When did the £67 a month end?

RealGem

Hi, I have just got a bill from Octopus saying I am being charged a huge amount more for gas and electric for February, March and April. 

But I thought the £67 payment from the government (that was paid directly into our Energy accounts) was only ending at the end of March. 

So I should not owe anything for February and March as my bills were only £60.

Please tell me the date or where to find this online that the £67 ended. I can't find it as I don't know the official name of it. 

Thanks a lot

CSI_Yorkshire

You got a huge bill for February, March and April, but your bills for February and March were only £60?  Something doesn't stack up there.

Were your February and March £60 bills estimated readings, and now there's an actual reading so you're playing catch-up?

Last payment was March - it was called EBSS (Energy Bills Support Scheme)

MWT

Did this new bill follow you providing actual meter readings?

You will have received 6 credits to your account, one each for the months from October - March.

Those will have increased your account balance, and your bills would have shown what your balance was after each bill, so take a look at those balances...

If those bills were based on estimated readings (which is unusual for Octopus) then you may well have a larger amount to pay after providing accurate meter readings...

RealGem

CSI_Yorkshire said:

You got a huge bill for February, March and April, but your bills for February and March were only £60?  Something doesn't stack up there.

Were your February and March £60 bills estimated readings, and now there's an actual reading so you're playing catch-up?

Last payment was March - it was called EBSS (Energy Bills Support Scheme)

Sorry I didn't explain it right. My bills used to be £60. Now I am being charged twice as much now, and I should have got the £67 for Feb and March. Thanks

RealGem

MWT said:

Did this new bill follow you providing actual meter readings?

You will have received 6 credits to your account, one each for the months from October - March.

Those will have increased your account balance, and your bills would have shown what your balance was after each bill, so take a look at those balances...

If those bills were based on estimated readings (which is unusual for Octopus) then you may well have a larger amount to pay after providing accurate meter readings...

No I always have a lower bill when I submit my readings. The inflated ones were estimated so I just sent the real ones in now. thanks

RealGem

I talked to them and they say my DDs will be £89 per month to incorporate the £300 debt accrued since Jan. (even with the £67 help... because £60 was too low). 

And they are helping me clear the debt by doing a budget thing I have to call them with next week. 

I'm also talking to StepChange about it. 

Thanks for your help everyone. 

Neil_Jones

RealGem said:

I talked to them and they say my DDs will be £89 per month to incorporate the £300 debt accrued since Jan. (even with the £67 help... because £60 was too low). 

And they are helping me clear the debt by doing a budget thing I have to call them with next week. 

I'm also talking to StepChange about it. 

Thanks for your help everyone. 

Something's not right here.  How can you get through the three coldest months of the year in the UK and your bill works only £60 a month for both gas and electric?  That's far too low for winter usage.

Or do you actually mean your direct debit was £60 a month?  If so, then your direct debit is not your bill, and since you mention you owe £300, that is probably the cause of what you posted about in the first place.

debitcardmayhem

RealGem said:

I talked to them and they say my DDs will be £89 per month to incorporate the £300 debt accrued since Jan. (even with the £67 help... because £60 was too low). 

And they are helping me clear the debt by doing a budget thing I have to call them with next week. 

I'm also talking to StepChange about it. 

Thanks for your help everyone. 

Was the 66/67 per month paid into your bank account ?

MWT

debitcardmayhem said:

RealGem said:

I talked to them and they say my DDs will be £89 per month to incorporate the £300 debt accrued since Jan. (even with the £67 help... because £60 was too low). 

And they are helping me clear the debt by doing a budget thing I have to call them with next week. 

I'm also talking to StepChange about it. 

Thanks for your help everyone. 

Was the 66/67 per month paid into your bank account ?

No, Octopus don't work that way, the answer is a couple of posts up...

The amount being paid was not covering actual use so there was a debt built up and is now being sorted out.

debitcardmayhem

MWT said:

debitcardmayhem said:

RealGem said:

I talked to them and they say my DDs will be £89 per month to incorporate the £300 debt accrued since Jan. (even with the £67 help... because £60 was too low). 

And they are helping me clear the debt by doing a budget thing I have to call them with next week. 

I'm also talking to StepChange about it. 

Thanks for your help everyone. 

Was the 66/67 per month paid into your bank account ?

No, Octopus don't work that way, the answer is a couple of posts up...

The amount being paid was not covering actual use so there was a debt built up and is now being sorted out.

My bad i've only been with octopus since last month.... sorry

ArbitraryRandom

Neil_Jones said:

RealGem said:

I talked to them and they say my DDs will be £89 per month to incorporate the £300 debt accrued since Jan. (even with the £67 help... because £60 was too low). 

And they are helping me clear the debt by doing a budget thing I have to call them with next week. 

I'm also talking to StepChange about it. 

Thanks for your help everyone. 

Something's not right here.  How can you get through the three coldest months of the year in the UK and your bill works only £60 a month for both gas and electric?  That's far too low for winter usage.

It seems like the poster was either referring to their direct debit or their historic bill, but I'm not sure how you can say that with confidence? 

£60 a month would be significantly below the average, but a single person in a well insulated flat could have very low bills, even during the coldest months - and they could well have been on an older fix.  

As a single person in a semi-detached house, but who is out of the house much of the time, my actual bills for the same period came to an average of around £80 (before Government discount). Now, in late May with the heating off, my bills are higher than they were in January!