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

[zora]

I'm just in the process of looking for a new flatmate. So dealing with my own and the collective anxiety of energy crisis and housing crisis combined! Fun!!! (Not.)

After sifting through the 250 responses in two days to our room ad, yesterday was the first day of having 4 people look round - all perfectly lovely people but completely brow-beaten by trying to find a room and clearly already anticipating a rejection, and one offering more money than advertised for the room. I had obviously heard of bidding wars when buying houses or lately, sadly, when renting a whole flat, but not for a room!!!

And the room is fantastic, really big for London, and while the rent price for it is "reasonable" for London, it is still at the top of a lot of people's budget, but then we are having to say, well, bills could be xxx, and more still soon.

 

[Petcha]

I'm just in the process of looking for a new flatmate. So dealing with my own and the collective anxiety of energy crisis and housing crisis combined! Fun!!! (Not.)

After sifting through the 250 responses in two days to our room ad, yesterday was the first day of having 4 people look round - all perfectly lovely people but completely brow-beaten by trying to find a room and clearly already anticipating a rejection, and one offering more money than advertised for the room. I had obviously heard of bidding wars when buying houses or lately, sadly, when renting a whole flat, but not for a room!!!

And the room is fantastic, really big for London, and while the rent price for it is "reasonable" for London, it is still at the top of a lot of people's budget, but then we are having to say, well, bills could be xxx, and more still soon.

Oh I didn't even think of that. You usually see 'bills approx £90 a month' or something. Must be impossible to estimate right now.

 

[Kevbad the Bad]

Martin Lewis says it might be worth going onto the Priority Services Register if you are eligible (certain vulnerabilities etc). This might stop you being cut off for non-payment. But I saw somewhere that even then they might have the power to forcibly install a prepayment meter. Does anyone have any experience of either of these two thing, the register or being forced to have a prepayment meter?

 

[Saunders]

Martin Lewis says it might be worth going onto the Priority Services Register if you are eligible (certain vulnerabilities etc). This might stop you being cut off for non-payment. But I saw somewhere that even then they might have the power to forcibly install a prepayment meter. Does anyone have any experience of either of these two thing, the register or being forced to have a prepayment meter?

My in-law on priority services register as they’re both chronically ill, as well as old and living out in the sticks.

 

[Thistlewaite]

The rich will be ok and the poor will be shafted?

 

[alex_]

The rich will be ok and the poor will be shafted?

When isn’t this true ?

 

[Thistlewaite]

When isn’t this true ?

Sadly, this is true

 

[moochedit]

Every piece of commentary from Zahawi and other Tory talking heads is that stuff must be put in place "so the next Prime Minister can hit the ground running".

We don't have a government and haven't since June.

Nationalise the shit out of every energy company, with ZERO compensation above and beyond execs being allowed to keep heads attached to shoulders. One word of complaint and that compensation no longer applies.

If they keep the cap as it is (or even better reduce it) then the companies would eventually go bust making their shares worthless anyway. Then nationalise them all just like we did with the banks.

 

[ffsear]

Could this be an new "Poll Tax" type moment, where everyone gets involved? I fucking hope so

 

[cesare]

I've just been sorting out the closing of my parents' BG account and the opening of ours, and I needed to amend the readings that they had. They seemed helpful, I'll wait for the outcome on that, but they finished by asking me our age and any disabilities. I said that I didn't think I was "at risk" as far as BG was concerned but she added me anyway. I'll assume that's potentially helpful (she said you can always come off the register if you want).

Anyway ... within 10 minutes of the call ending I had an email from them to suggest getting a smart meter. What's the view, are they a good thing to have or not?

 

[magneze]

No advantage to you. Massive advantage to the energy companies.

 

[cesare]

No advantage to you. Massive advantage to the energy companies.

Oh, thank you!

 

[cupid_stunt]

No advantage to you. Massive advantage to the energy companies.

I totally disagree, to be able to see detailed data on usage, and work out what items are using what electricity, plus never having to piss around submitting meter readings/always having bang up to date and accurate bills, are all advantages to me.

 

[moochedit]

I totally disagree, to be able to see detailed data on usage, and work out what items are using what electricity, plus never having to piss around submitting meter readings/always having bang up to date and accurate bills, are all advantages to me.

Yes but your usage is sent to the cia/mi5/ilumanati etc... who have sinister plans to use that data

 

[magneze]

I could trust the energy companies as much as I can throw them. Being aware of usage rather than letting the energy company do it all for me.

You've been on this thread. Hardly a ringing endorsement for greater control for them.

You want to find out how much energy items use? You can get plugs that do that.

 

[moochedit]

Must admit i've not checked my smart meter thingys for ages. The novalty of seeing how many pence per hour i was using soon worn off. Although maybe i should start again with these price rises

 

[MickiQ]

I don't mind it and it does have some benefit to me, I moved to a smart meter since all the best tariffs they were offering at the time were cognizant on having a smart meter. I suspect those deals aren't on the table anymore. They report your gas and electric usage back in realtime so it meant an end to submitting meter readings myself or making sure that the gate was unlocked when the meter reader came. It usually wasn't so I was forever getting estimated bills and having long boring conversations with someone in a call centre who didn't give a shit and often barely understood me. It came with a dinky little meter that enables us to measure how much energy we were using at a given time and how much a particular appliance was using (though this is easy enough anyway) plus you can check online as well. I wouln't rave over it but for me it has been a slight positive.
It's a much bigger positive for the energy companies of course, they don't have to send someone out to read your meter and they can switch poor payers to prepayment remotely without the need for kicking in doors.
I didn't know that at the time but I doubt it would have prevented me from switching though. I believe that about 50% of meters are currently smart so it is going to be a while before they start forcing them on the last holdouts but they probably will eventually.

 

[moochedit]

There is an epetition about nationalising them. Like most epetitions probably a waste of time but only takes a few seconds to do.

Petition: Nationalise energy companies

The Government should take all energy companies back into public ownership to help address the living crisis, as many working people cannot afford it.

petition.parliament.uk

 

[two sheds]

I got a cheap energy meter off ebay (I think) and went round checking what each appliance takes. For fridges and things it shows how much they take over a day. Otherwise I know how much I'm using each so I have a good picture of what I'm consuming.

 

[cesare]

I got a cheap energy meter off ebay (I think) and went round checking what each appliance takes. For fridges and things it shows how much they take over a day. Otherwise I know how much I'm using each so I have a good picture of what I'm consuming.

That's a good idea.

 

[Bingoman]

There is an epetition about nationalising them. Like most epetitions probably a waste of time but only takes a few seconds to do.

Petition: Nationalise energy companies

The Government should take all energy companies back into public ownership to help address the living crisis, as many working people cannot afford it.

petition.parliament.uk

Should never been privatise in the first place

 

[two sheds]

This looks like the one. You plug it in and it shows the Watts being consumed, press Function and it shows you total kWh since it was plugged in. You normally need a torch to see the display but then easy enough.

 

[cybershot]

OFGEM has now officially announced the new price cap, up from £1,971 in April, to £3549 from Oct., that's an increase of just over 80%, on top of the 57% back in April.

That's my monthly DD up from £125 to £225.

Not having a go at you, but I wish media would stop using the average household usage price and use price cap in the same sentence. So many people misunderstand and think that's the maximum they will will have to pay.

The whole price cap thing is worded so badly.
People will not just die from the cold this winter, they will die from the mental stress of it all on their finances.

 

[CH1]

Not having a go at you, but I wish media would stop using the average household usage price and use price cap in the same sentence. So many people misunderstand and think that's the maximum they will will have to pay.

The whole price cap thing is worded so badly.
People will not just die from the cold this winter, they will die from the mental stress of it all on their finances.

Problem is the DD estimators seem to understand it the way you don't want it said.

 

[SpookyFrank]

I totally disagree, to be able to see detailed data on usage, and work out what items are using what electricity, plus never having to piss around submitting meter readings/always having bang up to date and accurate bills, are all advantages to me.

My dad's got one. It's fucking stupid. Put the kettle and the toaster on at the same time and it'll tell you you're spending four quid an hour. Assuming it takes an hour to make tea and toast, which as everyone except for a 'smart meter' knows perfectly well, it doesn't.

Conversely, most appliances have power ratings. If you know that and how long the device is switched on for, you can figure out how much energy it uses. A 'unit' of electricity is a kilowatt hour, so an 800 watt microwave working for quarter of an hour is 0.8kW x 0.25 hours = 0.2 units.

These will only be ballpark numbers, and bear in mind stated input wattages will generally be maximums. Ballpark numbers are still useful though; for example if your favourite gadget uses only 1% as much energy as your fridge, maybe don't fret too much about using it. On the other hand boiling a full kettle every time you make one cup of tea will cost you real money in the long run.

 

[lazythursday]

My dad's got one. It's fucking stupid. Put the kettle and the toaster on at the same time and it'll tell you you're spending four quid an hour. Assuming it takes an hour to make tea and toast, which as everyone except for a 'smart meter' knows perfectly well, it doesn't.

Conversely, most appliances have power ratings. If you know that and how long the device is switched on for, you can figure out how much energy it uses. A 'unit' of electricity is a kilowatt hour, so an 800 watt microwave working for quarter of an hour is 0.8kW x 0.25 hours = 0.2 units.

Most smart meters also give you a running total for the day / week. I find mine very useful. And there are rumours that people will be rewarded for using appliances out of busy periods, something that can only be done via smart meters.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Most smart meters also give you a running total for the day / week. I find mine very useful. And there are rumours that people will be rewarded for using appliances out of busy periods, something that can only be done via smart meters.

Yeah my energy company is trying to get me to have one put in, with nebulous promises about using spending less somehow. You'll forgive me for not trusting them on that, particularly in the complete absence of specifics about how I might spend less money.

 

[Artaxerxes]

Yeah my energy company is trying to get me to have one put in, with nebulous promises about using spending less somehow. You'll forgive me for not trusting them on that, particularly in the complete absence of specifics about how I might spend less money.

I run my cooker, my fridge/freezer and my lights, I've not exactly forgotten how to turn any of these off and I literally can't turn off the cold storage.

I'll have to cut down PC use and charge my kit at work as much as I can with this shit going on but I don't need a Smart Meter to tell me this.

 

[HoratioCuthbert]

I'm just in the process of looking for a new flatmate. So dealing with my own and the collective anxiety of energy crisis and housing crisis combined! Fun!!! (Not.)

After sifting through the 250 responses in two days to our room ad, yesterday was the first day of having 4 people look round - all perfectly lovely people but completely brow-beaten by trying to find a room and clearly already anticipating a rejection, and one offering more money than advertised for the room. I had obviously heard of bidding wars when buying houses or lately, sadly, when renting a whole flat, but not for a room!!!

And the room is fantastic, really big for London, and while the rent price for it is "reasonable" for London, it is still at the top of a lot of people's budget, but then we are having to say, well, bills could be xxx, and more still soon.

Politicise your inability to pay bills and strategically cancel your direct debit(even if just for 2 weeks) on October the 1st. You know it makes sense. Turn your crisis into a small fire.

 

[lazythursday]

I run my cooker, my fridge/freezer and my lights, I've not exactly forgotten how to turn any of these off and I literally can't turn off the cold storage.

I'll have to cut down PC use and charge my kit at work as much as I can with this shit going on but I don't need a Smart Meter to tell me this.

The point of smart meters in the long term is they can help balance the grid by enabling usage of appliances at cheaper times - eg you charge your electric car when there is excess capacity and get very cheap power - or even get paid to use it. You'll have smart appliances like washing machines that detect when is best to turn on.

In the shorter term plans are being developed now to mean you benefit from not using much power at peak times: Got A Smart Meter? You Might Soon Get Paid To Use Less Energy. Here's How

Seems daft not to take advantage of this.