Student - help with new £650 direct debit for electric/gas!!!!!!!

pochase

You are using a very high amount of electricity, 322KWh in the last 25 days, that would be nearly 100£ on the new rates.

Same for gas, you over 1500KWh  (60KWh) per day when many of us have switched off the heating already. That is again over 100£ for the 25 days.

A direct debit of 250£ to 300£ to cover just your energy use looks justified here to me if you take into account that you also need to build up a credit for the winter months.

Rest of the 650£ is to make up your debt within the next 6 months, 6  x 350 = 2100£.

jimjames

audioblackout said:

It turns out their estimates have been WILDLY WRONG! With the correct readings am now £2000 in debt, hence why the direct debit has been put up. I certainly do not use £650 worth of gas and electric each month - I do not even have a TV! 

They aren't saying you use £650 a month. That's the payment needed to catch up with all the previous use that you've not paid for you as you'd not given any readings for them to correct the estimates they'd used before.

pochase

Robin9 said:

Those estimates in March weren't actually too far out  - unfortunately for you they were low.

GAs 18797 - n ow 18932
Elec 31091 - now 31413

Submit your readings on line and get some new bills.  You may have to contact CHAT to get them

Put a  date in your diary and read them every month form now on

That were no estimates, look at the bill, it says "your read".

audioblackout

Thank you everyone who has commented so far. I understand now that yes, the £650 is not for actual usage. Actual usage on the new rates should be £2-300 based upon my latest reading on this post. Although that is expensive for me and I will look at ways to cut that down. Yes, I am seeing that the extra £4-500 is to repay the debt, which would be paid off in the next 4-6 months. However, like I say this is unaffordable. Armed with this new knowledge I should be in a much stronger position when I contact them. Perhaps they might be able to spread that debt over a long period of time? Do they do some kind of hardship grant do you think? 

Robin9

If you are the Council Tax payer and in Band A-D you get £150 in the next few weeks.

You are not alone in having to meet the high energy costs coming our way - and wait till October !

You  really have to go through your flat  and find out why the consumptions are so high .

audioblackout

Robin9 said:

If you are the Council Tax payer and in Band A-D you get £150 in the next few weeks.

You are not alone in having to meet the high energy costs coming our way - and wait till October !

You  really have to go through your flat  and find out why the consumptions are so high .

Luckily as a Uni student I do not have to pay Council Tax. 

theoretica

audioblackout said:

Thanks for trying to help Robin. So here are some screenshots. The EDF one is the latest bill and the GNE on is the closing bill, which I managed to download from my old email last night.

Looking at the 19 april estimates - they don't match up - and in your favour!  The closing GNE estimate on the electricity is 20793.7 and the starting EDF estimate is 27011.  At present it looks like you have not been charged for over 6000kWh of electricity  (£900 worth at GNE prices).

Robin9

audioblackout said:

Robin9 said:

If you are the Council Tax payer and in Band A-D you get £150 in the next few weeks.

You are not alone in having to meet the high energy costs coming our way - and wait till October !

You  really have to go through your flat  and find out why the consumptions are so high .

Luckily as a Uni student I do not have to pay Council Tax. 

I wouldn't describe you as "Lucky"    - over the next 4 years you will be paying £200 and not getting the "benefit" of the £150

Saving the first 10% of your future bills should be straightforward - the next 10% needs some thought and anything over that you may have to be radicle / brutal.

audioblackout

theoretica said:

audioblackout said:

Thanks for trying to help Robin. So here are some screenshots. The EDF one is the latest bill and the GNE on is the closing bill, which I managed to download from my old email last night. 

Looking at the 19 april estimates - they don't match up - and in your favour!  The closing GNE estimate on the electricity is 20793.7 and the starting EDF estimate is 27011.  At present it looks like you have not been charged for over 6000kWh of electricity  (£900 worth at GNE prices).

Oh my gosh, you have a really HUGE point there. WOW! Really well spotted theoretica. This could be a life saver. However, the GNE electricity reading does not say 'closing estimate', whereas the GNE gas does?

MWT

Robin9 said:

audioblackout said:

Robin9 said:

If you are the Council Tax payer and in Band A-D you get £150 in the next few weeks.

You are not alone in having to meet the high energy costs coming our way - and wait till October !

You  really have to go through your flat  and find out why the consumptions are so high .

Luckily as a Uni student I do not have to pay Council Tax. 

I wouldn't describe you as "Lucky"    - over the next 4 years you will be paying £200 and not getting the "benefit" of the £150

Saving the first 10% of your future bills should be straightforward - the next 10% needs some thought and anything over that you may have to be radicle / brutal.

Paying the £200 is for having received the £200 credit which they will get.

Nothing to do with the £150 Council tax refund, but as long as they are not in an HMO they will get the £150 anyway...