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Original poster

My gas and electric bill is £242 per month!!

104 replies

Meltinthemiddle · 13/09/2021 17:03

For 3 bed end terrace. 2 adults and 2 kids! We are with SSE and out electric £162 and gas £80. I've tried looking at others on u switch but apparently this is one of the cheaper one only saving £10 with some others. Why is it so expensive 😭

OP posts:
YesIDoLoveCrisps · 13/09/2021 22:35

@MiloAndEddie

That can’t be right, seriously!

We’re a 3 bed mid terrace, 2 adults, 2 kids, 1 of us working from home occasionally, otherwise the house is empty all day, ours is £90 a month.

How are you using £80 of gas?! Have you got the heating on 24/7? Also check you’re bloody immersion heater isn’t on because that bastard eats money

We have an immersion heater and a huge bill! Do you keep it switched off and then turn it on once a day or when you use it? I don’t know. Is that why my bill is a million fucking pounds a week high? Confused
Yesitsbess · 13/09/2021 22:37

I had this happen suddenly after living in my home for years. No change in usage, same amount of people inhabiting. "My" usage went from 3000-13000 per month!

Turns out it was energy theft.

My supplier noticed a massive spike in a given month (6000kw in one day!) but their algorithm judged it to be a fault so subsequent usage was just billed at the higher rate and there was no investigation. My bill just went through the roof.

It was very complicated as my meter wasn't on my property but when the engineer found it he told me it was becoming more and more common. Whilst it's unlikely, it's worth asking your utility company to check for this.

dementedpixie · 13/09/2021 22:37

Only put the immersion on when you know you will need hot water. Depending on how well insulated your cylinder is it will kick in every time the temperature drops so its like boiling the kettle over and over all day

Interested in this thread?

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Cost of living
SpamIAm · 13/09/2021 22:37

@YesIDoLoveCrisps is the immersion your only way of hearing water? On a lot of boilers it's just a back up so should always be off if you don't need it. If that's your only way of heating water then I'm not sure - but I'd assume having it on a timer, just like any other form of water heating, would be cheapest.

KingdomScrolls · 13/09/2021 22:38

@dementedpixie yeah I know, but I'm not sure how much the winter bills will be, we have gas central heating plus under floor heating in some rooms which we don't have on in the summer. So I'd rather keep the DD the same until Feb when the highest use months are over and if we can have a lump sum back lovely, I'd rather that than a big bill because we haven't got enough in credit to cover the winter months. We've only been with them since April so it's harder to predict

KingdomScrolls · 13/09/2021 22:40

@YesIDoLoveCrisps I would assume the immersion heater is expensive as one of the only times my very placid father would raise his voice when I was young, was to bellow 'who has left the God forsaken immersion on again!'

MrsPnut · 13/09/2021 22:41

Has your new house got spotlight? We had an electricity monitor and realised the spotlights in a room were eating electricity. We’ve changed the bulbs for LED’s now and the cost has gone right down.

YesIDoLoveCrisps · 13/09/2021 22:42

Thank you Flowers Off to switch the bloody thing off now.

Yesitsbess · 13/09/2021 22:45

Oh lordy. NEVER leave the immersion on!

That's a way of saying "tell me you're 40 or over without telling me you're 40 or over" Grin

Rummikub · 13/09/2021 22:47

I don’t even understand how you’re meant to compare as we don’t know how much prices are going up by?!

YesIDoLoveCrisps · 13/09/2021 22:47

I am over 40. Even worse I am over 40 and could paid for a holiday with all that money I spent heating up stupid water.

Rummikub · 13/09/2021 22:49

Martin Lewis has a different comparison tool on his site that at least finds cheaper deals. Uswitch just says there’s nothing cheaper.

JasonMomoasgirlfriend · 13/09/2021 22:50

you need to check if you are building credit into your account to cover the higher useage winter months.

Ensure your bills are actual readings not estimates. Some washing machines/hoovers/tumble dryers etc have terrible energy efficiency if they are old. Look for appliances rated A+

JasonMomoasgirlfriend · 13/09/2021 22:51

Yes the immerser should only be used as backup/emergency
.

Yesitsbess · 13/09/2021 22:52

@YesIDoLoveCrisps

I feel ya. I never understood my father's fury until I encountered an immersion of my own. Bastard things. It's like a giant kettle boiling all day, and if yours doesn't have insulation I would highly recommend.

JasonMomoasgirlfriend · 13/09/2021 22:52

@YesIDoLoveCrisps have you set your boiler to heat the water at certain times only now? You should have it to come on like 30-60ims before you wake in the morning for an hour and then the next time it would go on is an hour before your next high water use period

CrowleysHouseplant · 13/09/2021 22:53

We're with So Energy and pay £130/month.
2 adults WFH & 2 kids in a 4 bed semi. So that sounds extremely high.

dementedpixie · 13/09/2021 22:53

@Rummikub

I don’t even understand how you’re meant to compare as we don’t know how much prices are going up by?!
Are you using your annual usage in kWh when doing the comparison?
chickenslovechickens · 13/09/2021 22:57

We had a similar problem, was paying £76 per month for a 4 bed house ( knew we were under paying) EDF sent us a new bill and said they'd be increasing our DD to £273 per month! Ridiculous! We checked our usage and June, July & August averaged about £60 a month each so no where near £273 per month! I know it will increase in the winter but contact them with your calculations and request a lower DD.

Rummikub · 13/09/2021 22:58

@dementedpixie

Yes I’m using the kWh figures for annual usage.

Are the results taking into account the impending increase?
I feel like it is a gamble- will the fixed price, usually £20 more per month than the standard variable end up more than the standard variable post price rise.

gogohm · 13/09/2021 23:00

Seems incredibly high, my 5 bed detached is £130 a month, really bad insulation as solid walls too. I suggest turning down the thermostat and wearing jumpers, worked for me

justasking111 · 13/09/2021 23:04

Just renewed ours 3 bed bungalow used Martin Lewis etc. The rise is astonishing. We're all having to pay for the infrastructure for energy efficient forms of power which are planned nationwide 🙈

Original poster
Meltinthemiddle · 13/09/2021 23:09

I have a combi boiler

OP posts:
Original poster
Meltinthemiddle · 13/09/2021 23:19

This is apparently how much we use

My gas and electric bill is £242 per month!!
OP posts:
ozymandiusking · 13/09/2021 23:20

Try the Martin Lewis site. Also go to your present supplier and ask them what they think you will use over the next 12 months and what it will cost you. May be they have already done this on one of your previous bills, so look back and check on line or bills
U switch may direct you to a supplier that may supply them with the lpait tohim back to the customer.
argest collection... Martin Lewis refunds part or all of any commision.
Please do go to his site.
Hope this helps.