33% income on basic energy, what can I do ?

satanloans

MeteredOut said:

MeteredOut said:

Agree with the above to post on the benefits board, but since this is the energy board...

Have you validated that £100 is covering your actual gas and electric usage? If you post your actual kWh usage over the past year/few bills, we might be able to determine whether these are high for a one-bed flat and whether any savings can be made by tweaking how you use your energy.

But probably more important initially, you want to check your bills are not estimates. If so, they could either be too high (in which case you might be able to get some credit back) or too low, which you want to know about now, so you don't end up with debit balance and an increase in your DD in future - it lets you take action now. 

Do you have a smart meter sending readings to your supplier?

satanloans Definitely go to the benefits board for here there, but for energy purposes, we need more information. Can you review the above and provide details?

indeed. I contacted british gas. 

I have no debts and none are attached to my meter. 
I asked for readings showing everything you say and the guy referred me to my meter cupboard. I checked on the account online and that doesn't tell us anything either. So unless I go down heavy handed (and that might be fruitless) and make a complain which will just stress me out, the information isn't readily available to me. The last thing the guy on the phone said to me was "I haven't been here very long" I asked "so can I talk to someone else" he replied "no".

I put on average 10-20 on gas per month and do not use the heating. Over half of my gas bill is taken as standing charge. I never have hot water to wash my hands or anything in, only a shower when I can cope with one and for washing the dishes. 

My electricity is the killer it seems. I've had enough.

I won't bending over for the benefits section to tell me I am not dead enough again. 

satanloans

Spoonie_Turtle said:

satanloans said:

I have tried twice to have someone independent look through my benefits and both of them, one appointed by the council and one appointed by my housing association, disappeared and I never heard from them again in the last 2 years. I chased them up to no avail. I check in with my advisor on UC and he is a kind man but limited in his power to do anything other than follow rules. He doesn't make me get sicknotes but his peers have decided my circs are set and wont change but I maintain they dont understand. They dont care what that means. 

Please do come over to the benefits board if you can manage it.  The main solution here seems to be to increase your income and truly there are members well placed to advise whether you may qualify for LCWRA (the extra money on UC) and/or PIP.

I'm sorry people offline have completely let you down.  Although I'm glad your UC work coach is kind, they truly are pretty powerless when it comes to actually helping people (and any capability for work decision is made by different staff anyway, as I'm sure you probably know - and staff that have never met you, at that).  But as a starting point the LCWRA criteria are here, exactly the same as the ESA Support Group https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/esa_criteria
For some conditions PIP is less of a high bar than UC LCWRA, but the full overview is more than should be posted off-topic here on the energy board.

I applied for pip and was rejected even though I can't cope. I have just been to the local store 5 minute walk and nearly collapsed. I don't want to go out. I have a bike I dont want to ride because it leads to a panic attack now. 

What I want to do is call the job centre and tell them to close my claim and curl up. 

Clearly no one wants this thread on here. It is so easy to solve my problems if I solve them myself. Cause I can't handle repeating and reliving all of this. My friend has just shared his current story with me and that just made me sick. 

MultiFuelBurner

Reading this thread I can see lots of good advice and concern for you.

It is a shame you see any form of help of advice or guidance of where you may be best helped as not helpful and perhaps that is your problem.

Unfortunately no one can waive a magic wand and get you out of your situation.

Spoonie_Turtle

satanloans said:

MeteredOut said:

MeteredOut said:

Agree with the above to post on the benefits board, but since this is the energy board...

Have you validated that £100 is covering your actual gas and electric usage? If you post your actual kWh usage over the past year/few bills, we might be able to determine whether these are high for a one-bed flat and whether any savings can be made by tweaking how you use your energy.

But probably more important initially, you want to check your bills are not estimates. If so, they could either be too high (in which case you might be able to get some credit back) or too low, which you want to know about now, so you don't end up with debit balance and an increase in your DD in future - it lets you take action now. 

Do you have a smart meter sending readings to your supplier?

satanloans Definitely go to the benefits board for here there, but for energy purposes, we need more information. Can you review the above and provide details?

I won't bending over for the benefits section to tell me I am not dead enough again. 

You're thinking of the DWP. 

The entire purpose of the benefits board on here is to help people try and get what they're entitled to, to understand what the law says about entitlement and how to navigate the system to pursue getting the correct decisions.  We have a number of very experienced and knowledgeable members who've either been through the processes themselves, and/or have been trained as accredited advisors and help people offline as well as online.

Your choice of course, but I truly think it would be unwise to pass up potential help.  The only reason I got appropriate awards myself were through learning about how the benefits are supposed to be assessed according to the law, and how to challenge inappropriate decisions.  So I accept that might make me slightly biased, but I wouldn't be recommending it so strongly if I hadn't seen countless others be given the same help too.

satanloans

It's not that I don't want, its that I am beyond sick and tired of reliving what happened to me. I have done that probably 100 times since it happened. I wish that were some idiotic exaggeration but now I have severe panic attacks it is even worse now and I have to rebuild myself every time I have to destroy myself going through it and for nothing. I fell through the crack. How many more kicks while I am down I can take doesnt bear thinking about. 

Krakkkers

Did you get compensation for your injuries?

satanloans

MultiFuelBurner said:

Reading this thread I can see lots of good advice and concern for you.

It is a shame you see any form of help of advice or guidance of where you may be best helped as not helpful and perhaps that is your problem.

Unfortunately no one can waive a magic wand and get you out of your situation.

this finger pointing thing is exactly what I don't need. I'm not disputing good advice and concern. I don't see their energy as not helpful. I am thankful for it but there is more going on here than a grumpy old so and so who sneers at people. The pedance of a magic wand isn't helpful, you didnt need to go there. 

satanloans

Krakkkers said:

Did you get compensation for your injuries?

the original ones, yes

Spoonie_Turtle

satanloans said:

It's not that I don't want, its that I am beyond sick and tired of reliving what happened to me. I have done that probably 100 times since it happened. I wish that were some idiotic exaggeration but now I have severe panic attacks it is even worse now and I have to rebuild myself every time I have to destroy myself going through it and for nothing. I fell through the crack. How many more kicks while I am down I can take doesnt bear thinking about. 

Generally no personal questions are asked beyond financial and family circumstances (for advising about means-tested benefits), rather information given and it left to the person to share however much or little they want, and to make use of what information is relevant to them.

The benefits application process shouldn't need to explicitly ask you to relive it either, only giving specific information that's pertinent to how you have difficulties carrying out the specific activities.  (But I am aware that the reality is assessors far too often don't treat people as well as they are supposed to.)

Tell you what, I'll do the signposting here anyway then you can choose whether to look at the information or not.  Then if you have any questions or want clarification the benefits board is there for you to avail yourself of.

PIP:
These are how each activity is assessed and the scope of each one (long read but fairly essential, if you can manage it) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/personal-independence-payment-assessment-guide-for-assessment-providers/pip-assessment-guide-part-2-the-assessment-criteria
See especially the section on RELIABLY

A brief overview of how PIP is assessed, condensed - see especially the PDFs linked therein https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/benefits/sick-or-disabled-people-and-carers/pip/help-with-your-claim/how-decisions-are-made/

https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/help-with-your-pip-claim/how-to-fill-in-the-pip-form/
and
https://www.mentalhealthandmoneyadvice.org/en/welfare-benefits/pip-mental-health-guide/challenging-a-pip-decision/


For UC the same principles of reliability and repeatability apply to the WCA.  The criteria are:
https://www.entitledto.co.uk/help/esa_criteria (scroll down for Support Group/LCWRA)

More in-depth https://www.advicenow.org.uk/know-hows/employment-and-support-allowance-esa-activities-and-descriptors-and-substantial-risk

The thing is, you say you fell down a crack.  But from the little description you've given here I'm not convinced you did fall down a crack, rather that the assessors failed you by not awarding what you are quite possibly entitled to. 
That's the entire point of wanting to give you information about entitlement, so you can see for yourself whether you should qualify and whether you got the correct decision or not.
If nothing else, it sounds like you may be at significant risk of harm having to carry out work-related activities (e.g. Jobcentre appointments) if going out causes you overwhelming distress.

MultiFuelBurner

satanloans said:

MultiFuelBurner said:

Reading this thread I can see lots of good advice and concern for you.

It is a shame you see any form of help of advice or guidance of where you may be best helped as not helpful and perhaps that is your problem.

Unfortunately no one can waive a magic wand and get you out of your situation.

this finger pointing thing is exactly what I don't need. I'm not disputing good advice and concern. I don't see their energy as not helpful. I am thankful for it but there is more going on here than a grumpy old so and so who sneers at people. The pedance of a magic wand isn't helpful, you didnt need to go there. 

I will say this again you are not taking the good advice on offer on this board, there are many many great people on the benefits section of this forum that can help guide you to a better place as they know how to advise you how to get the most you can.

You came here for help and it's here so use it. Use an anger you have towards the aim of improving your life we the help of people here.