Next years annual estimate

Tigertailz

Hi, my fixed rate for my energy stops in February and my energy company has sent me an estimate for next year's cost. With an annual usage for gas being 8077 kwh and electric being 7188 kwh they have estimated gas costing £1,493.38 and electricity being £5,028.93 for the year. I was gobsmacked as my fixed rate DD was £250 per month. I used the energy calculator on this site and it came out at £3570 which I presume is for both. What can I do as there is no way I can afford to pay over £500 a month. Please help x

Alnat1

You'll only pay for what you use so consider ways to reduce how much you are using. Your electric use is very high and it's worth finding out what's using so much.

Does your energy company let you pay by variable DD, so you pay the full bill each month for what you have used? Might work for you if you can budget well and can cover the bigger winter bills.

[Deleted User]

Forget estimates. What have you actually used over the last 12 months? It is easily checked by looking at two statements 12 months apart. Make sure that you use actual meter readings and not estimated readings to do your calculation.

Qyburn

Tigertailz said:

electric being 7188 kwh they have estimated gas costing £1,493.38 and electricity being £5,028.93 for the year. 

How have they worked that out, do they give unit rates and daily standing charge figures?

MuckChucker

OK OP, that electricity figure is high. We're a busy 4 bed house (2a + 2c<7yrs) and ours is relatively high compared to folk around here at (the forum, not the street) at 4142 last year. Our biggest users are the electric shower and the oven . . .and possibly the occasional mammoth ironing session - mountains of kids clothes.

For starters, you're going to need to narrow down on the figures of your actual useage?
In the meantime, you can start identifying heavy users and begin changing behaviours i.e. is there lots left of standby when not in use, big gaming PC, electric heaters/AC units, old fridge. . . 

victor2

Tigertailz said:

Hi, my fixed rate for my energy stops in February and my energy company has sent me an estimate for next year's cost. With an annual usage for gas being 8077 kwh and electric being 7188 kwh they have estimated gas costing £1,493.38 and electricity being £5,028.93 for the year. I was gobsmacked as my fixed rate DD was £250 per month. I used the energy calculator on this site and it came out at £3570 which I presume is for both. What can I do as there is no way I can afford to pay over £500 a month. Please help x

As said by Dolor, forget their estimates and work out your actual annual usage from statements or readings as close to a year apart as you can get. You don't want estimated readings on them either, as they can be far from reality.

What gas appliances do you have? If you have gas central heating and hot water, the estimated annual usage for gas is not so bad, but your electricity is very high. Are you using some form of electric supplemental heating or do you have an immersion heater on a lot? Presumably you're not charging an electric vehicle from time to time?

macman

Basics: how is the property heated and hot watered, and how large is it?
If you have gas CH and DHW, then your gas usage is much lower than your average, and your leccy usage twice as much, so something is not right.
If your current DD is £250 and you are not in debt, then something is awry with those projections of use. What was your actual usage a year ago, and what has changed?

Tigertailz

I have gas central heating and gas cooker, haven't used heating at all this year as upstairs is quite warm anyway. I know we use alot of electricity but I was wondering why the energy calculations came out alot less than my energy company predicted when I put in the same annual usage figures they gave me

Spoonie_Turtle

Tigertailz said:

I have gas central heating and gas cooker, haven't used heating at all this year as upstairs is quite warm anyway. I know we use alot of electricity but I was wondering why the energy calculations came out alot less than my energy company predicted when I put in the same annual usage figures they gave me

Tariff differences.   Presumably the quote you got for £5k electricity was for a more expensive fixed tariff - at the current EPG rate, 9000kWh is costing about £3000 (very roughly, give or take a few hundred). 

For the lower quote, did you put in the same usage? 

Mobtr

They have probably factored in possible price rises in the coming year 

macman

This doesn't answer the question really: if your heating, DHW and cooking are all from gas, why are you using more than 100% more electricity than the average? Those 3 should cover up to 80% of your total annual energy usage, but it;s about 55%.
How big is the property? All heated by CH rads, or do you maybe have some u/f electric heating?