Shell Energy monthly DD increase

pikachu

Hi all

I've just read the article about very high increases in bills for some energy suppliers one of whom is Shell Energy

I'm a Shell Energy customer and on the Standard Variable tariff for gas and electricity
I'm currently in credit by £246.21 and have been in credit for a few months

I fell behind with submitting meter reading so bill were estimates for most of the last 12 months however I'm up to date at the moment and I submitted on 31st March as advised 

They emailed me on 6th April to advise that I should put my payments up from.£45pm to £281pm for the monthly DD
I kept things at they are 
I simply cannot afford it

They emailed me again today to tell me they would be increasing my monthly payments to £350pm from 5th July!!!

It's extortionate and I would be in extreme financial hardship as a result
It's already bad enough SVR mortgage increasing several time is sucession

My situation is that I have anxiety and depression 
I was made redundant and it had a huge impact on my disability from the time I found out in Dec 2019 until the redundancy in October 2020
It was a very difficult time not least as I was a union rep and the lead senior rep in the organisation
There were lots of challenges along the way
I was lucky to get a short term contract however had to stop work completely in Jan 2021 as my body was telling me I needed rest and a complete break from work
I was also scared to leave the house during most of the pandemic
It was Nov 2021 before I was ready to start looking seriously for jobs again
I had quite a few interviews but no offers - lack of working experience in specific IT skills 
I didn't let this get to me and kept going
I also have financial anxiety so this is really impacting me 

Finally I was offered a job at the end of April in a similar role to what I'd done before for over 10 years
I've been back at work now for almost 3 weeks
It is unfortunately a fixed term contract until the end of August so unless anything else comes up, I will be out of work again from September 

During this time, my only income has been from savings and these had just about run out when I was offered the job
I was not eligible for benefits due to the amount of savings I had
Health will always come first

I submitted meter readings tonight
Heating has been off for 2 - 3 weeks and for a least a month before that, I was only turning it on if still cold after putting on extra layers

I've checked my energy usage and seems relatively low

I'm going to contact Shell Energy and discuss my circumstances but I really cannot afford to increase payments any more than around 50%

I've been advised by several friends to cancel my DD and just pay as and when
My financial anxiety could lead to me not paying it at all and why I prefer to pay by monthly DD and at least know I'm paying something 

I'm feeling really scared and very stressed right now

Robin9

Can we have your Actual Annual Consumption in KWhs please

Dont cancel your DD

Have you had the £150 yet ?

Dont forget you will get £400 (6 x £66.66) over next winter.

pikachu

I'm not on a smart meeting 
Issues with access to the gas meter

Latest figures I have a for Sept 2020 - September 2021

Your gas usage summary
 You consumed 23,647 (kWh hours) Calculations include estimated readings.

Your electricity usage summary You consumed 2,732 (kWh hours) Calculations include estimated readings.

I had the £150 
It barely touched the sides of my back account

I'm aware of the £400 also - again it will barely be noticed

Ultrasonic

It's important to try to figure out if the DD amounts Shell are asking for are appropriate for your usage or not. To do this we need data based on actual rather than estimated readings. Could you check your bills for some past actual readings, and also let us know what your readings are today?

It's possible that your DD amounts are higher than they need to be because they are based on poor estimates.

Robin9

That £45 DD looks badly wrong

22000 KWh even at 3p for your gas is nearly £700 a year; 2700 KWh for electric at 15p is £350 . Add standing charges and VAT that about £1200   or £100 a month.   

EDIT  - looked back at your post - gas is nearly 24000 ! so well over £100 a month in total

Are you sure that what you think is a credit isn't really a debit.?

Sort out the access to the meters and ensure you submit readings monthly. EDIT other than 31st March have you given Shell any readings lately ?



PS Your (estimated) gas is very high - double the average.

Coffeekup

First things first you need to take action...

If you don't have a smart reader, ideally you should be doing monthly meter readings.this will let the energy company know how much energy your using and it'll also let you know how much your using.

Having an actual reading from yourself or the supplier at some point last year (ideally spring) time, and a reading from today will give you/us a better idea of your annual usage and see if there estimate is correct.

Your gas consumption is high if you live alone, but if you have a family of 5 living in a 5 bed it's probably reasonable. Again you've posted an estimate, it could be way higher or way lower or bang on. But we don't know that, you don't know that and nor does the energy company.

So get an actual reading from last year.
Get a reading from today or the last few days.
Tell us your provider and tariff.
And let you energy provider know the meter readings, then you bill can be adjusted accordingly.

pochase

You wrote that you have done a meter reading on 31st of March.

Can you please post those numbers and take one today? 

Please also post a copy of your last bill with your personal data removed.

Mstty

⬆️ exactly that then the energy calculators can help you out👍

si_74

The gas usage seems incredibly high so I think query that with the energy company. To give some Idea I live in 4 bed house with 4 people in it and my gas usage is 15000kwh. And even this is above the ‘average’. 

Good luck, this forum is great for advice and support so let us know how you get on. 

JGB1955

Does your gas meter measure cubic feet (marked as ft3) or cubic metres (m3)?  Don't rely upon the bill to tell you - have a look at the physical meter.

Robin9

As well as a copy of your bill - all the pages  with meter reads and payments but make sure you blank out the personal info and - if you can - a photo of the meter please
.