Gas and Electricity - Monthly DD versus quarterly invoices

NeedAssistance

Hi all, apologies if this has been asked before but I couldn't find anything when I searched!  I have always paid my gas and electricity by monthly DD but someone told me that it was cheaper to pay quarterly (obviously making sure you put money to one side each month).  Does any one have any experience of this?  
Also, sorry additional question!  I keep being chased by British Gas to install new meters but I'm loathe because of people's experience of the bills being increased.  Does anyone have any experience of bills actually going down when they switch to new meters???
Thanks everyone

Robin9

NeedAssistance said:

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Also, sorry additional question!  I keep being chased by British Gas to install new meters but I'm loathe because of people's experience of the bills being increased.  Does anyone have any experience of bills actually going down when they switch to new meters???
Thanks everyone

Your  bills will not go down with Smart meters - but hopefully you will be better informed and make wise choices in what you use.

NeedAssistance

Thank you Robin, that's what I thought

Can I keep refusing to have smart meters installed?  They have been regularly calling, emailing, texting for 3 years now!

Robin9

Yes you can - lots of discussions on the Forum - for and against. Personally as far as I'm concerned its just a meter and it doesn't matter if its painted orange or with read and white stripes

Gerry1

They were probably referring to Variable Direct Debit which for some strange reason is often billed quarterly rather than monthly.  You'll pay the same amount overall (assuming the kWh and daily charges are the same) but variable DD avoids the complications and confusion of the fixed DD causing an excessive credit or debit to build up.  However, summer bills will be lower and winter bills will be higher so it may not suit everyone.

Smart meters won't magically make your bills go down. You'll have lower bills only if you use less energy.  Reading the simple meters on the wall already allows you to see your usage.

Olinda99

I find that with smart meters, I continually keep an eye on the HUD which shows my consumption in real time, and often realise something has been accidentally left on when the reading is higher than it usually is, so in that way it saves money.

victor2

NeedAssistance said:

Hi all, apologies if this has been asked before but I couldn't find anything when I searched!  I have always paid my gas and electricity by monthly DD but someone told me that it was cheaper to pay quarterly (obviously making sure you put money to one side each month).  Does any one have any experience of this?  
Also, sorry additional question!  I keep being chased by British Gas to install new meters but I'm loathe because of people's experience of the bills being increased.  Does anyone have any experience of bills actually going down when they switch to new meters???
Thanks everyone

Whichever way you pay, so long as you pay bills based on actual readings and not estimates, you will pay only for the utilities that you use. The original idea of a monthly DD was to spread the burden of winter heating costs over the year, so that you build up a credit in the summer and end up with a small debit balance at the end of winter. However, these days it seems that energy suppliers tend to load the DD amount so that you are in credit most of the time.

If you pay on receipt of bills, you will have bigger bills in the winter than the summer. You are not paying for the utility until after you have used it. It's not cheaper, but means you are not paying in advance.

I assume your second question is about smart meters. They mean you get more accurate billing and don't have to submit readings periodically. They do not increase your bills.If you have been billed on estimated readings and go to smart meters, you could end up with a catch-up bill if the estimates were lower than actual. Or you could get a nice little credit balance if the readings were too high.

Smart meters do not save you money - they do provide you with an In-House-Display (IHD), which shows you how much electricity or gas you are using at a particular time, or so far in the day, so they can make you more aware of heavy usage and encourage you to reduce it. Many people stick the displays in a drawer after the novelty wears off!

NeedAssistance

Thanks everyone, that has all been incredibly helpful