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

[UnderOpenSky]

Jake Berry just says get a better job or use less energy. Stop whining plebs.

He should know, he's the Tory party chair.

And cunt

Each day I think I can't hate them more and then read something like this.

 

[existentialist]

So after a nightmare years ago I've never paid by direct debit. But I see even Octopus offer a discount for them, which they didn't when we signed up.

If you have a smart meter is done so it takes the exact amount you've used rather then what they think they should?

I don't think so - I think they still average out your consumption over the year, so that you overpay during the summer, and underpay in winter.

 

[two sheds]

From Moneysavingexpert e-mail

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/iceland/#54303

That's the one I was given I think, good basic air fryer for £35

Eta: good for one person, perhaps a bit small for two.

 

[gentlegreen]

From Moneysavingexpert e-mail

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/iceland/#54303

That's the one I was given I think, good basic air fryer for £35

Darn. I've been trying to avoid making food even more appealing

 

[Leafster]

I've got the smartpower meter down from the loft and set up.

It's suggesting a daytime background power consumption of around 200w. That's with the usual suspects running - PC, server, router and Sonos along with the usual things on standby.

I think I'll look more closely at the weekend to see what's actually drawing the most just in case I've left something running I don't actually need.

I seem to have dropped the background power consumption down to around 180w already simply by switching the TV, sound bar and Blu Ray player off at the socket along with an old uplighter with a built in transformer.

 

[danny la rouge]

I’ve had my £66 credited to my energy account. Woo hoo! Might boil a kettle.

 

[Ranbay]

So after a nightmare years ago I've never paid by direct debit. But I see even Octopus offer a discount for them, which they didn't when we signed up.

If you have a smart meter is done so it takes the exact amount you've used rather then what they think they should?

No it will be average over the year, so for example £80 a month for gas as you might use £5 in july and £150 in Dec

 

[cupid_stunt]

From Moneysavingexpert e-mail

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/deals/iceland/#54303

That's the one I was given I think, good basic air fryer for £35

Eta: good for one person, perhaps a bit small for two.

That's the one I got, it's fine for two TBH, probably even for three, depending on what you're cooking.

 

[cupid_stunt]

So after a nightmare years ago I've never paid by direct debit. But I see even Octopus offer a discount for them, which they didn't when we signed up.

If you have a smart meter is done so it takes the exact amount you've used rather then what they think they should?

Depends if you are paying by standard monthly DD, which is averaged out based on the use reported by the smart meter, or a variable DD paying the actual billed amount each month.

 

[two sheds]

That's the one I got, it's fine for two TBH, probably even for three, depending on what you're cooking.

Even better - I just try to cram too much into it for fish & chips

 

[UnderOpenSky]

Depends if you are paying by standard monthly DD, which is averaged out based on the use reported by the smart meter, or a variable DD paying the actual billed amount each month.

Thanks. I emailed them as it wasn't clear on the website.Yes you can do variable. But you don't get a discount.

I'm impressed with the response time though. It could be days for good energy.

 

[moochedit]

So SSE are paying me the £66 tomorrow and not just knocking off my bill?

Seems strange

Same here (ovo but moved from sse).

It seems they wait until DD confirmed as paid and then refund you the £66 to your bank. I suspect it's to discourage people from cancelling their DD.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Same here (ovo but moved from sse).

It seems they wait until DD confirmed as paid and then refund you the £66 to your bank. I suspect it's to discourage people from cancelling their DD.

As I posted yesterday -

That's not the reason, because if you don't pay by DD it's credited to your account.

The reason I've seen mentioned is it saves keep changing the DD amount and buggering up how the average across 12 months is calculated.

Bearing in mind the new price guarantee is for 2 years, but nothing has been said about if the £400 grant will be paid next winter, so that makes sense.

 

[moochedit]

As I posted yesterday -



Bearing in mind the new price guarantee is for 2 years, but nothing has been said about if the £400 grant will be paid next winter, so that makes sense.

Ok sorry i missed that post.

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

my freind is on a variable tariff with a cap with a DD set to £161 per month with edf (dual fuel) but over the summer they only took out the amount she actually used.
Not sure why but thinking this might be due to the fact she gets cold winter payments.

 

[gentlegreen]

As predicted, Bulb credit up to over £200 and DDs set at £74 - so I will be knocking that down to the minimum of 40-something.
Next bill will be covered by the £66 and I doubt I will add as much as £40 a month for heating thereafter.
Edit:- minimum is now £61.41
Apparently I can contact them and over-ride this.
I will wait until the 1st December bill by which time I may have started using heating so will have set a precedent.

 

[passenger]

I made a cottage pie Monday, I had gone into my
£5 emergency electric at 2 pm that day, by 10 pm
the meter had £1.88 I'm sure the oven is the main
culprit, I also have to have the fan on 24/7 I can't sleep
without it on so it's not looking good for me.

 

[UnderOpenSky]

I made a cottage pie Monday, I had gone into my
£5 emergency electric at 2 pm that day, by 10 pm
the meter had £1.88 I'm sure the oven is the main
culprit, I also have to have the fan on 24/7 I can't sleep
without it on so it's not looking good for me.

Yeah we're using £3 to £4 quid a day. It's quite a jump.

 

[sojourner]

I’ve had my £66 credited to my energy account. Woo hoo! Might boil a kettle.

Me too. But it's also been credited to my bill online. Slightly confused.

 

[moochedit]

After checking online yesterday ovo said i could reduce my DD from £273 to £140 AND i get the £66 refund as well

 

[cupid_stunt]

Me too. But it's also been credited to my bill online. Slightly confused.

What a cock-up. Which company?

 

[cupid_stunt]

After checking online yesterday ovo said i could reduce my DD from £273 to £140 AND i get the £66 refund as well

I assume you have a decent credit?

 

[gentlegreen]

That cottage pie sounds expensive ... I use approx 0.6 kwh per day cooking for one from scratch - so 18p - which includes baking a small loaf of bread each week.

My biggest outgoings are fridge and PC - both at 2kwh - or 68p each per day. The PC acts as heating in winter and I will sacrifice the fridge at some point.
If I bathed in hot water once a week as I used to when I worked, that would add 1 kwh or 34p per day (I'm pencilling in once a month or 9p per day)

So my total daily usage is currently £1.95 including SC and VAT

My target is to at least halve my average over 12 months to 5.5kwh - with my current average of 4.3kwh per day that leaves me 438kwh to use for heating over 4 winter months.- giving me 3.65 kwh per day or £1.93..

 

[moochedit]

I assume you have a decent credit?

I was £300 in credit. It said if i reduced to £140 i should be about £10 in credit in 12 months.

The £273 was calculated before the cap freeze.

It did take £273 this month as too late to change but its £140 from next month.

 

[danny la rouge]

Me too. But it's also been credited to my bill online. Slightly confused.

Sorry, don’t understand. If it’s been credited on your online bill that means it’s been taken away from the amount due doesn’t it?

 

[cupid_stunt]

Sorry, don’t understand. If it’s been credited on your online bill that means it’s been taken away from the amount due doesn’t it?

I read it was being credited to the bank account, but also credited to the bill.

 

[danny la rouge]

I read it was being credited to the bank account, but also credited to the bill.

Oh, right. I see. Actually, no I don’t. What?

Credited to energy account and credited to online bill. (Functionally the same thing).

What am I not getting?

 

[Leafster]

That cottage pie sounds expensive ... I use approx 0.6 kwh per day cooking for one from scratch - so 18p - which includes baking a small loaf of bread each week.

My biggest outgoings are fridge and PC - both at 2kwh - or 68p each per day. The PC acts as heating in winter and I will sacrifice the fridge at some point.
If I bathed in hot water once a week as I used to when I worked, that would add 1 kwh or 34p per day (I'm pencilling in once a month or 9p per day)

So my total daily usage is currently £1.95 including SC and VAT

My target is to at least halve my average over 12 months to 5.5kwh - with my current average of 4.3kwh per day that leaves me 438kwh to use for heating over 4 winter months.- giving me 3.65 kwh per day or £1.93..

I've not been particularly frugal with my leccy historically (but this may change!). Bulb estimates my daily average will be 7.8kwh but last month I averaged 5.5kwh without really trying.

What I really need to worry about is my gas consumption

 

[danny la rouge]

I read it was being credited to the bank account, but also credited to the bill.

 

[gentlegreen]

I'm horrified at how much electricity I was using before and I really don't understand how with all my lighting being about 9 watts per room and in my main room it's more like 2 watts over my keyboard.

My habits have been relatively stable for years - for me it was being forced to look at how much I was spending in a year and then seeing projected increases of thousands of pounds per year laid out in front of me that did it ...

And it's not like there weren't significant tariff increases before ...

This is what Bulb have charged me over time ... so large percentage increases aren't new, but they are of course compounded ..
Early 2020 14.62p per kwh
Late 2020 16.27 - 11 percent increase
late 2021 20.5 - 26 percent increase
from April 2022 - 27p 31 percent increase
from October 2022 34p - fixed for 2 years 26 percent increase

Previous threatened caps - 53p and then 80p approx ...