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Original poster

How much do you pay for gas and electric?

66 replies

Cloudsandrainbows · 29/04/2022 09:03

Hi all, just wondering who's gas and electric bill has gone up, and what to? Looks like ours is going up by £150 a month so will be £270 depending on meter readings 🙈 and I honestly don't know what else I can cut back. With the cost of diesel ever increasing we are now spending over £400 a month for my DH to get to work (no he can't work closer to home, it's a very specific job, and he gets a good wage, just not enough right now with all these bills going up) How are people affording this right now?! Any tips for cutting our usage? FYI we have a 3 bed detached and although I'm home most of the day I don't put heating on unless absolutely have to as have toddler at home with me, and don't have tumble dryer, but do sometimes resort to the electric airer if can't get washing dry outside. TIA

OP posts:
MamboMambo · 29/04/2022 12:32

I was genuinely scared that my bill would be ridiculously expensive but I was pleasantly surprised that it hasn't actually changed all that much, a couple of quid more for the month, if that? We have stopped using the tumble dryer completely and cut back on the heating, I've only had it on maybe twice in the last week, so think that has helped. My direct debit hasn't changed as yet, but I might make a one off payment as I am in about £50 debt from the winter months that has just rolled over. Looking at the rates, the unit prices haven't changed drastically, its the daily standing charge that's gone up the most.

MamboMambo · 29/04/2022 12:33

Forgot to say we are 3 bed semi, 2 adult, 2 kids (1 adult and 1 child at home all day) and our DD is £96.

Aposterhasnoname · 29/04/2022 12:38

Ours has gone up from £103 to £187 a month, but I’m expecting to use less than that as we’ve cut back on lots of things.

I genuinely have no idea how people are running up £500 a month bills unless they have large debts to pay back. We’re in a three bed draughty, old, detached house, with DH working from home all day, had the heating running 24/7 till recently, and dried everything in the tumble dryer.

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Cost of living
BlitheRobin · 29/04/2022 12:43

MamboMambo · 29/04/2022 12:33

Forgot to say we are 3 bed semi, 2 adult, 2 kids (1 adult and 1 child at home all day) and our DD is £96.

We have a large detached house. That's probably why our bill is quite large, and I work from home at the moment.

BlitheRobin · 29/04/2022 12:43

Sorry, I've quoted the wrong poster.

BlitheRobin · 29/04/2022 12:44

Although monthly our bill would be just over £300 per month.

Billandben444 · 29/04/2022 12:48

3.4 gas
27.75 electric
Fixed until May 2024 with EDF

thecoffeewasthething · 29/04/2022 12:51

£300 pcm tho usage at the moment is half that.

They put it up this month, which irritated me, considering we have a smart meter and I can see daily figures. However, I've decided to leave it at the moment in order to build up credit. We're on a flex tariff and I wonder what October will bring.

Things we've done to reduce or restrict energy usage include getting rid of the tumble dryer, lowering the thermostat as well as the boiler temp, and as I've started cycling into work more and shower in their cubicles (which are really nice tbh so I don't mind at all).

Not a massive help, in all likelihood, but something. I live in a large end terrace with draughty windows (the one thing I can't face updating in the house tbh).

Monkeybutt1 · 29/04/2022 13:41

MamboMambo · 29/04/2022 12:32

I was genuinely scared that my bill would be ridiculously expensive but I was pleasantly surprised that it hasn't actually changed all that much, a couple of quid more for the month, if that? We have stopped using the tumble dryer completely and cut back on the heating, I've only had it on maybe twice in the last week, so think that has helped. My direct debit hasn't changed as yet, but I might make a one off payment as I am in about £50 debt from the winter months that has just rolled over. Looking at the rates, the unit prices haven't changed drastically, its the daily standing charge that's gone up the most.

have you come off a fixed deal? If you are in a deal still it won't have changed.

Bluebellbike · 29/04/2022 13:48

I pay £53 per month. I live alone in a bungalow with a total of 4 rooms. I am £110 in credit.

How much do you pay for gas and electric?
BigWoollyJumpers · 29/04/2022 13:57

We've gone back to putting the heating on for a quick burst these last few days, if it gets to 18, we get cold...... soft southerners that we are!

Our recent bill actually wasn't too bad, but mostly because it is now Spring.
We did have a full house for April, so expected it to go up a bit again, but we did benefit during the Winter as we were down to just two of us, albeit in a fairly big house. Recently changed boiler, so that should also help in the long run.

So in the Winter we averaged £320 p/m then it dropped to £270, then £216, our April bill has just been £285. So not so much of a shock to us, as still less than Winter bills.

Original poster
Cloudsandrainbows · 30/04/2022 19:19

Thank you for all your replies. I am waiting on a new bill having submitted meter readings, but am currently on a fixed rate which ends on 28th May....after that who knows! I wonder if there is some kind of national divide...does the price of fuel differ from post code to post code? Some seem to be using much more than us or have a bigger property and paying less, and other seem to be paying silly amounts. We have a relatively modern house and do have solar panels but they only heat water, and don't supply any other energy. What is the world coming to...I feel for our kids, they'll never afford to move out at this rate!

OP posts:
Mamiamamia · 30/04/2022 19:34

We moved into a new house a few months ago, I asked to be billed quarterly for our usage and we are on a variable tarrif.

I have been taking meter readings and calculating our monthly payment to put aside for when our bill comes through . March (before the price rise) was £90 for gas and electricity combined, this month with the price rise it is £140 for gas/electricity combined (these prices include standing charges).

We are in a large 5 bdrm house, 3 adults, 3 children. 4 of us home full time. We have used the heating minimally since moving in, set to 17.

Our gas accounts for about 50% of our bill, we have a hot water storage tank, we it seems is quite expensive to run.

DodgyKneesCyril · 30/04/2022 19:42

£70 a month electric and £55 a month gas

FAQs · 30/04/2022 19:46

Mine is going up from around £65 to £83 currently in credit, 3 bed terrace. Last year it averaged £42 per month.

PilatesPeach · 30/04/2022 19:48

Was £67 per month in August for dual fuel with Avro just me in the house and am relatively frugal with heating. Now am with Octopus and it is £120 which is manageable but I have spent much of the winter under a fleece on the sofa rather than use the heating and have also cut down on how often I get the boiler to heat the hot water.

tootiredtospeak · 30/04/2022 19:54

Refuse to set it any higher than you think it should be. Mine has been 140 for ages for both. After price change wanted to put it to 240. I am on the variable tariff. I refused said they could take it to 190 a month and that I will do a mate reading every month to make sure we dont go behind. Just done my first reading today and we spent exactly 133 this month but that was with 3 weeks with the heating totally off it's not been on once. I will just keep on top of what we are using every month.

AledsiPad · 30/04/2022 20:02

We're at £270 currently too, £150 electricity and £120 gas. The gas is about right but the electricity is slightly above our usage I think. We have solar panels and are benefitting from them hugely.

I fixed our price for two year at the current price cap just before it was officially announced in February. Eternally grateful I did as it's not going down any time soon.

We are a 5 bedroom, semi-detatched house with 6 people living in it.

FourTeaFallOut · 30/04/2022 20:02

26.7p for electricity and 6.4p gas, fixed in January for 2 years. Our February bill was a tenner a day at those rates.

Mycatsgoldtooth · 30/04/2022 20:06

£350. Three bed. It’s going to be a cold winter.

TheSnowyOwl · 30/04/2022 20:08

Ours is almost £300 per month. The electric shower is probably the most expensive thing in our house. An adaptor over the bath taps has helped to cut that down quite significantly.

FairyCakeSprinkles · 30/04/2022 20:14

We have a four bed detached. I was on a fixed rate until end of March. Just checked the app that calculates it daily and I've spent £129 so far this month but I have solar panels.

They've put the DD up to £220 which is much higher than my current use but I can cover it so thinking I might leave it at £220 to start paying for next winter's heating after the next price hike in October.

ihmlsnwidhks · 30/04/2022 20:20

200 pound no gas . 3/4 bed flat

caringcarer · 30/04/2022 20:22

From April first until today actual readings I have been charged £224 for electricity and £79 for gas. Over £300 in just under one month and my dd is set as £119.68

Kitfish · 30/04/2022 20:25

£500 per month