Utility bills

[callmewhatever]

I am hoping some of you kind people may be able to assist with some advice. Currently we are paying £72 per month on electricity and £63 on gas as a monthly DD this amounts to £1620 per year, however taking what we used in a year from June 13 to June 14 it says our usage should roughly be £870 for the year. We were paying back a debt on this but it is now clear. Do you think this is above average for a family with a 2.8 dd and a 1 year old? We live in Scotland in a 2 storey 2 bedroom terrace if that makes any difference and I believe the boiler is quite old. Thanks for any advice .

[Fluffycloudland77]

Is it possible that they've not noted that the debts been paid & adjusted the DD accordingly?.

Have you put your useage into the moneysavingexpert energy club to find a cheaper tariff?.

I switch every year because I don't think they reward loyalty.

[callmewhatever]

Thank you for the reply fluffy. I don't think so as we were paying higher amounts for the debt until August and they have adjusted it to the amounts I stated.

Could it be that I am just with an expensive provider and not on the correct tariff? I can remember then saying when I called about the debt that we weren't on the cheapest tariff but we couldn't change it until debt was cleared. Is it worthwhile shopping about? Is there major differences between companies? Sorry for all the questions.

[callmewhatever]

*them saying

[NotMrsTumble]

Definitely worth shopping about, we've knocked a considerable amount of our bills. We use Uswitch , but there are other comparison sites. For what it's worth I checked the cost and this year it was cheapest to renew with our current provider OVO, so signed up for another year on a fixed tariff. They are also the best utility company I've ever dealt with, using their website, their bills are clear, you're in control of your direct debits and their customer service is excellent. Of course, I'd consider moving if they weren't cheapest, but thankfully it hasn't happened yet. Can't recommend OVO highly enough (and no, I don't work for them!)

[Fluffycloudland77]

It's entirely possible that you're on a pricey tariff, when my cheap tariff ended last year it would have been £25 a month more on the standard rate with the same supplier.

The old boiler won't be helping either plus any expensive habits like wearing t shirts in the house in January and ramping the heating up.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/cheapenergyclub Register with the energy club and if you see a tariff that's cheaper don't forget to check topcashback.co.uk for cashback on it.

www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/free-cavity-loft-insulation this might help you get free loft insulation, it's worth checking with the energy saving trust to see if you'd qualify for a free new boiler.

[Iamnotanugget]

Make absolutely sure you're reading your gas usage correctly. Electricity is easy but for gas you need to do that complicated looking sum on your statement. If you don't you'll be hugely under estimating your consumption.

There is a big difference between the best and worst deals. I change suppliers every year to keep costs down.

Finally, have you checked that you're not now in credit? And to answer you're question, we're a family of 5 in a 3 bed semi and our bill is £960 a year for gas and electric combined.

[callmewhatever]

Thank you again for the replies. I will double check the readings and will call my supplier tomorrow to check if we are in credit and ask for am estimate on cheapest tariff, I can then base any other quotes on that. is it easy to change supplier? I've always assumed it would be a hassle so have stuck with same supplier for ease.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Are you with british gas?. Switching is easy, I do mine all online.

We pay £38 a month but no kids and I'm home half the week.

[callmewhatever]

No we are with Scottish Hydro/SSE. We are just looking at ways to cut down utilities in general. getting rid of BT tomorrow so saving 40 a month on that. No digital TV, because we only use on demand services like Netflix. TalkTalk broadband 5 a month then line rental 15. Hope to save about 60 a month on gas and electric if possible too.

[Fluffycloudland77]

Does TalkTalk let you pay line rental upfront? It's usually £10ish a month then. You won't need a TV licence if you only watch catch up and not live signal.

I thought it was only BG who wouldn't let you switch with debt. I do hate electric companies.

Sometimes it's really obvious things that save money on heating, like closing the door on heated rooms instead of letting the heat out or clearing the loft so the insulation can work properly.

The energy saving trust has lots of ways to save on fuel bills.

[callmewhatever]

Thanks fluffy you've given a lot of helpful advice along with everyone else. I will look at the energy saving trust website and see what handy tips they have there. Maybe girl on phone gave me wrong info then, I will give them a call again tomorrow and see what they say regarding the tariff.