How much credit with energy company?

[Isyesterdaytomorrowtoday]

How much credit would you say is sensible to have with your energy company at this point in the year?

we have quite a bit and my DH is keen to have them refund some but I’m nervous about rises etc- we aren’t on a fixed tariff. also trying to work out if we can’t get them to reduce DD.

how conservative should we be? Or just leave it til March and get it then?

I've got £800, with no intention of withdrawing it.

Im at £400 credit and bill was issued yesterday , happy with that.

How much is that compared to your month DD if you don’t mind me asking?

Balance £365
Monthly payment £220
Last months combined usage £177
I'm leaving it there

I've got £400 which I'm leaving there and adding to

I’ve got about £1k in credit, compared to £250 monthly dd. Am leaving it there for now although I’m not expecting to use it all this winter (I hope!)

Around £900 at present. I've been overpaying massively and I've no intention of stopping. I want to be able to use my heating and not be terrified of cost

£0

£650 and DD £230, though they want me to put it up to over £300. Last bill £115 so keeping it there for now but not increasing DD.

£1800
they put up the dd by £200 and when I tried to reduce it they wanted another immediate payment of £1300

its bonkers !
I am now submitting weekly readings

I've not got any as I'm perfectly capable of managing my own finances and see no reason for my money to be sitting with other people.

I used to understate my usage slightly when switching supplier so that I'd never be in credit, now I just pay each month's bill (based on actual usage) as it falls, via variable direct debit.

£595 - leaving it there for now.

Our direct debit has lowered with the grant and we're still going to pay the extra into a separate account just in case things all go to shit in April.

I think having 3 to 4 times your October bill (what you actually used in October under the new tariff) is a comfortable amount. I think, with that, if your monthly dd equals the October bill) you should have sufficient, so long as this winter isn't really bad, to see you through.

I do think it depends on how your supplier is using the £400. If you are a below average energy user then you can afford to keep it. If you are above average, need all day heating or similar, then it's a good idea to feed that back into your account. Either by repaying it if they refund you or not reducing your payment if they add it to your account.

I pay a DD of £112 per month.

Last quarterly bill was last week and was £220 and has left me with £167 credit.

I'm on 2 year fixed rate that runs out in August.

I'm thinking I will up the DD to £200 due to the £66 pound refunds and it being winter now.

I need to build a bigger buffer for when the fixed rate ends.

We only have electricity and pay £200 a month. Using approx £150 a month.

£680. DD of £180pm. 4 bed semi, not well insulated (old house). Going to add back the £66 rebate to payments and leave it there

£300 in credit, with our DD going up by £50 this month to £263 (manageable). 4 bed semi

We have £900 credit, paying £450 a month and using £250(ish) no heating on yet though.

£600.
Pay £200 dd. Edf upped it to £270 last week, after two requests I managed to get them back down to £200. I've spent £110 so far this month so well under the £200 a month. For the next 6 months I'll be paying £1200 in total, plus the £600, that gives me a monthly average of £300. If I can stick under that I'll be OK.

I would rather the money is in my name than in theirs, so as little as possible. We don't build up credit with supermarkets or petrol stations. I understand why you might feel differently about energy providers, but personally I hate the feeling that they are just sitting on my money.

Hundreds of pounds in credit. However, haven’t had a bill since March and my smart meter isn’t working properly so I’ve actually no idea how much energy I’m paying for. I have queried this situation with Shell who told me they are having technical “issues”

£500.

DD is set for £150 per month, but OVO want to up it, even with the £500 credit. We've used £85 for Oct so far, as not had the heating on yet this autumn.

It's a poorly insulated 4 bed semi (and loft conversion) but we're tight arses with the heating, so hoping we can get by with the buffer.

£750 in credit

Paying £200 a month dd. September bill for both gas & electric was £81 total. Waiting to see what October looks like.

I'm letting them (over) estimate and paying on estimates for the last couple of bills. Given they increase my estimated usage by around 10% over what I actually used last year I think it's only fair - I'm not a cash cow bailing them out! I'd rather pay for actual units in advance thus gaining some units at the cheaper pre October rate that I've not yet used. Even so I am a whole bill and a half in credit - partially as we have cut down on unnecessary electrical usage and it's made a good 10% difference on top. Due next estimated bill in a couple of weeks. Once that's paid I may well give them a meter reading, and ask for a few hundred ££ back.

@GladysGeorgina we had pretty much the same issue which has only just been resolved (not she’ll though) so now know where we stand a bit better