energy price increase for my electric bill which i think is unfair

[masterofdoomv1]

im with sse energy i changed to them (stupidly ) August last year and i was told it was a fixed price for 2 years no increases my direct debit was set up for £46 for electric and £41 for gas sse have now told me theyre increasing my electric from £46 a month to £67 a month as ive just got bill in saying my electric is supposedly £34 in arears which i find weird as i live on my own and i only use electricity for one room at a time i think its bad that they can increase your direct debit like this without concent i was with scottish power before if you fell in arears with them they allowed you to catch up or make a payment for any outstanding balance they didnt just increase your direct debit by 50% how should i handle this? as im worried and angry but dont want to phone them with an attitude and make things worse

@masterofdoomv1

i wont go off at them chloei know that doesnt help anyone i have a smart meter no dishwasher we used to have one but did away with it i find it better washing dishes by hand ill try umplugging things when i go to bed and yeah i have a smart meter

Don’t bother unplugging things,that’s pointless, appliances only pull power when being used, unless on standby, but that will only draw very very small amount. Possibly about 0,3 watt.

This is why I prefer to pay by standing order - it puts me in charge of the amount leaving my account each month rather than the recipient.

@masterofdoomv1

We are all in the same boat. You'll just have to suck it up like the rest of us and accept your bill is going up

yet another constructive comment if you cant be helpfull go somewhere else dont need the attitude

But it's the truth? Everyone's bills have gone up because the price of energy to suppliers has gone up. And it's going to go up more! You seem a bit naive about it all.

Unit price is fixed and DD varied on how much you use.
The top and bottom is you are disputing your usage. Couple of extra people in the house hardly makes a difference .
Compare with old bills your usage what about standing charge has that gone up .

You seem fixated on that your DD wouldn't go up it's alway subject to change as your usage varies .

OP, are you going onto the website every month and entering your readings? I'm with Scottish Power and have a smart meter but still do this a few days after my DD is taken. It means that I can see any issues straight away and lets me know exactly how much I'm in credit/debit.

the real scandal with electricity is that Green Energy price is tied to fossil fuel prices.

the UK makes over 50% of its energy (often far more) via nuclear/renewables so why is this energy source priced as if it came from a coal fired power station in Poland? and why can't this be fixed?

If your unit price is fixed then your DD goes up and down based on your usage (actual or estimates from them) make sure you're submitting regular meter readings and dig out some old bills to compare usage to this time last year.

@Alexandra2001

the real scandal with electricity is that Green Energy price is tied to fossil fuel prices.

the UK makes over 50% of its energy (often far more) via nuclear/renewables so why is this energy source priced as if it came from a coal fired power station in Poland? and why can't this be fixed?

I suppose they would argue that you can't differentiate the type of electriciity that comes to your house, unlike with petrol or diesel.

If it was totally linked to the price of gas and coal, then it could have gone up even more. As such, our use of green energy may have protected us, although we do pay a green levy.

They know exactly where the energy is coming from, as thats how they load balance the network.

The trouble is, its sold on the open market and that is tied to wholesale energy prices, in turn heavily affected by gas prices.

@Alexandra2001

They know exactly where the energy is coming from, as thats how they load balance the network.

The trouble is, its sold on the open market and that is tied to wholesale energy prices, in turn heavily affected by gas prices.

But they can't say that this house needs to get wind power energy, this house needs to get electricity from gas supplies.

It's not like you can go and buy it from a shop.

You need to track your meter readings to see how much you are using per year. Then work out how much this costs by multiplying by the unit rate and adding the daily standing charge. Then see if your DD is enough. Companies often set DDs low to encourage people to switch. Always do your own maths.

Also check how the rate you are paying compares with the price cap. Some long term fixes have been quite expensive, but conversely, if you're one of the lucky ones who've locked into a cheap long term fix before prices skyrocketed, you need to prepare yourself for your rates to go up significantly next year, possibly to two or three times what you are paying now.

On the matter of the dishwasher, it you run it full, it's very likely that its cheaper than hand washing because they use far less water. A full dishwasher takes about half a sink full of water, you can't do the same amount of washing up by hand on anywhere near that amount.

If a dishwasher isn't washing correctly, run a maintenance wash with a cleaning fluid and also make sure it is loaded correctly. Sometimes people overload them, or put large items in the way of the spray arms.

Yabu.
Direct debits are typically used for recurring payments, such as credit card and utility bills, where the payment amounts vary from one payment to another. You have consented to this and now want to complain!

But they can't say that this house needs to get wind power energy, this house needs to get electricity from gas supplies

Well, i had an Octopus 100% guaranteed Green supply tariff, i was assured that ALL the energy came from renewable sources... so were they lying?

But what happens is instead of green lecky being used to off set the price rise in fossil fuel generated energy, it gets sold on the european market and is priced as if it came from coal etc.

The market needs fixing, with Green energy priced according to its carbon footprint.

I don't think you can run on only green electricity, unless you have your own solar panels and/or wind turbine, because there isn't the supply to meet the demand.

Of course you could agree to do without electricity at certain times when the amount generated has been used up.

But in reality, all the electricity is generated by the different methods and then it all gets mixed up into the national grid and you get whatever is sent from the main grid along the wires to your home.

Well, i had an Octopus 100% guaranteed Green supply tariff, i was assured that ALL the energy came from renewable sources... so were they lying

www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-56602674

"That was the case for Su in Gainsborough, who told the Jeremy Vine Show on BBC Radio 2: "The tariff we're on at the moment has 100% renewable electricity, so they source all their energy from renewables. So wind, solar, hydro."

We explained to Su that the supplier she was with sources the majority of its electricity from the wholesale market, which includes energy generated by gas and coal.

Then it purchases cheap renewable energy certificates called REGOs to effectively "offset" this. That allows her supplier to legally call the electricity "100% renewable". "

So things may not be as it seems

For those saying we're all in the same boat, we're not. We're all facing a much higher cost of living, but those on the lowest incomes will be far more impacted than those with higher incomes.

Same storm, but some boats are far better protected than others.

OP, if you're in receipt of income based benefits, you might be eligible for help through the Household Support Fund. Check your council to see what help is available.

So they are lying.

But the fact is, Green electricity is priced as if it were produced from gas/coal, so it doesn't matter how many wind farms or nuclear power stations we have, the stuff will mirror gas prices.

That needs fixing.

@Alexandra2001

So they are lying.

But the fact is, Green electricity is priced as if it were produced from gas/coal, so it doesn't matter how many wind farms or nuclear power stations we have, the stuff will mirror gas prices.

That needs fixing.

Just wait till you hear how some companies claim to be carbon neutral

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-58103603

"Large-scale investment companies have been buying farms across the country for afforestation - planting trees to offset carbon emissions. But there are concerns it could damage local culture, language and heritage."

An interesting article here on green pricing

www.theguardian.com/money/2022/jan/22/energy-bills-i-got-a-green-deal-so-why-am-i-paying-eye-watering-sums

Is it an estimated bill? If
So then give proper meter readings so it can be calculated correctly. You can cancel your dd and pay it when you get your bill each month. Give reading ravers month to ensure you are paying for the exact amount you use. It could be the original dd wasn’t enough to cover your usage.

All these comments I’m reading about so called smart meters, I thought they guaranteed accurate readings, or am I wrong? So glad I haven’t got one & never will😀

Is it the arrears that has caused the problem? Does your contract state to qualify for the lower fixed rate you must not fall into arrears otherwise it switches over to the normal variable standard rate?

To summarise, @masterofdoomv1...:
Your parents were most likely on a cheaper tariff than the one you fixed back in August.
Because by then energy costs had already risen considerably.
Because you switched to SSE, you probably hadn't built up a large credit balance over the spring and summer.
Which means that they had to raise your DD when your usage increased during the autumn/winter.
You may be able to get this reduced as we move into spring.
The good news is that your tariff is fixed for another year, so you are probably paying less per unit than many/most people.

It's also worth bearing in mind that even though there are fewer people living in the house now, you cannot necessarily expect energy costs to fall significantly.

Can you look at current and past energy bills to compare usage?
This will tell you more than focusing on the total cost you are paying.
Also make sure you submit regular meter readings.
And check the energy efficiency of your appliances, shower etc.

It may be that this house is just too big and/or unaffordable for you.
In which case you might consider getting a lodger or selling up and moving to a smaller/cheaper property.

@mogsrus

All these comments I’m reading about so called smart meters, I thought they guaranteed accurate readings, or am I wrong? So glad I haven’t got one & never will😀

What? They do give accurate readings. Just because you don’t like what the read it doesn’t mean they are wrong.

@mogsrus

All these comments I’m reading about so called smart meters, I thought they guaranteed accurate readings, or am I wrong? So glad I haven’t got one & never will😀

Mine works for me.

I can see my daily usage and see what I am on track for.

That's useful. I could have worked it out manually - but it has made me see what DS's shower usage is.2 KWH this morning.