To be really concerned about energy prices

[Idontlikeworms]

I have locked my deal I until 2023 but paying so much more now. I work with vulnerable adults. Most can not afford heating now and are on pre payment meters. What the f is going to happen when the prices increase by 50% ?? It's horrible.

Yep. My deal ends in January. I'm currently with octopus and pay about 25p kWh but after my deal it'll jump to 75p kWh which means instead of £50 a month it'll jump to £150

I can barely afford to exist at the minute on £950 a month from UC, rent is £450. So it'll be living in the dark and cold and not using the cooker, heating, shower, TV etc.

It is horrible and many are trying not to think too much about next year as it's going to be horrendous:(

Same here. My gas and electric bill was £400 from 23rd nov till 23rd dec.

It used to be £177 direct debit all year round.

Last month it was £300. Im with octopus and they want £450 a month to fix the price.

Tried comparison sites and it cannot find me a cheaper deal.

Its just terrible, so many people will suffer. Having a warm home and lighting is a necessity not a luxury x

Our fixed tarriff ends in March. I'm dreading it. It's £89 a month now as it is.
And our water bill is going up in January, from £60 to £98 a month.
DH is currently doing temp agency work to make ends meet and I'm in the process of changing jobs right now.
Our tenancy has just been extended by a year, but due to shit job situations for DH the last 2 months have been a struggle to even pay the rent (£950)

@HeatingOnHeatingOff

Same here. My gas and electric bill was £400 from 23rd nov till 23rd dec.

It used to be £177 direct debit all year round.

Last month it was £300. Im with octopus and they want £450 a month to fix the price.

Tried comparison sites and it cannot find me a cheaper deal.

Don't fix Go onto the variable rate as thats covered by the price cap until April at which point it will be reviewed

Im on the variable rate now

Forget heating your home- the cost of running a business will sky rocket and those prices are only passed on. Aren’t Germany holding up a fuel pipe or something to ease our costs?

I've got us all hooded wearable blankets and turned the hearing right down. I'm fortunate and am in a job, having a tiny house helps for once! but for the adults I work with In draughty,old, cold, damp homes its going to be hell for them.

Heard it might increase 3 fold 😱😢

@Atmywitsend29

Our fixed tarriff ends in March. I'm dreading it. It's £89 a month now as it is. And our water bill is going up in January, from £60 to £98 a month. DH is currently doing temp agency work to make ends meet and I'm in the process of changing jobs right now. Our tenancy has just been extended by a year, but due to shit job situations for DH the last 2 months have been a struggle to even pay the rent (£950)

Look into a water meter. Family of 3 here who aren't frugal with water and we pay £165 a year water and £240 a year sewerage. A lot less than your monthly amount even now

@MaryAndHerNet

Yep. My deal ends in January. I'm currently with octopus and pay about 25p kWh but after my deal it'll jump to 75p kWh which means instead of £50 a month it'll jump to £150

I can barely afford to exist at the minute on £950 a month from UC, rent is £450. So it'll be living in the dark and cold and not using the cooker, heating, shower, TV etc.

I'm not sure you're right about the charges after your fix. I'm also with Octopus and the deals they have offered me aren't as much as 75p/kWh I am going to go onto the standard variable rate as its the cheapest option offered

@HeatingOnHeatingOff

Im on the variable rate now

So don't choose a fixed option. None are cheaper than the variable rate

Yanbu.

We're on a prepayment meter (our housing association insist on them to prevent tenants leaving debt if they move out) and am trying not to think about it. Our finances are on a knife edge as it is and I have no idea where we're going to find the extra.

We were an avro customer and just had the new bill in for first proper month and it's the same as we are paying DD to octopus which was carried over from Avro. Strange - guess we were paying over the odds at Avro which explains the credit we had when they went bust worth about 3 months DD payment

I second the variable rate. It's better than any new fixed ones

I'm going round turning lights off and have a new wearable fleece hoodie thingy which is so warm!

@HeatingOnHeatingOff

Same here. My gas and electric bill was £400 from 23rd nov till 23rd dec.

It used to be £177 direct debit all year round.

Last month it was £300. Im with octopus and they want £450 a month to fix the price.

Tried comparison sites and it cannot find me a cheaper deal.

Go variable with them. We are until things improve.

Who are the 7% that think you are unreasonable?

I'm worried for myself, but even more so for the people that have no idea this is happening. So many live in ignorant bliss until they get notification their bill is going up.

@MaryAndHerNet

Yep. My deal ends in January. I'm currently with octopus and pay about 25p kWh but after my deal it'll jump to 75p kWh which means instead of £50 a month it'll jump to £150

I can barely afford to exist at the minute on £950 a month from UC, rent is £450. So it'll be living in the dark and cold and not using the cooker, heating, shower, TV etc.

Are you sure that's correct? Is that for electricty in England? The cap tariff is around 21p per kWh, how can you be being charged 75p

@MaryAndHerNet
I have just looked up their tariff and the most expensive is 32 p so good news for you as I think you have got your figures wrong

These are the 2 fixed options Octopus are offering me or I can go on the SVR. I am choosing the SVR

We're also worried, I'm on a fixed term contract ( though ok until autumn 2023) and partner does agency work. We've put up much thicker curtains at windows and doors, added more rugs, bought more base layers, socks, woollen insoles, flasks of all sizes, hooded blankets, rubber as well as old stone hot water bottles, and a Kelly kettle and a wonderbag (the last one works on the old haybox principle). We also make extensive use of our slow cooker and rice cooker and this year will be cutting back even more on meat and making a lot more of our own bread and growing what we can (shared farden so very limited but we found even having a couple of tomato plants helped as the fruit was so good it didn't need any prep beyond washing before we ate it. We also have a monitor to work out where our most expensive devices are.

It helps that other half grew up in rural South Africa so has excellent ideas for keeping power usage low plus having backups in case of load sharing. My parents were young children in the war and the stories they told me are also helping psychologically with what lies ahead.And it really helps that we live in a relatively warm if wet part of the UK.

Irritatingly we can't put solar panels on the roof as it's shared with the flat next door and there's some clause in the lease that says we can't.

I appreciate some of our suggestions won't work for older folk in particular though.

[quote flapjackfairy]@MaryAndHerNet
I have just looked up their tariff and the most expensive is 32 p so good news for you as I think you have got your figures wrong[/quote]
You're right, I just looked again and the tariffs are changed. I looked just before Xmas and I'm sire they were much higher than they're now saying.

@JayAlfredPrufrock

Heard it might increase 3 fold 😱😢

This, combined with increases in council tax and national insurance is why I'm so glad we didn't buy a bigger house now. Wonder how those who pushed themselves to the max during covid are going to afford their bills from next year when they all increase and their pay decreases.

@Player20868

We're also worried, I'm on a fixed term contract ( though ok until autumn 2023) and partner does agency work. We've put up much thicker curtains at windows and doors, added more rugs, bought more base layers, socks, woollen insoles, flasks of all sizes, hooded blankets, rubber as well as old stone hot water bottles, and a Kelly kettle and a wonderbag (the last one works on the old haybox principle). We also make extensive use of our slow cooker and rice cooker and this year will be cutting back even more on meat and making a lot more of our own bread and growing what we can (shared farden so very limited but we found even having a couple of tomato plants helped as the fruit was so good it didn't need any prep beyond washing before we ate it. We also have a monitor to work out where our most expensive devices are.

It helps that other half grew up in rural South Africa so has excellent ideas for keeping power usage low plus having backups in case of load sharing. My parents were young children in the war and the stories they told me are also helping psychologically with what lies ahead.And it really helps that we live in a relatively warm if wet part of the UK.

Irritatingly we can't put solar panels on the roof as it's shared with the flat next door and there's some clause in the lease that says we can't.

I appreciate some of our suggestions won't work for older folk in particular though.

If you have a fix until autumn 23 you are one of the luckiest people, no offence but I don't think you can possibly understand how people who don't have that luxury are feeling right now.