EDF price fix Aug23 and £400 government help

Nemesis9

I feel incredibly guilty typing this - let me get that out there first. So many people are struggling and I feel so guilty that my price is still fixed.
But this is causing me stress in other ways and I could maybe do with some advice.
Firstly, I’m disabled, unable to work, and I live alone. I have a 1 bed council house which is a new build and has a solar panel. I’m very lucky in that sense.
I currently pay EDF £46 a month duel fuel and at the last bill in May I was £22 in credit. I usually qualify for the warm home discount which I rely on to keep the heating on over winter. I’m still waiting to hear if I will qualify for that this winter as I have heard there have been some changes to the rules.
As I understand it, the government are due to start paying £56 a month to everyone’s energy accounts from October which is £10 more than my usual direct debit. If I then qualify for the warm home discount I’m then going to be hugely in credit.
My question would be - should I call EDF and ask to reduce my direct debit to a nominal fee (let’s say £5 a month) and then put the money I would be paying them in a savings account so I have something built up when my fix runs out next August? 

I know I’m going to get absolutely crushed once that fix ends and I’m already panicking about how I’ll afford what’s likely to be a direct debit of over £100 a month.
Are EDF likely to tell me to go away if I attempt this? 

I wondered if anyone else is in the same position as me and tried what I’m suggesting and succeeded? I’m really nervous about calling them 
Thank you for reading 

[Deleted User]

Or you don't change the DD and then you have a credit balance at the end of the fix?  Why would it be any better to keep it in your own savings account?

Nemesis9

Hi and thanks for the reply. 

I have a savings account which is paying 3% interest so if I was to pay £40 a month into that account to build up for next year I’m adding some interest too. If I leave it with EDF I get zero interest. It seems sensible but I don’t know if they’d let me do it 

[Deleted User]

They won't mind you asking, so don't worry about that.  It should be acceptable I think, given the way the DD maths works - if you're comfortable that you wouldn't accidently let that money slip away somewhere else.

The_Fat_Controller

@Nemesis9 EDF, like many other companies, will take your monthly DD as normal and then pay the £66/67  back to the source bank, not leaving it in the energy account.

https://www.edfenergy.com/for-home/energy-bills-support-scheme

Nemesis9

I have to be sensible with money with having a fixed amount to live on and I would make a note somewhere of how much I’ve put aside so I don’t accidently use it for something else. I’m just so worried about what my bill will look like this time next year that I’m already thinking about ways to save and put money by anyway. If EDF will let me do this it will take some of the worry away

Nemesis9

The_Fat_Controller said:

@Nemesis9 EDF, like many other companies, will take your monthly DD as normal and then pay the £66/67  back to the source bank, not leaving it in the energy account.

https://www.edfenergy.com/for-home/energy-bills-support-scheme

So you think they will probably say no? 

uksitebuilder

You wont lose anything by asking them and may gain peace of mind

Nemesis9

uksitebuilder said:

You wont lose anything by asking them and may gain peace of mind

Thanks. I’m thinking it may be sensible to wait for my statement to land (should be soon as my last one was end of May) and see if I’m in credit or debit and then call them up for a chat