If you live alone with electric heating

[Tobleronie]

If you live on your own and are all electric much do you pay per month? I just tried to reduce my direct debit with OVO and they won't let me take it below £400 a month. I can't believe I am using all that. I'm going to take a look through my old meter readings to see if it's right.

I have one storage heater, a hot water tank, a washing machine, a small fridge, an electric shower and a single hob. I put the hot water on 2x a week, I shower daily and I put the washing machine on 2x a week. Hob is on for the time it takes to cook pasta, rice or a stir fry.

I might have the storage heater programmed wrong but even at that it seems a lot. Fridge is new and I chose the most energy efficient one I could get.

That's mad! My gas and electric combined hover between £50 and £80 depending on how much I am at home, if I have guests etc. it was £48 for December because I was away from home for 10 days, so a third of the month - and that's in winter where I have had the 'flu and haven't been skimping on the central heating. I also have a washer/dryer, fridge/freezer, oven/hob, air fryer, microwave and dishwasher. Honestly £400 is mad and cannot be right at all.

4 bedroom detached, electric only. Family of six, so high usage (tumble dryer, washing machine, multiple showers daily). Only once did we use £400 in a month, the rest of the year is usually between £140 and £200 per month. We're with Eon and provide meter readings every month. Yours sounds crazy high - could you be paying off any debt?

Do you have an online account that you can see whether you're in debit / credit etc? I log in monthly and can see that we have a credit balance - family of four in a 3 bed semi and working from home etc. pay £126 per month currently. Yours sounds high, unless ours is really wrong.

I live in a small flat using about the same amount of electricity as you (on the face of it, I haven't actually looked up my usage) and it comes to about £67pcm with OVO (and I don't have gas).

Not paying off any debt. I provide readings regularly. I got money back from them in the autumn because I had overpaid but they have removed the option to request a refund from their app now so you have to phone them to ask for your own money back. I wanted to reduce my monthly payment and they've said I can't. I have got it reduced before and then they just reduce it for a month and put it back up again. I'm always cold too because I don't turn the heat up high.

So what are you actually using every month? They can't charge you £400 if you are only using £100-worth of electricity - you could take them to the Ombudsman over that.

I'm just trying to work out how many units I am using going back over a couple of months.

I'm freezing in my flat which is heating. My bills are around 60pm. I work shifts and use my heated blanket alot.

I think my usage was £196 over the last month according to my readings.

So it's half of what they are taking from you (still sounds high to me though!)

I would try one last time to open up a meaningful conversation with your supplier and be clear that if the situation isn't resolved that you will go to the Ombudsman - lots of good stuff on here: https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/complain-about-your-energy-supplier-0

I'm on economy 7 and live alone in a 2 bedroom flat. I have a meter with a key, so pay as I go and it's around £3.20ish per day at the moment, including standing charge. (So £100 thereabouts per month.) I too, put water on twice weekly and 3 or 4 washing loads weekly, have a fridge and freezer and an airfryer. I don't have a storage heater though, just 3 electric oil filled radiators which I use as sparingly as possible. Are you on Economy 7 OP? If so, do you run washing machine etc overnight when cheaper?

Lots of you tube videos about how to set up and run storage heaters for the best efficiency.

Live alone in a 1 bed flat on the ground floor with all electric, no gas. I have electric rads but they aren't oil filled nor storage heaters so no economy 7 needed. My monthly DD is about £140 per mth with Eon. I shower daily and use the washing machine/ tumble dryer twice a week. Barely put the heating on tho, as with two external walls and one to the not heated communal area - this property just doesn't retain the heat so I'm paying to heat upstairs and as much as I like my neighbour, no ta 🤣

I tried to see this month if I could get cheaper with say Octopus Energy but the standing charge difference was so slight like 49.92 to 49 21 it's not worth the faff.
£400 per month does sound utterly ridiculous I would continue to challenge them on this OP

£400 a month is really high, unless you have some outstanding debt you are paying off.
I live alone, all electric, no hot water or shower but I have a storage heater and 2 electric heaters that are on for several hours a day. My last bill was £155 pm (this is pretty much the most I ever spend).
My DD is £100 and I build up a decent amount in the summer to cover now.