My gas bill has just gone up 75%

[Orangejuicemarathoner]

My direct debit has just been changed - I haven't used any more gas this year than last year.

I don't think it will be long before it goes up again..

On the topic of house fires, we worked for a fire assessment company for 5 years recently with loads of ex firefighters - if any machine is kept in good condition/cleaned regularly etc. then the appliance is fine to use overnight. Just make sure you have smoke alarms in the correct areas of your home (we even have a heat alarm in our kitchen) & that they are regularly tested & back up batteries changed. Make an emergency escape plan (remember difference routes depending on where the fire could be; is the back door a safer egress point or the from door?) and ensure you & your children know what to do in the case of fire. Know how to escape from first floor levels safely. Know when to shelter in place. Teach your children what to do if there is lots of smoke & how to tell if there’s fire behind your bedroom door. If you’re in a flat, find out what the fire procedures for your building are - evacuate or shelter in place? Has the building advice changed since the Grenfell fire? Turn off & unplug any devices you aren’t using overnight.

All of these things are essential for everyone anyway & pretty common sense.

Our washer is on timer right now to finish at 6:30am when we wake up lol.

Yes, we know all that, much of which is impractical and very few people follow. I have never in my life had any kitchen appliances serviced. The only things I have ever had services are cars and boilers.

Neither do I clean my washing machine. Except the front.

The fact remains that washing machines are one of the biggest causes of house fires (I think phone charges are number one). That doesn't mean yours, or anyone's, is not safe to use, just that it's a risk. I didn't put mine on overnight nor when I am out.

Ive always done pay on receipt of bill with a new meter reading each time...... Direct debits for utilities are an absolute scam. All too often people have hundreds of pounds sat in accounts and are blissfully unaware!

I'm used to this, but my kids have always grown up with central heating and double glazing and so the heating might need to go on soon

but if you put the central heating on and turn off any radiators you don't need and then turn the dial down by 2 degrees from what you normally have - the children are told to put on slippers, an extra layer - then you should reduce your usage of gas and reduce your bill or keep it more manageable
www.yourmoney.com/household-bills/save-80-on-your-energy-bill-by-turning-down-the-heating-1c/

@MobyDicksTinyCanoe

Ive always done pay on receipt of bill with a new meter reading each time...... Direct debits for utilities are an absolute scam. All too often people have hundreds of pounds sat in accounts and are blissfully unaware!

Or you could look at it another way and say they are a tool to allow people who want to budget monthly to pay a known amount and help those not disciplined enough to save for quarterly bills

It's not a scam, you can get overpayments back if you ask, even in recent troubles with energy companies Martin Lewis is stressing to everyone that they don't lose any amounts in credit

The level of understanding on how energy costs work in this country is woeful but utility companies aren't scamming the public

Unless your gas usage has gone up by 75%, your gas bill most certainly has not increased by this anount.

Yes gas price has increased. Not to 75%
It’s your dd that’s been increased

Similar...my direct debit has gone up from £46 to £84 a month!! I live alone in a 4 room (two up-two down) terrace with gas central heating. It is well insulated and I'm out of the house from 7am until gone 6 every day. Heating is hardly on...(an hour in the morning in winter and a couple of hours in the evening). I'm staggered! I can't even begin to think what the costs are like for bigger homes or families at home who might need the heating on longer. It's shocking!

@MobyDicksTinyCanoe

Ive always done pay on receipt of bill with a new meter reading each time...... Direct debits for utilities are an absolute scam. All too often people have hundreds of pounds sat in accounts and are blissfully unaware!

Oh don’t be daft. It’s not a scam. It works for the change in season. I go from £400plus credit to debit between July to February. If you’re “unaware” of a huge credit then you need to buck up re your finances

@VanGoghsDog Thank you for your explanation. For most people they wouldn't have your rule in the first place, but I can see how that would work for you.

Could you have a new rule that you empty the dishwasher once it's finished and then it would be empty ready to put crocks in?

@VanGoghsDog

Where did you get info that washing machines are a big cause of house fires?

I work in insurance. There is very little data to support this. I’d be interested to know where you’ve got this idea.

White goods malfunctioning are indeed a cause, but certainly not specific to washing machines and certainly not “common”

We pay on receipt of the bill too. It's ok for us as we're are ok paying the bills through winter. We have other bills in the summer so it evens out generally.

I think it's fact that the direct debit can be altered by so much that worries people. Yes you can change it back down, but to be notified of such a big increase must be scary for a lot people. Especially those who need to phone the company to alter it rather than do it online, it can be really hard to get through these days.

We're on economy 7 so trying to do more at night, making sure smoke alarms are working etc. Getting clothing dry is a pita over winter here.

Those of you with slow cookers, you could try a pressure cooker, it cooks stews and one pot meals much quicker.

@Reallyimeanreally2022

Unless your gas usage has gone up by 75%, your gas bill most certainly has not increased by this anount.

Yes gas price has increased. Not to 75%
It’s your dd that’s been increased

I don't understand why people are being so condescending about this, when a rise of 75% is very possible?

I'm fixed until December this year paying 2.37p per kWh for gas. The cap for gas has been raised to 4p per kWh according to ofgem's website. If I get charged at this rate after December, it will be an increase of 68%. If OP had a better fix than me to begin with, a 75% increase is hardly out of the question.

* The latest cap was announced on 6th August 2021, with Ofgem raising the level by 12% to £12771 for the average bill*

12%

[quote Reallyimeanreally2022]@VanGoghsDog

Where did you get info that washing machines are a big cause of house fires?

I work in insurance. There is very little data to support this. I’d be interested to know where you’ve got this idea.

White goods malfunctioning are indeed a cause, but certainly not specific to washing machines and certainly not “common”[/quote]
Why have you put "common" in inverted commas? I didn't say it was common.

House fires themselves are pretty rare.

I got the information from fire training briefings in various workplaces. Certainly mentioned more than once. But more recently from talking to a fire fighter friend.

Looking online they do all seem to be clumped into "other electrical appliances" though.

[quote Hercisback]@VanGoghsDog Thank you for your explanation. For most people they wouldn't have your rule in the first place, but I can see how that would work for you.

Could you have a new rule that you empty the dishwasher once it's finished and then it would be empty ready to put crocks in?[/quote]
It's a bit too random though. If it finishes in the middle of some work I can't unload it then, for example.

I know it's daft, but I can just manage putting it on alternate days, just about. I put it on when I go to bed, I'm a very poor sleeper so I'm never asleep before it finishes.

@minatrina

You’re on a bloody cheap deal!!

* According to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) the average cost for standard electricity in the UK in 2020 was 17.2p/kWh. But there was considerable variation in the regions, with Merseyside and North Wales paying 18.4p/kWh and Yorkshire paying just 16.7p/kWh for their electricity.*

[quote Reallyimeanreally2022]@minatrina

You’re on a bloody cheap deal!!

* According to the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) the average cost for standard electricity in the UK in 2020 was 17.2p/kWh. But there was considerable variation in the regions, with Merseyside and North Wales paying 18.4p/kWh and Yorkshire paying just 16.7p/kWh for their electricity.*[/quote]
Those are figures for electric not gas

* Also, washing machines are a big source of house fires*

Wrong

@Reallyimeanreally2022

* The latest cap was announced on 6th August 2021, with Ofgem raising the level by 12% to £12771 for the average bill*

12%

Yes so that's basically an estimation of average bills by Ofgem - not a guarantee that any one person's bill can only rise by 12%. It entirely depends on what you were paying before.

I am WFH pretty much full time now, and dreading winter. Old Victorian terrace that’s a pain to heat but feels a bit pointless with just me in it, it wouldn’t of been on during the day pre covid.

I wonder if the amount of people expecting to be working in the home again through winter will be factoring into how the energy companies are forecasting how much we will use.

Those with the big jumps were on superb deals before.

You’ve reaped the benefit before.

Our provider wanted to double our monthly direct debit payment but I called them and we compromised on a rise of £30 a month because they hadn't taken into account the impact of WFH in the last 12 months. OP, if you were WFH but have now returned to the workplace it's worth arguing against the estimation (presuming that's what the new price is based on), as we did. Our bill was of course higher last year because of the lockdowns forcing us to stay indoors so I argued now everyone was out of the house for most of the day it would be much lower. Thankfully they agreed.

I’m in tiny minority or would seem.

I see how much I pay for gas and electricity (a lot by “normal” standards as we don’t hold back at all) as very reasonable for what I get out of it ie a lovely warm house, ease of convenience for washing machine, dishwasher, fridge etc.

We never ever eat out.
Our home is so loved by us all.
That for me - gas and electricity cost, whilst the increase is striking, still seems very low for what I actually get out of it

@CovidinPrimary

I am WFH pretty much full time now, and dreading winter. Old Victorian terrace that’s a pain to heat but feels a bit pointless with just me in it, it wouldn’t of been on during the day pre covid.

I wonder if the amount of people expecting to be working in the home again through winter will be factoring into how the energy companies are forecasting how much we will use.

Yep, I think this is a huge factor in their forecasting, so if you've been presented with a higher estimated bill but won't be WFH any longer, it's worth arguing against.

Didn't a lot of us wfh over last winter though?

Agree with the comments about heating when wfh. I tend to use a small electric radiator where I'm sitting rather than the full heating but I'm not sure it's cheaper. Still cheaper than my £500pm commute though!