Anyone with Octopus - really worried about price increases?

[goingpearshaped]

Is anyone else with Octopus? The MSE emails are scaring me re energy prices as they don't seem to have any fixes worth having. Can't move to Utility Warehouse as too tied in with other contacts. Is anyone else also not fixing? Current open market fix is 103% more than current cost so not worth it. It's insane and bloody worrying.

My family think it’s overkill. I seem to be the only one stressing madly and as a consequence I’m the one not turning the TV on, not having a bath, not charging things while they leave lights on, cook whenever, it’s infuriating.
our is set at £270 a month and that’s not covering it. I dread to think how we will ever pay the debt.

We were with Octopus a few months before they put our bill up @Pleaseaddcaffine

If you're a very low user £94 pm might be enough, especially as you're in credit.

Look at the balance forecast section of your online account (might not be visible if you only have an iPhone) - it tells you how it's expected to vary over the next year and gives you the opportunity to adjust your DD if it's not right.

I'm on standard tariff (not octopus) and our estimate for the year has gone up 20% in cost, I'm not sure how others are being told 3 or 4 times as much (based on previous bills). I'm guessing these companies are not telling the whole truth

Thank you I will chevk that.
I did wonder. My bill forecast is about 900 ish per year based on my statement based on current usage so that's about right I think.
Its only me and a toddler. One TV. Disihwasher. Work outside of the home.

If they're teens/young adults, they've never experienced inflation, so it might be an alien concept to them.

They've also not grown up in the 1970/80s with parents who lived in fear of the immersion heater being accidentally left on. Those of us who were children then lived with constant reminders about the limitations on affordability of the immersion heater and the cry of 'it's like Blackpool Illuminations in here' if an unoccupied room was found with the lights on.

But I thought all 'young people' were concerned about the environment and anti-waste for that reason anyway? Even if you can afford it, it's still wrong to be wasteful with G&E because it's killing the planet.

It's the unit costs that have gone up by 3 or 4 times (or more!). The standing charge has also risen

Our last 'cheap fix' was from early 2021 from Avro

The unit costs were 16 p electricity and 2.6 p and the standing charges was 21 p a day for both.

Now we're on a tariff that's about 15% above the April 22 price cap and a lot less than what the October 22 price cap will be. The unit costs are 31 p (so just about 100% more) and 8.5 p (over 3 times more). The standing charge has also gone up about 50%. And this is on a tariff that will look cheap in October.

The only way your bill can have risen by 'only' 20% is if you've managed to significantly reduce your usage, which is a really good thing to do, but it doesn't mean that the cost has risen by that amount.

I actually decided against the EDF fix at the end of my fixed term - May 2022 - as it's a 2yr deal & £300 exit fees.
I might reassess this now - I just don't want to be fixed into a deal for two years with everything all up in the air!

With octopus - used to put c.£80 - right now my Dd is £150 and I’m £300 in credit. Last bill was £140. Last fix they offered me was £250 I said no- checked this wk and they estimate £390- I literally have been speechless, i live in a tiny house, young kids no teens on tablets etc. how the fuck are people meant to cope. Im so scared but there is no fix worth taking- I will happily riot over this come winter!

Budget 700 a month 😱🫣 for God sake!

Thanks @BarbaraofSeville , found the detail in Octopus. Also forgot I had entered it into MSE Energy Saving club. Definitely no better deals as scottish Power is £606 per month. It's just madness.

And yes, others have no idea re switching things off. Getting better at switching at the plug too but people think I am paranoid.

Has anyone found a smart meter has helped to reduce usage (as you can see what it using it)?

Octopus have just installed a smart meter for us, and having complained about the cost, they are going to monitor and come back to us in a month.

We were with Avro (?) when they went bust, and left owing them £200. Since then (November?) we are over £2,000 in debt with Octopus, despite making all of the DD payments on time, and at the amount they suggested. I daren't say how much they are saying we need to pay each month. Just doesn't make sense. Do meters ever fail?

Ours did - I've insisted we have them in dumb mode. Worst thing I've ever done was agree to smart meters being installed. Octopus have been so stressful for me to deal with

It’s possible. You can ask for them to be tested. However, it’s also likely your previous meters weren’t working well and you’ve been underpaying for some time and the smart meters are now showing the true consumption.

SNAP

I'm on svr with Octopus too. Was paying £125 a month. Husband moved out in May, expected the bills to go down. Usage has but the monthly DD is now £200 a month. And come October that will more than double - they reckon my November bill will be £600 - for one adult and one teen 50% of the time.

I've been checking fixes and none of them were good at the time although the one in May at 60% higher (against a prediction of 45% higher) is now looking like it would have been good.

I've just got smart meters and I have already adjusted behaviour a tiny bit - I have an uplighter in the lounge that I use a lot. But it's 5p an hour to run! So I've stopped using that and I'm looking to see if there are low energy bulbs for it.

The grill is horrific so I'm considering an air fryer especially as 50% of the time it's just me.

I just had an email from octopus recommending I increase my dd by £50, to £268. Old, tiny 2 bed cottage with storage heaters. I am currently in credit and use far , far less electricity March - November. Had to phone to reduce back to current payments and bored customer service assistant did so without quibble and told me ‘its just what the system decides.’