My gas & electric costs is crippling me.

[ColinRobinsonsfamiliar]

I know it’s the same for everyone.
Its gone from £180 per month for both to £490 per month.
3 bedroom semi.
This is more than our mortgage.

I’m planning on seeing how the bills are until January then will reassess the monthly payments.
We have stopped using the dryer, turned heating down, switching off switches, filling a bloody flask with hot water instead of boiling the kettle, only doing one laundry load every other day, drying on the radiators.
Trying to pick up extra shifts.

I don’t know how long we can keep our heads above water.

Is this it now? Is this life for ever?

Look back at your bills for your usage at same time last year, using those figures calculate how much they would at todays prices. If a lot lower than what to your supplier is requesting contact them and agree to pay a lower figure.
In my opinion some suppliers are plucking numbers out it he air and scaring their customers.

You don't have to agree to whatever figure the energy company comes up with. If you can give readings they can bill accordingly.

i don't know where you are but I'm in the South and not putting my heating on until December. I realise that might not be doable/practical for a lot of people but I would rather that than face crippling bills

Its so hard. I face either huge heating bill or mould. It's one or the other in the house I live in.
I'm beyond fed up complete trapped in this situation and feel depressed and hopeless everyday.
My life was already hard without juggling toddler washing in West Highland rain because I can't afford the drier and I risk all our health with mould inside because the heating can't be on for long/too high.
I see no way out and just want to curl up and sleep forever!

I'm sorry it's hard for you too. Definitely suggest making sure the figures are right and if you don't have a smart meter taking a reading every day to see how much you are actually using.

What's your usage? It must be very high with that kind of monthly bill. It'll say on your bills. If it's high maybe you can work out what's causing it. Immersion heater, hot tub, tumble dryer, fish tanks, electric shower, are all big energy users.

Is £490 what you are using or what they are trying to get you to set the direct debit amount at?

Are you paying off a high debit balance or are you in credit?

Last month we used around £37 worth of gas and £140 of electricity at the standard variable rate prices (4 bed detached in Scotland). My direct debit was £240ish but lowered for the next 6 months as the £66/67 will be paid towards our bills too.

If you feel the amount is too high then talk to your supplier and settle on a figure that you can afford

@ColinRobinsonsfamiliar, I have not even turned my heating on yet. What are you turning it down from and how long have you had heating on? No wonder you are using so much. Turn it off and use a snuggle blanket like most other people.

Surely that's just your direct debit and not your actual usage?

I don’t understand these posts now (v sympathetic if it is the case and it’s all v v confusing). With the price cap and everyone off and no heating there is no way it can be £490pm. Ours is less than half of that and we have the heating on for an hour in the morning, 2 kids to tv and laptops on a lot and use the tumbler occasionally. We are cutting down but not killing our selves and it’s not too expensive (on no fix so presumably just working to the price cap)

That seems a lot of money to be paying for a 3 bed semi. Is that based on ACTUAL usage or are there some estimated bills?

If you are all fit and well consider whether you do need the heating on (pop a hoodie or jumper on and some slippers instead). If you do need it on, can you cut back on the hours it is on? If you leave the house at 8:30am, say, you probably don't need it on after 7:30am.

Then look at costs of heating water. Do you have a combi boiler or a trad boiler? Again, does it need to be as hot as it is? If you have a water tank is it properly lagged? Can you cut back on bathing/showers (little less time/water).

How old are your big electrical appliances? White goods have had energy ratings for years. Are you using the economy programmes (makes a big difference with my dishwasher/washing machine)?

What about cooking? Are you turning the oven on for multiple different meals? Slow cookers/air fryers/pressure cookers use a lot less energy.

What about lightbulbs? Are they energy efficient or do you have rooms full of hot downlighters?

What is your annual usage for gas and electricity?
Your statements should say.
We are high users of gas 18000 kw and average electricity 3000 kw. We live in a terribly insulated old 4 bed detached and our bills are less than yours.
Either you use an incredible amount of energy, in which case it shouldn't be too hard to cut down or your direct debit is off.

Yes i was going to say the same. I would check your actual usage amount now not wait until January and lower your direct debit. So many posts on here, mse etc about energy companies putting dds up basically as a way of free borrowing for themselves whereas actual usage is nothing like what they want!

They might have estimated 490 before the price cap but it shouldn't be anywhere near that now. By the time the price cap has been implemented and the govt £66 added my energy costs are actually significantly less than last year at the moment. I reduced the dd they wanted me to pay by 25% and am still significantly in credit. They are just trying it on!

At the very least you can reduce the dd but save the difference in a separate bank account. Then if you do end up needing to pay more at least you're not scrabbling around for it and its been in your bank earning you interest rather than your energy company's!

If you don't need to pay the extra then you've got it to spend!

It's hard to comment on your situation without a lot more information as previous posters have said. Have you been giving regular meter readings/do you have a smart meter? Are you in debit or credit with your energy supplier atm? Are you paying back any debt to them atm? What is you actual usage each month and what is your current tariff standing charges and unit price?

Get a smart meter and just pay each month what the bill is. Ours is currently about £3 a day for gas and electric in a four bed semi without heating on but I can see what costs lots I.e the cooker costs about 1p a minute to run.

Check last years usage on the current price cap and add on the standing charges. Sounds like you may have underpaid in the past and are playing catch-up. £490 sounds pretty steep.

I live in a 3 bed flat - draughty as fuck with very high ceilings. I have been militant with switches and cut down shower time. Over the past quarter, I spent 180 in total for gas an electric. Make sure things aren’t being charged overnight. Pull out every single plug from the socket that is not being used. I don’t intend to increase elec usage going forward, and will not be using the heating for as long as possible (it hasn’t been switched on since Feb). I now go into the office as much as possible so there is 0 usage between 8-5 apart from he fridge/freezer. I’ll buy an electric blanket and Oodie type stuff for the house. It can be done, but it takes a few weeks for it be an ingrained habit for all in the house. Do not agree to the DD!

That does sound very high. Have you checked for any 'vampire' appliances - anything heated left on such as an immersion heater or heated towel rail?

As I understand it, if you pay by DD, the £400 government grant should be deducted from your monthly payments in 6 instalments of £66 or £67, so check whether this is going to happen.

As everyone has already said, check previous usage and compare this to the new rates but your DD's are very high (even the original one).

Our heating is not yet on, not keeping it off to save money but just because the house is still warm without it (as I sit in the living room the thermostat is showing 19.7deg).

I'm putting the meter reading in weekly and it has halved the direct debit amount they are asking for.

If you're putting washing on your radiators, your heating system will have to work harder to heat the rooms, costing you extra money. If you can, don't use your heating yet. I'm sat on my sofa now in my coat :(

I think it needs a good review of why it’s costing you so much. We have gone from £180 to £250. We have an American fridge freezer, run dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer every day. We aren’t on a fix. We are with Bulb.

The price of energy still went up though in October. That is the price cap. I honestly think

Oops
i honestly think that people who are high users don’t realise how much they actually used

Here ends the party political broadcast on behalf of the Labour Party .🙄

You need to check what you’re actually using and not just what your supplier wants you to pay per month, I’ve had an email today saying they’re increasing my direct debit by nearly £10 per month but I’m £260 in credit so I’ll be changing that right back in my online banking.