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

donkyboy said:
Anyone with Octopus Energy? Are they any good. Keep hearing a lot about them. I'm with EDF till July 2024. Can't wait to get away from them.
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I'm with them via coop too and haven't had any issues.

I've got a referral code if you decide to switch when you can move from EDF. Just pm me and we'd both get fifty quid.
 
donkyboy said:
Anyone with Octopus Energy? Are they any good. Keep hearing a lot about them. I'm with EDF till July 2024. Can't wait to get away from them.
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I'm with Shell which are OK except they have this fetish for cold-calling about fitting Smart Meters.
HOWEVER:

Octopus is buying Shell Energy [That didn't last long! Shell took over First Utility in 2018 - selling it to Octopus in 2023.]​

Last updated: 6th September 2023

Octopus is buying Shell Energy's home and broadband business.
If you’re a Shell Energy home or Shell Energy Broadband customer, don’t worry - nothing is changing and you don’t need to do anything.
The sale will be subject to regulatory approval, and this can take time to go through. Once the deal is complete - probably later in the year - then we’ll be owned by Octopus.
At this point, we’ll keep you posted about any changes but rest assured that we’re focused on making sure the transition is seamless for customers.
We’ll keep this page updated as the sale progresses.
We’re operating as usual, and you won’t notice anything different:
  • Your energy supply or broadband and phone service won’t be affected
  • Your account number will stay the same
  • You’ll continue to receive email, letters, and bills from us
  • Your Direct Debit will continue to work
  • If you’ve got an appointment to have a smart meter installed, our partners will be there to do the work
  • Our friendly teams are on hand to help you
  • Our Helpfund will continue to be available for customers who need extra support
When anything happens that you need to know about, we’ll get in touch to share updates and explain what that means for you and your account.
Questions and answers
1. Will customers still get 100% renewable electricity?
Yes, nothing changes for our customers. Our great products, tariffs, offers and 100% renewable electricity remain unchanged.
2. Will I still be able to get support from Shell Energy through the Helpfund?
The Helpfund will continue for Shell Energy customers until the sale is complete - likely later this year. After that, customers will need to enquire about Octopus’s hardship fund as Octopus also offers support to their customers.
3. Will my account number stay the same?
Nothing changes, and you don’t need to do anything. We’ll work with Octopus to seamlessly transfer your account over in the background.
4. Should I go ahead and switch my service to Octopus?
Nothing changes, and you don’t need to do anything. We’ll work with Octopus to transfer your account over seamlessly in the background, and you’ll be kept up to date as this happens.
5. If I have a problem, do I call Shell Energy customer services or Octopus?
Shell Energy’s dedicated and experienced customer service team is here to help with customer enquiries. Find the best way to contact us.
6 .Do I need to change my Direct Debit?
No, nothing changes for our customers. You should continue to pay your bill in the usual way.
7. Will existing fixed energy tariff T&Cs be honoured by Octopus?
Nothing changes for our customers. Our great products, tariffs, and offers remain unchanged, and customers won’t need to do anything.
8. What does this mean for broadband customers?
Nothing changes for our customers. Your broadband will still be delivered by Shell Energy Broadband, and our experienced team of experts. You won't lose service, and you’ll still be able to rely on us for customer service.
9. Will Shell Energy continue to offer fixed tariffs at this time?
Nothing changes. We’re offering fixed tariffs to existing and new customers.
10. Will smart meter installation appointments still go ahead?
Yes. You can still book appointments, all of which will be honoured along with all existing appointments. Learn more about smart meters and book an installation.
11. My account is in credit, will that be carried over to my Octopus account?
Nothing changes, but rest assured your account credit will not be affected and remains your money.
12. Will my prepayment top-up card still work normally?
Yes, it will. If you have a smart prepayment meter, you can also top up online and in the Shell Energy app.
13. Does the change of ownership affect Shell Energy business customers?
No. Only Shell Energy's home and broadband business operations are affected.
 
two sheds said:
All thank Sunak for cancelling the regulation that landlords have to upgrade their properties to C so reducing bills for renters (while increasing the value of the houses) .
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My landlord has about a dozen houses that fail these regulations, he was whining that it would cost him £100K to bring them all up to scratch. Reckons he won't be able to raise the rent enough to get it back from the tenants and it won't add enough if any to the value of the houses to make it worthwhile when he comes to sell them.
So he's selling them off first to avoid doing it, he claims he doesn't see why he should spend all this money to save other people money on their energy bills. I'll have to find out if he's changed his mind now that Sunak says he doesn't have to anymore.
 
JoeyBoy said:
My landlord has about a dozen houses that fail these regulations, he was whining that it would cost him £100K to bring them all up to scratch. Reckons he won't be able to raise the rent enough to get it back from the tenants and it won't add enough if any to the value of the houses to make it worthwhile when he comes to sell them.
So he's selling them off first to avoid doing it, he claims he doesn't see why he should spend all this money to save other people money on their energy bills. I'll have to find out if he's changed his mind now that Sunak says he doesn't have to anymore.
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Sadly, the bit I've highlighted is an issue not just with landlords but anyone who 'does up' a house. I see a lot of houses for sale which have been refurbished and beautifully presented * but they've done very little in the way of energy efficiency. It just seems wrong to me but buyers don't seem to value well insulated homes with low running costs as much as they should.

* - Estate Agent speak for superficial changes which look good but do sod-all for the longer term liveability of the house.

Of course, renters are in far worse position than owners as they have next to no say in what's done to the property they live in and will suffer more because of it.
 
Leafster said:
Of course, renters are in far worse position than owners as they have next to no say in what's done to the property they live in and will suffer more because of it.
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People renting next door have just got a grant to have the walls insulated and have applied for a grant for a new gas boiler. Not sure how that works. :hmm:
 
WouldBe said:
People renting next door have just got a grant to have the walls insulated and have applied for a grant for a new gas boiler. Not sure how that works. :hmm:
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So long as the landlord has agreed to it then I don't see how it would be a problem? especially if he isn't paying for what is essentially an upgrade to his property. We know someone who got a grant to have their rented house made suitable for their disabled son. They needed to get the landlord's permission in writing but once they had the council just footed the bill.
 
Leafster said:
Sadly, the bit I've highlighted is an issue not just with landlords but anyone who 'does up' a house. I see a lot of houses for sale which have been refurbished and beautifully presented * but they've done very little in the way of energy efficiency. It just seems wrong to me but buyers don't seem to value well insulated homes with low running costs as much as they should.

* - Estate Agent speak for superficial changes which look good but do sod-all for the longer term liveability of the house.

Of course, renters are in far worse position than owners as they have next to no say in what's done to the property they live in and will suffer more because of it.
Click to expand...
Because the flippers often have no or limited skills and buyers were often happy just to get anything in budget. Plus buyers had not expected energy costs to go bonkers.

Half the time they just pull out the kitchen and bathroom and stick a new one in then paint everything and stage it with furniture that won't be included. My dad and his mate could do electric, carpentry and plumbing so often got pulled in for these sort of jobs. Paint was usually the flippers since they wouldnt pay professionals and they were onsite the whole time painting stuff, get someone in where the flooring needed doing or one of them could occasionally lay laminate flooring (often badly) so every room looked brand new but was just cheap laminate and amateur paint jobs. Then a van full of staging furniture, updated kitchen and bathroom took a lot of the focus and the furniture distracted from anything the paint and flooring didn't cover. Then some vague decorations to give the impression of aomeone living there/colour eveb if it made little sense. Huge bowl of limes/random objects? Looks colourful and fresh. Slightly undersized furniture to make it look more spacious.

If you ever saw a celebrity cribs or similar they often see weird things about the place. Saw one where it was obvious staged beforehand and they had no idea, were un the kitchen or something and basically called it out. This bowl is where I keep all my lemons or whatever cos there was just an unfeasible amount of them there but it added colour.
 
Elpenor said:
Nice of the British billpayer to put their hands in their pockets to help prevent the poor energy firms going bust

Are they smoking crack at Ofgem?

www.bbc.co.uk

Energy bills could rise by £17 to stop firms going bust

The UK's energy watchdog is considering a rise to bills to help prevent companies going bust.
www.bbc.co.uk
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There's some logic in increasing the price cap to prevent supply companies going bust, seems as their debts reached £2.6bn in the summer, rather than having to pay even more if/when they do go bust.

Ofgem said that if a one-off rise to bills did not take place, there was a risk that consumers could face even higher costs and poorer standards of service if suppliers go out of business.

The regulator said that when energy prices started to rise in 2021 about 30 suppliers went out of business, and this led to every energy customer being charged an extra £82 to cover the costs of making sure that households were not cut off.
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cupid_stunt said:
There's some logic in increasing the price cap to prevent supply companies going bust, seems as their debts reached £2.6bn in the summer, rather than having to pay even more if/when they do go bust.
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Be fun if Octopus goes tits up. And looking at this it could be by the traditional route for UK companies that over extend themselves.
octopus.energy

About Octopus Energy

octopus.energy octopus.energy
Bankers of my age would faint at the words Crocker Bank - which brought down the Midland Bank and was nothing to do with the UK - except the Midland bought it.
Likewise Ferranti International Signal and Control - city big nobs kicked out the Ferranti family and merged a brilliant high tec UK firm with a history of 100 years of enginering into an arms trader run by a born-again Christian conman from Lancaster Pensylvania who speialised in double invoicing tanks for Pakistan.

Never underestimate the ability of British financiers to bankrupt themselves - and charge the customer.
 
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Just got an email from EDF. Bill has come down from the £70 I was paying to £37pm. Now will be interesting to see how that increases if I turn on the heating during the winter months

Screenshot-20231016-182839-2.png
 
Jesus CH1 that's a lot. If you want to switch to Octopus PM me for a referral code where we'll both get fifty quid. I pay about sixty quid a month although I live in a flat so it's going to be cheaper.
 
farmerbarleymow said:
Jesus CH1 that's a lot. If you want to switch to Octopus PM me for a referral code where we'll both get fifty quid. I pay about sixty quid a month although I live in a flat so it's going to be cheaper.
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I live in a 4 bedroom terraced house (with double glazing and roof insulation). I would have thought it's not out of line?
On Octopus - they are talking over Shell anyway. Doesn't stop them pushing bargain Shell broadband contracts every time you try and look at your bill though.
 
CH1 said:
I live in a 4 bedroom terraced house (with double glazing and roof insulation). I would have thought it's not out of line?
On Octopus - they are talking over Shell anyway. Doesn't stop them pushing bargain Shell broadband contracts every time you try and look at your bill though.
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Still seems a lot to me, I am in a large 2-double bed bungalow, so large loft footprint, semi, double glazed, with loft & walls insulation, both electric & gas up to 4th Nov. came in at just £64.51.
 
cupid_stunt said:
Still seems a lot to me, I am in a large 2-double bed bungalow, so large loft footprint, semi, double glazed, with loft & walls insulation, both electric & gas up to 4th Nov. came in at just £64.51.
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I will put the bill up later, but 2 possible differences here - bungalows are normally built on the modern era whereas my house was built around 1865 and does not have cavity walls, never mind cavity wall insulation.
Also I am heating 8 rooms 16 ft x 10 ft 6 floor area. Ceiling heights vary - 7 ft in the basement, 10 ft in the middle and the 2 top floor rooms are attic rooms partly in the roof - so ceiling height 3 ft - 8 ft.
Your monthly bill sounds like what I pay just for the standing charges. How does that happen?
 
CH1 said:
I will put the bill up later, but 2 possible differences here - bungalows are normally built on the modern era whereas my house was built around 1865 and does not have cavity walls, never mind cavity wall insulation.
Also I am heating 8 rooms 16 ft x 10 ft 6 floor area. Ceiling heights vary - 7 ft in the basement, 10 ft in the middle and the 2 top floor rooms are attic rooms partly in the roof - so ceiling height 3 ft - 8 ft.
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Oh, that would probably explain it, if you started using the heating in Oct.

Your monthly bill sounds like what I pay just for the standing charges. How does that happen?
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That can't be right, per day and inc. VAT my SCs are 45.57p for electric and 27.47p for gas, so £22.64 for a 31 day month.
 
3 bed semi detached house, old cottage type poor installation and im paying £212 a month all year! was £272 until last month, i can easy hit £8-£9 in usage on a cold day and if my kids are over on xbox's etc. :facepalm:

when not home i turn the boiler off as im para that it's going to heat the house without me in it...
 
Here's a horrible warning folks!
I'm changing supplier and checked how much EDF thought they should refund me - we usually agree within a couple of quid over a year, probably different rounding. EDF think I owe them money so I checked the last six monthly bill they sent and discovered that they had charged me roughly double for leccy for April - June because - you will not believe this - they had used the wrong opening reading. WE HAVE A FUCKING SMART METER! They haven't connected meter readings to billing?

Not just a random wrong opening reading either, they had taken the balance for night units in mid-April and used that, almost as though someone had accidentally copied a cell in a spread sheet and dumped it elsewhere. I can't get my head around it. And why haven't they been in touch if they think we owe them going into winter?
 
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It's amazing how useless electric companies are AnnaKarpik - they all more or less seem to get a good slagging off in the media for this sort of incompetence. Hope you manage to get your situation sorted - I think cupid_stunt has complained to his suppliers quite a lot so will be able to give you some tips on that front.
 
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