My electricity bill has just tripled: how about yours? Alternative suppliers?

[pseudonarcissus]

Just received from EDF..no drama. I would say it’s one of the advantages of a state controlled electric company..but then you have state controlled electric companies in the U.K., just not ones controlled by the U.K. State.

Hello M….

Since February 2022, the Government has implemented a tariff shield in order to limit the rise in electricity prices. This tariff shield is extended in 2023.

Without this measure, your electricity bill would have doubled this year. Its application makes it possible to limit the increase in your Regulated Tariff for the Sale of Electricity (Blue Tariff) to 15% including tax on average and to avoid an additional increase of 0.18 euros including tax per kWh. This increase applies from February 1, 2023.

For example, a household that consumes between 4,000 and 6,000 kWh(2) per year thus avoids an additional increase of between 720 and 1,080 euros including tax.

 

[sojourner]

Well well, tide must be turning. Just had my first email in over a year offering to help the company I work for switch to better utility deals!

 

[MickiQ]

Despite the fact that I have smart meters and have done so for years, BG have just sent me an email asking for a meter reading

 

[savoloysam]

Despite the fact that I have smart meters and have done so for years, BG have just sent me an email asking for a meter reading

Those types of emails are normally automated whether they are needed or not. You could send a reply saying thank you for your email but this email address is no longer monitored but the reply would not be monitored.

 

[gentlegreen]

I've been submitting a meter reading about every 5 days this winter, and just braved Octopus's hyperactive website for a second time...

"Are you REALLY sure ???"

And then an offer of another spin on the wheel of fortune only for it to be snatched away as I've apparently had my limit for February - but not before telling me I would get an extra spin with a smart meter...

 

[Chz]

Yeesh. Ovo estimating we'll be paying £179/mo once we're off the two year fix in March. I've been paying in more than needed the past few months to build up a buffer against that, but it will get eaten up pretty quickly if that's a true number.

 

[spudulike]

I've been submitting a meter reading about every 5 days this winter,

Why?

 

[gentlegreen]

Why?

OCD

I'm reading the meter every day in any case as part of me thinking about future solar power etc...

 

[cupid_stunt]

OVO has now decided I should be paying £99pm, which seems about right, happy enough with that, considering I was paying £63pm a couple of years ago, before the crazy increases.

 

[lazythursday]

I'm paying £135/month now for 3 bedroom semi - has gradually reduced over the past few months as Octopus has adjusted to me using less than previously - but that's still with heating on at 18 degrees from about 6am - 9pm each day.

£135 is ok but without the government grant will be back up to £200 in April. New loft insulation went in yesterday so will be interested to see what impact that has.

 

[cupid_stunt]

... but that's still with heating on at 18 degrees from about 6am - 9pm each day.

I started with mine on all day/evening at 17c, but I found if I aimed for that as an average, it works out cheaper to heat to 18c first thing, switch off until it drops to 16c, then another blast to 18c, which with the current 8c outside means it will go on again mid-afternoon and will still be 16c by the time I go to bed.

Doing that will cost me under £2.50 today, if I left it on at 17c all the time I would be at least £3.50, saving over £1 (or more during cold snaps) a day soon adds up.

The smart meter reports gas use by every half an hour, so I just tried different ways of heating until I sussed out the cheapest way.

 

[savoloysam]

I'm glad I have inherited a top up meter (I've tried to change it but EDF are useless) The positive now is I can see everyday how much I have been using and its a good reminder to keep my usage to a bare minimum. I feel sorry for the people that have massive "unexpected" bills due. Your usage can really creep up on you during the winter months.

 

[Ranbay]

In work they are trying to charge us £168 a day standing charge

 

[MickiQ]

Those types of emails are normally automated whether they are needed or not. You could send a reply saying thank you for your email but this email address is no longer monitored but the reply would not be monitored.

I contacted them via the WebChat and they who assured me that my smart meters are still ratting me out to our cybernetic overlords.
They moved me (and presumably everyone else) to a new billing system a while back so I can't track my usage online anymore, I use to be able to draw up cool graphs of my usage over the past year. Even posted a couple of them up here, so I asked about that if that was ever coming back. Apparently they are releasing an App at the end of the month that will enable me once more to at least track my spondulies as they get flushed down the drain.
The world is going App mad, everything has to be via Apps these days, I applied for a Morrisons Card a couple of months back and they tried to strongarm me into using the App. I don't want the App there is enough crap on my phone as it is, give me a fucking card!

 

[savoloysam]

Yup sick of download this app or that app "for first class service" and don't even get me started on fucking club cards!

 

[20Bees]

Yeah, my neighbour just had her payment so her electricity account is way in credit. It’s a bit of an annoyance that the money has to sit in the electric account rather than in the bank or, for that matter, go straight to the fuel merchant for a top up of oil.

My £200 was credited to my EDF electricity account on Tuesday and into my bank today.

 

[cesare]

Despite the fact that I have smart meters and have done so for years, BG have just sent me an email asking for a meter reading

They are SOOOO dire, aren't they. Despite spending an hour on the phone with them a week ago I've just had another "final bill" - it must be the 10th iteration - and it's still wrong although at least they've acknowledged a grand of the credit they owe my mum's estate. But it's still wrong, argh.

 

[cupid_stunt]

OFGEM has just announced their price cap from 1st Apr is £3,280, of course that will be discounted down to £3000 by the government's energy price guarantee, which itself is going up from £2500, but at least people will be using the heating a lot less, so the impact will not be as bad.

Last week Cornwall Insight released their final forecast for Q2 and came in very close again, but their forecast for Q3 & Q4 are sort of promising, both basically around what we have been paying recently, £2100 (price guarantee £2500 - £400 payment from the government, which will not be paid next winter), not ideal, but certainly better than £3000.

Our final forecast for the April price cap - Cornwall Insight

We have released the final prediction for the April Default Tariff Cap (price cap) following the closure of the observation window, on 17 February.

www.cornwall-insight.com

 

[gentlegreen]

While I was supplying my meter readings to Octopus I tried in vain to tone-down their hideous website ...
Holy crap how depressing - either way ...

 

[alex_]

While I was supplying my meter readings to Octopus I tried in vain to tone-down their hideous website ...
Holy crap how depressing - either way ...

View attachment 364795

This is kind of cool !

 

[WouldBe]

While I was supplying my meter readings to Octopus I tried in vain to tone-down their hideous website ...
Holy crap how depressing - either way ...

View attachment 364795

They want a better server if they have to have on hold music while the pages load.

 

[gentlegreen]

They want a better server if they have to have on hold music while the pages load.

Sadly there's no way to tone down the website.

Energy is for everyone

Buying energy should be as easy as buying cornflakes. Here's how we make sure that Octopus Energy works well for as many people as possible.

octopus.energy

Our accessible website​

When it comes to web content, we know that accessible design is good design, so our developers are always working with accessibility and inclusion in mind. Our head of Front-End Development, Ashley Firth, even wrote a book about it! We’re always sure to hit a AA-AAA standard when it comes to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). You can find out more about exactly what sorts of things we do in this comprehensive guide to web accessibility at Octopus.

 

[Ranbay]

Want to see what I’m paying in work for leccy?

It was 19p per kWh last October

 

[cupid_stunt]

Thanks to an incredibly mild Feb overall, I am well and truly back on target to have reduced my gas use by 50% during Oct-Mar compared to the same period last winter, and end-up using slightly less than the amount covered by the £400 help from the government.

All amounts inc. VAT, but not the standing charges.


I now need to save under £30 during Mar in order to hit my target, which should be easily doable, despite the few below freezing nights coming up.

My electric use remains less than 50% compared to last year as well, and based on recent use, OVO has set my monthly DD for both electric & gas at £99, which considering I was paying £63 before all this madness, is not too painful.

 

[MickiQ]

I have had my energy bills for the period covering 28 Nov to 28 Feb, In that period I have used £749.15 of Gas and £331.19 of Electric. Since I pay by DD and had a good credit balance going into it, I am currently in debit on my gas account by £448.64 and still in credit by £255 on leccy (I think I am overpaying for leccy will look to see if I can reduce that)
They haven't asked me to increase my gas DD so clearly they think it must be enough and that I will pay it down as the weather gets better.
There were supposedly a lot of people who cancelled their DD's to save money in the short term who must now be looking at their energy bills from winter and thinking "Oh Fuck"

 

[lazythursday]

Yeah I don't understand why people stopped direct debits - I know some companies might have put them up excessively, or that your DD amount might be inaccurate because you are making efforts to conserve energy, but you can usually change your DD amount, can't you? Certainly you seem to be able to adjust to whatever you think best with Octopus. I have been reading my gas meter monthly, submitting it and then adjusting according to the predictions.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Yeah I don't understand why people stopped direct debits - I know some companies might have put them up excessively, or that your DD amount might be inaccurate because you are making efforts to conserve energy, but you can usually change your DD amount, can't you? Certainly you seem to be able to adjust to whatever you think best with Octopus. I have been reading my gas meter monthly, submitting it and then adjusting according to the predictions.

Whenever OVO put mine up to £190 last year and didn't allow me to change it, I just cancelled it & set-up a new one for £1, until Oct when I changed it to £67 to take account of the government pay outs, until my credit amount dropped, and I finally in Feb I accepted them putting it up to £99, which seems about right now.

 

[WouldBe]

I have no idea where I am with mine atm. My last bill was for -£94 due to a gov payment of £150.

 

[Elpenor]

Yeah I don't understand why people stopped direct debits - I know some companies might have put them up excessively, or that your DD amount might be inaccurate because you are making efforts to conserve energy, but you can usually change your DD amount, can't you? Certainly you seem to be able to adjust to whatever you think best with Octopus. I have been reading my gas meter monthly, submitting it and then adjusting according to the predictions.

After eon refused to adjust mine to what I wanted to I cancelled mine. They seemed to be very inflexible. I Submit monthly readings

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

I have no idea where I am with mine atm. My last bill was for -£94 due to a gov payment of £150.

warm home discount
I think my friend got left out of it and it might be too late to claim :-(