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..

[AuntieMarys]

Bulb wanted to put up my dd by £40, but as I send meter readings every month and am £400 in credit, I said no. I will review in January.

[VanGoghsDog]

@Reallyimeanreally2022

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

Wrong

www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/household-appliance-most-likely-catch-13317892

Plenty of similar articles. One puts it 6th, which is still "a big source", as I said.

www.realhomes.com/news/the-10-household-appliances-most-likely-to-catch-fire

[minatrina]

@Reallyimeanreally2022

Those with the big jumps were on superb deals before.

You’ve reaped the benefit before.

I'm not sure about this really, as my price of 2.37p wasn't even the lowest available at the time (this was 2020). We just moved in and that was what the existing supplier wanted to put us on, and we were too lazy to look into it or bother switching so we just agreed to it. I checked other tariffs later and realised we could have got it cheaper elsewhere quite easily, but at the time I wasn't too bothered.

Anyone who was slightly more organised/sensible than me would have been paying less!

[VanGoghsDog]

I used to massively over pay my gas/electric. By hundreds of pounds.

Because Santander gives 3% cashback on utility bills (or they did) which was higher than any savings interest you can get. So I paid a few hundred pounds a month. And got a good chunk of cashback each month.

I'm annoyed with myself that I stopped doing it when I changed supplier 18m ago because it would have been good to be in credit.

As it is, Eon have totally stuffed up my billing by using estimated readings despite having been given a dozen or so real readings, and setting them against the old meter which came out in 2018. I only spotted the issue the other day and they are not responding to my emails. So lord knows how much I might owe them!

[oneglassandpuzzled]

@CentrifugalBumblePuppy

We were paying £128 per month for gas & electric from Eon. We went into the summer quarter over £200 in credit. A couple of weeks ago we logged in to check our account, and it’s was £300 in debit.

It’s summer. Our energy consumption is much lower; it’s usually the time we build up credit for the autumn & winter quarters.

We’ve changed the direct debit, the lowest the calculator would allow us to set the new figure was £239. That’s nearly a 100% increase!

We can just about absorb this ridiculous figure, but I’m genuinely scared for those who can’t jiggle their finances to afford these rises.

We looked at energy price comparisons - and we’re on the best tariff already!

We’re not putting the heating on until we have frosts and even then it’ll be an hour here & there to take the chill off. Luckily I invested in Oodies last year for everyone. And as I’m a crochet fiend there’s plenty of woolly blankets plus hot water bottles around.

I’m not saying this is due to botched Brexit negotiations with other countries who supply our energy but…

The UK needs to invest in renewable energy, especially nuclear. Wind & solar are great but we’re not the sunniest nor windiest place in the world. Nuclear (especially thorium reactors where transuranic waste could be burned & not become a waste problem) would give us a stable, steady electricity supply. After all, the French electricity we use is predominantly via nuclear, why not increase our own?

We are actually one of the windiest countries in Europe.

I actually hate wind farms and would agree about reviving up nuclear power.

[fournonblondes]

It’s that great Brexit we’ve been told so much about 🙄

Please this is happening beyond the U.K.

[DaisyNGO]

This thread has made me think

I picked another fixed rate deal but I have time to change my mind

I thought going for the variable tariff was inviting even worse prices? But it sounds like some of you think variable will work out cheaper?

[safariboot]

@DaisyNGO check the unit rate and standing charge. At the moment fixed rates are HIGHER than the variable rates, because variables are at the cap. If you do find a cheap fix, it might well be a supplier that's bound to go bust anyway.

You might still choose to fix if you're confident the variable will go up even higher during the fix period, and also confident your supplier won't go bust. But you'd be overpaying during this winter when usage is the highest. Personally I won't be surprised if one of the "big six" suppliers goes bust.

[DaisyNGO]

[quote safariboot]@DaisyNGO check the unit rate and standing charge. At the moment fixed rates are HIGHER than the variable rates, because variables are at the cap. If you do find a cheap fix, it might well be a supplier that's bound to go bust anyway.

You might still choose to fix if you're confident the variable will go up even higher during the fix period, and also confident your supplier won't go bust. But you'd be overpaying during this winter when usage is the highest. Personally I won't be surprised if one of the "big six" suppliers goes bust.[/quote]
Thanks
I did a fix with Eon last week because I thought variable would go nuts.

I've still got time to change my mind, now swithering. My feeling is also that a big co will go bust and some sort of high price fix will happen on variable.

The main reason I thought I'd fix is that nothing would surprise me, IYSWIM.

[Reallyimeanreally2022]

@AuntieMarys

Bulb wanted to put up my dd by £40, but as I send meter readings every month and am £400 in credit, I said no. I will review in January.

Was £520 in credit end of summer last year.

Winter obliterates the credit

Then you build it up again.

[Orangejuicemarathoner]

I cant believe a single adult living alone needs to pay £70 a month in gas

[NotMyCat]

@Orangejuicemarathoner

I cant believe a single adult living alone needs to pay £70 a month in gas

See my gas is cheap! My electric is the expensive one but I suspect that's my heated airer. Gas is around £10/15for me, electric £45

[Hellocatshome]

I cant believe a single adult living alone needs to pay £70 a month in gas

Me neither I spend about £10 in Gas in the warm months and about £30 in the colder months and there are 4 of us.

[AFuturisticalSound]

@DaisyNGO you posts read like you need to do some research on how fixed rates and cap work

No one is advising taking a fix atm. Do you know that the standard variable rate is now capped for 6months? Variable rates can't go up above that

[DaisyNGO]

[quote AFuturisticalSound]@DaisyNGO you posts read like you need to do some research on how fixed rates and cap work

No one is advising taking a fix atm. Do you know that the standard variable rate is now capped for 6months? Variable rates can't go up above that[/quote]
I am so confused
I thought that the cap was likely to be removed soon

I had a price comparison table, based on the cap remaining, there was a marginal difference.

But my understanding was that there was nothing to stop them removing the cap, or changing it, so at least in a fixed deal, I know what the prices are.

The Ofgem page seems to confirm that. Sorry if being very thick.

[DaisyNGO]

Also, if the cap is applicable for six months, we have no idea what will happen after that, so seemed to be better to fix prices for 18 months.

[AFuturisticalSound]

@DaisyNGO

Also, if the cap is applicable for six months, we have no idea what will happen after that, so seemed to be better to fix prices for 18 months.

Do you have a link for the cap being removed? I must have missed that, I do rely on Martin Lewis for information on this type of thing, maybe he hasn't caught up with that yet

He has been saying for some weeks now not to take a fix but of course everyone is free to take the gamble that paying more now will save in the long term

[dementedpixie]

The cap is reviewed every 6 months and changes in October and April every year and has done since 2019. I doubt the cap will be removed but the cap could rise along with energy prices

[VanGoghsDog]

The cap is being removed? Link?

[dementedpixie]

@DaisyNGO

Also, if the cap is applicable for six months, we have no idea what will happen after that, so seemed to be better to fix prices for 18 months.

I imagine a new cap is decided upon just like what usually happens every 6 months

[DaisyNGO]

@dementedpixie

The cap is reviewed every 6 months and changes in October and April every year and has done since 2019. I doubt the cap will be removed but the cap could rise along with energy prices

This was my understanding so no specific link, apologies to the poster asking.

I actually heard - from a friend so not a real source - that the cap might be removed and energy providers allowed to charge more freely.

Given it looks like the Wild West out there, I panicked and fixed but can change my mind, still a few days to do that.

[whatsthestory123]

i was always told that any appliance that heats up or cool's down use's alot of electric i guess that makes sense

although not all eg electric fan

[Bouledepetanque]

Not Brexit, I'm in a EU country and my Direct Debit just got requested by supplier this week to go up by 55%.

[Reallyimeanreally2022]

@Orangejuicemarathoner

I cant believe a single adult living alone needs to pay £70 a month in gas

I am a single parent
With serious raynards
£70 is on the moderate side for me during the winter months. Very very moderate in fact

[DaisyNGO]

@Bouledepetanque

Not Brexit, I'm in a EU country and my Direct Debit just got requested by supplier this week to go up by 55%.

Eek

The 33% I have looks a bit better now. Sorry for you though.

Mine might have been worse but in flats, you get residual heat from others.