I am sick of feeling the cold. The electric bill is crippling me.

[SoleSource]

Freezing.

I'm with you, I'm on prepay electric and I've really noticed it gobbling up money the past week or so. It's supposed to warm up next week though

Same here. I've got slippers and a thick jumper on as well. At least I'll be boiling hot at work tonight though

Me too, I wear a snuggie most of the time, or stay in my fleece pyjamas, or both.

I hear you, SoleSource. I've got two fleece housecoats on - on top of normal clothes and I've still had to have some heating on all day. The thought of the next bill is frightening.

Pre-pay here too. Used £3 from around 8am this morning.

I read somewhere that there's cold winds coming in from Siberia, that's why its so cold. Hope we get some sun soon.

I'm pre-pay too. £5 a day in gas just to keep the4 place reasonably warm.

I have the fire lit, the (shit) heating on, and an electric heater. I am still sitting here wrapped in a blanket with my scarf on!

my heating is set 18 hours a day to 21 and 18 for the other 6. I am going to have to sell a kidney to pay the next quarters bill.

When we had the wood stove installed, everyone said we were pretentious. Three winters later and it's paid for itself (chopping up old pallets and scrap wood also keeps us warm), but I dread to think how much our gas bill is going to be for heating the upstairs. And the electricity bill for heating the attic bedroom :(

This is one reason I don't mind having meters, at least I can only spend what I have. If I don't have the cash, then it's cold, but no temptation to put the heating on and worry about it later.

I agree Netto.

Got less that a tenner to last until Saturday.

We have the heating on most of the day ATM. The boiler is almost as old as I am and is shit. DS2 and I are always cold. I have a vest, t-shirt long wool cardy and I'm still flipping freezing.

We are sitting here shivering most of the time. We have to use bastard oil. All money up-front. Min they will fill the tank with is half, that is at least 350 pounds!

We also have a DREADFULLY insulated downstairs bathroom. Its so cold in there its painful to step on the floor with bare feet.

I'm colder in this house than I was in Northern Indiana last year!

Freezing and skint here too.

Our last gas bill was stupidly high so we decided to turn the heating off, MIL bought us an oil free radiator for the lounge and we brought a little oil filled one for the bathroom, although its caused the electric bill to increase a little It is still much cheaper than using our old inefficiant boiler for the heating.

It takes 10mins to heat the lounge, we leave it on for 45mins then turn it off, the room stays warm for about 2 hours if we don't keep opening the door and then bearable for another hour if we snuggle under a duvet then we put the radiator back on.

The bathroom one is on all the time to keep it warm, its a downstairs bathroom with a single skin wall so is like an ice box, it costs more to get it up to a reasonable temperature then it does to just leave the radiator on low all the time and keep it warm.

The rest of the house is freezing though

Can any of you with pre pay meters change? They sound like they use an extortionate amount! Our flat is pretty well insulated but is only about £80 every quarter for electric and gas! ( that's about 80p a day), and we have heating on high 24/7.

Can any of you call someone about possibly changing? As you are paying over x3 the amount we do and it's still cold by the sounds of it

I am sure the financial guy on the This Morning prog stated that there is no difference in pre pay and quarterly bill.

I feel your pain, every single penny i have at the moment has gone on to the bloody gas and electric meters, to keep warm, sometimes i don't take my coat of when i get home from uni for a couple of hours im so bloody cold. Sick of it now, roll on spring :/

Surely there must be. Our house is at 22degrees,have gas and electric cooker, lots of electrical appliances etc..£80 a quarter compared to £270 based on your £3 a day figure.

if you are in Scotland Scottish Hydro will remove the prepayment meter and set you on a quarterly bill for no charge and no credit check

There is a big difference between pre-paids and 'normal' bills.

Also if you are on benefits (ESA/JSA/DLA/Income Support/Pension) you can make an agreement with the power company to take a set amount from your benefit per week to cover usage and you are not charged anymore than the set amount.

I am charged £10.55 a week, this is deducted straight from my benefit payment (I'm on ESA at present due to a health condition)

The amount used still accrues and if/when you are back in work/come into money the bill you have is still due however, i started with a bill of £515 and now my outstanding is £215 which means, I think, my payments have reduced the outstanding bill.

I'm not entirely sure but I'm guessing, and only guessing here, that if you are successful in getting the power companies to take a set amount from your benefits they sort of stop charging you silly £'s a month (perhaps because they realise you can't afford it and repay it)

It took me a lot of time to discover this was available for people on low incomes, weeks of phone calls and I got angry with them, I cried with them (which I was not proud of) but eventually I found the correct department in the power company and the direct deduction from my benefit was agreed

This should be more highly published as very few people know about it

I'm happy to pass on the details, I'm with Scottish Power and can provide contact details for that company,

I've been lead to understand every power company can arrange this, however I only have experience with Scottish Power so can not vouch for other power company

Apologies for the long post but I just want to share my experience as it might help others who are having to choose between using the electricity to cook a meal, have a wash, or keep warm.

It's disgusting people can't afford to cook, wash or heat their homes in GREAT BRITAIN .........we give money to charities in Africa for this exact same thing

Sorry for the long post and getting on my high horse but if this can help just one person or one family that would be good

Freezing cold and skint here too

I'm so cold I can't feel my nose.

We're on prepay leccy and gas meters and are going through a lot of both. I have thermal vest leggings and socks, two tops a cardi, jiggers and a blanket and I'm still cold.

We have only one radiator to heat all of downstairs.

The only time I'm warm is at work.

forevergreek I neglected to state I have no central heating and using an electric fan heater.

I am with Scottish Power elfbambinos

Could you post the telephone number for the specifoc department please?

We have zero debt.

I enquired last year about a social tariff for dual fuel with EDF. Apparently I was way too wealthy (£13,000pa including Tax Credits but not counting DLA).

Considering the starting point for free school meals is £15,000 (but not entitled if you get any WTC) I thought I would be able to go on the social tariff. I cannot remember what EDF said their limit was, though, sorry.

Our landlady wont let us have bills, got to stay on meter.
Its £20 a week, Im getting obsessed with it,
The kettle is 6p a boil
The electric fire is 60p an hour
Dishwasher 35p
Wash machine & dry is about £1.60

Our gas is delivered in big bottles, £55 each. Bloody nightmare, Im going to watch t.v in bed.

I'll pm you Sole Source