How much should I be paying a month?

TheGardener

Having finally got Octopus to put me back on the SVT (I had signed up to their Loyalty Fixed just before the government intervention) I have realised that my monthly DD is still set for the Fixed rate and I am now nearly £1000 in credit. 
I am still struggling to get a response from Octopus - I've asked them to set the DD to an amount that reflects my estimated usage which is: £1582.33 a year for electricity £942.26 a year for gas.
While I await a response (and for my online account to update) - can anyone tell me roughly what my DD should likely be? I'm in the West Midlands. 

Zandoni

You estimated annual useage divided by 12, if you are not in debt.Starting this time of year you'll probaly be expected to pay a bit more, as you have no credit to get you through winter.

MWT

TheGardener said:

I've asked them to set the DD to an amount that reflects my estimated usage which is: £1582.33 a year for electricity £942.26 a year for gas.
 

You should be able to change the DD yourself in your online account...

If your billing is up to date and the £1,000 credit is real then obviously you could set a very low figure for a while to let the credit get used up, or just ask for a refund of part of that amount...

If your estimated use is based on current tariff prices then you are looking at around £210 / month but reduced by the £66/67 from the government for the next 6 months.

?If you are not sure about the basis for the estimated costs, then give us the estimates in kWh and we can work it out...

TheGardener

@Zandoni - as I said in my OP, I am nearly £1000 in credit

@MWT - The option to change my DD has disappeared, thats why this is a problem

Edit: Estimated use is 5005 kWh electric and 11452kWh Gas

MWT

TheGardener said:

@MWT - The option to change my DD has disappeared, thats why this is a problem

Edit: Estimated use is 5005 kWh electric and 11452kWh Gas

Based on that, your estimated annual cost should be around £3,142, or £262 / month before deducting the £66/67 from the Government.

If the £1000 credit is accurate and you don't ask for any of it to be refunded, allowing for the Government contribution you could set your DD as low as £115 for the 6 months from October - March and then £180 for the next 6 months.

Do keep an eye on your actual usage though as you are likely to use more energy this winter than you did last winter unless you have made changes to save energy since then...

TheGardener

@MWT . We have made significant economies but of course, Octopus have no way to know that and it's perfectly reasonable for them to base the DD on their estimates. I have always believed that the best customer services are the ones you never need to call and after several years of being an Octopus customer, things have always run smoothly. However, although I appreciate the extra stresses on their teams during recent energy issues, I'm finding them very difficult to deal with now I actually do need to talk to them.
We are unlikely to "use more energy"  this winter than in previous ones though - However, obviously it will cost more. 

MWT

TheGardener said:

However, although I appreciate the extra stresses on their teams during recent energy issues, I'm finding them very difficult to deal with now I actually do need to talk to them.

Are you emailing or calling them?

Right now for something like this I would pick up the phone if possible rather than getting stuck in a 7 day + email queue.

ariarnia

TheGardener said:

We are unlikely to "use more energy"  this winter than in previous ones though - However, obviously it will cost more. 

it was a very (unusually) mild winter last winter so i think mwt was suggesting it will probably be colder this year? feels like it this morning 

TheGardener

ariarnia said:

TheGardener said:

We are unlikely to "use more energy"  this winter than in previous ones though - However, obviously it will cost more. 

it was a very (unusually) mild winter last winter so i think mwt was suggesting it will probably be colder this year? feels like it this morning 

I guess so. Hopefully the economies we are making will balance that out

[Deleted User]

MWT said:

TheGardener said:

However, although I appreciate the extra stresses on their teams during recent energy issues, I'm finding them very difficult to deal with now I actually do need to talk to them.

Are you emailing or calling them?

Right now for something like this I would pick up the phone if possible rather than getting stuck in a 7 day + email queue.

That cannot be right: according to Octopus - 'As a company we pride ourselves on outrageously good service'. 

EssexHebridean

TheGardener said:

@MWT . We have made significant economies but of course, Octopus have no way to know that and it's perfectly reasonable for them to base the DD on their estimates. I have always believed that the best customer services are the ones you never need to call and after several years of being an Octopus customer, things have always run smoothly. However, although I appreciate the extra stresses on their teams during recent energy issues, I'm finding them very difficult to deal with now I actually do need to talk to them.
We are unlikely to "use more energy"  this winter than in previous ones though - However, obviously it will cost more. 

I which case, you are likely to be colder this winter than last....last winter was incredibly mild. For a more realistic picture, take your use from the winter previous to that - a very cold one - all the way through to April - then compare with the same period from last year and spot the difference. A use level of somewhere between the two would likely give you a picture of your likely use in an average winter.