus have one highly complex one but it's not really aimed at your average "(wo)man in the street" to be honest - and you certainly wouldn't be able to use it to set things to run at particular times and be sure of a cheaper rate. There are also Electric Vehicle tariffs but more and more of the suppliers offering those are now demanding that you do actually own an EV to get the tariff. We're on E7 and do in fact run our Dishwasher & WM overnight routinely - drying is very occasionally done at cheap rate but at the very end of that cheap period, so at a time when we're close to waking anyway. And - not coincidentally - we also check our smoke detectors regularly. 

On a single rate tariff your best bet right now would be to actively work to reduce shower times, and to really think about whether you need to tumble dry everything you are - and whether you can reduce the time it runs for. On a lovely bright day - even if not actively sunny - stuff dries outside remarkably fast. I was once told that unless it was actively wet on the ground, it was worth hanging washing outside a it would dry - even if it took a couple of days. it must be said experience since tells me that there is some truth to that. 

MissRikkiC

You’re absolutely right. thanks @EssexHebridean

busvcur1

EssexHebridean said:

Yes - funnily enough actually knowing the accurate position and doing some projections for "worst case scenarios" really can help to mitigate anxiety around this sort of thing. It's like that thing of when you know debts are piling up, and letters are arriving but you just stick them in a drawer unopened - eventually the very sight of the drawer provokes far worse anxiety than actually knowing the truth of the matter! 

One thing to bear in mind if comparing use of energy - particularly that used for your primary heating source - from last year to this - bear in mind that last year was a long, cold winter - many of us will still have had heating on well into April whereas we might usually take April 1st as a likely date to turn it off. This could mean if not taken into account you are considering that you are actually using less at this point because of changes you've made, rather than simply because it's warmer. (Although we had to scrape the car windscreen this morning so clearly we're not quite at "spring" yet!) 

Exactly - I have been an fantastic at being an ostrich for a number of years 

Oh no, I have been giving myself credit where it isnt due  - that actually makes a lot of sense, I could not for the life of me understand why our usage was so high last winter. I started thinking maybe my him indoors hadnt provided meter readings and that was skewing the usage but if it was particularly cold / long that would explain (at least some of the usage)



Luckily I have just been looking week on week since I started logging (also noting the weather is warming up) but I have conciously stopped putting central heating on when I am cold, instead I bought heated throws, so we only using the central heating when it is really needed etc 

Apparently I am like a "women possessed".....he wont be saying that when it pays off though 

kaMelo

@Sea_Shell
Yes I know it seems high, no electric car but all electric cooking which will explain some although that probably makes gas usage look even worse as that's purely for heating/hot water. it's just always been that way, even higher but rather than thinking I'm a high user I've always wondered where they get those typical usage figures from as I've never been anywhere close. Just checking older bills,  electricity usage was 7700 kWh and, prior to having a new boiler, gas was 24000 kWh. That was my biggest ever in 2013.

What's actually worse is that it's never really bothered me up until now, energy costs were around £130/£160 p/m and that's just the way it was but from April it's around £270 p/m and, finally, that's enough to bother me so time to see where I can change a few things so hopefully £400 p/m in October 2022 never happens.