Surely they can’t expect us to pay 240 per month for power!

[Ellie198712]

Just read Martin Lewis’s latest email and it’s predicting average bills of £2900 per year!! Surely the government will need to step in and subsidise this cost. Our current bill is about 100 per month, and this just seems untenable for the vast majority

In the UK a lot of people (particularly those with pots of money) have become 'gas guzzlers' (whether with multiple cars and/or massive energy consumption at home). Time to get real and realise that cutting back on energy use is necessary to save money and good for the environment.

We have more at our disposal to stay warm(ish) even without the heating on for all our waking ours than previous generations.

@Takeawaytonight

How many businesses will.go under because people won't have the money to spend on days out, holidays, meals out etc. I think its going to have a massive knock on effect on those. It's a joke

That's where a lot of people are going to have to cut back. Anything nice and discretionary. Or else they carry on as they are and end up in debt.

@NuclearBunker

My bill is 240 a month. It sucks!! To fix, it would be set at £430 a month. WhT the fuck?!

I've just fixed, it's gone from £280 to £390. Hedging my bets that it will rise further and we got a good loyalty fix with octopus. It seems a totally ridiculous amount to pay per month for energy. I've taken the tumble drier out of action but it's hard with two young children when it's too early to get the washing line out.

A year ago I was paying a direct debit of £89/month for dual fuel. Gas was 2.45p/kWh.

We moved house last summer - similar size, but new build so much more efficient. Looks like gas usage will be about 2/3 of what it was in the old house. But the gas had gone to nearly 4p/unit, and 7p+ was coming in April…. so I have just fixed at 9.8p/unit for 12 months - FOUR TIMES as much per kWh as a year ago. Who knows where it will go after that?

We installed solar panels and battery a couple of months ago, and I also invested in the Ripple wind farm 15 months ago. It is about to start producing and paying me my share of the profits via a credit on my electricity bill. That should reduce the electric hopefully to not much more than the standing charge and I may yet get away with a DD of £100. But that comes as a result of having the capital to move to a more efficient house and invest in the solar and wind.

There needs to be massive Government investment in improved insulation, information campaigns about ways of saving energy, and yes, sadly, many people will be reminded or learn what it’s like to live in a cold house. I remember ice on the inside of the windows of my student house and leaping out of bed to light the gas fire before leaping back in under the duvet, dressing gown and extra layers, to wait for the room to warm up.

It’s very worrying

I can afford mine but not easily but my mum can’t so shall be helping her out

Agree that the companies will concern themselves with shareholders profits before their customers. This is nothing new energy companies have been allowed to get away with making huge profits for years

When are these price increases expected to hit?

We are still paying £39 for Gas and £30 for electricity for our 3 bed semi.

I am sending regular readings to SSE.

@NewModelArmyMayhem18

In the UK a lot of people (particularly those with pots of money) have become 'gas guzzlers' (whether with multiple cars and/or massive energy consumption at home). Time to get real and realise that cutting back on energy use is necessary to save money and good for the environment.

We have more at our disposal to stay warm(ish) even without the heating on for all our waking ours than previous generations.

You're brave saying that. Don't you know people NEED suvs, 4 cars and to have the heating on all day, plus multiple showers a day?

I’m shocked at how much people are paying. British Gas has estimated that our bill will rise from £85 to £115 p/m from April on their standard tariff. We are careful with our usage and only have our heating on when we really need it,, turn off lights in rooms we aren’t using, warm clothes when working from home etc. But the difference between what we pay and other posters is astounding.

(We don’t have a fixed rate, have always been on variable)

@AllOfUsAreDead I'm an eco-warrior at heart . People absolutely can do without their status symbol SUVs and using tumble dryers non-stop!

You aren't fixing the monthly price, you are fixing the unit cost.

@Squeezita

When are these price increases expected to hit?

We are still paying £39 for Gas and £30 for electricity for our 3 bed semi.

I am sending regular readings to SSE.

Sounds like you're on the price cap tariff. This will go up 54% in April.

But if those amounts are covering your usage, you are much lower than average, which is more like £100 pm.

I suppose it could be done if all your heating and hot water, appliances, lighting are very efficient and your house is well insulated and you only have minimal heating.

Perhaps you could let the rest of us know your secret, so we can reduce the impact of our rising bills?

@HereComesSpringAgain

all our contracts will drop off throughout spring/summer

i'm a 70's child

i remember the constant power cuts
i remember the drought with no water in the taps
i remember food being a lot scarcer than it is now
i remember having just one coal fire as home heating

we need to adjust our mindsets now....as harsh as it sounds, its how many other countries manage. it can be done and we all might be a bit better off in other ways. it doesn't have to be as miserable as we think

I remember this too, however a lot of homes now don't have coal fires. I only have central heating, so if I can't afford to put it on I'll have no heating at all, which is likely to be the case. I don't have Sky tv etc. and pay £6 for my mobile per month so nothing to cut back on.

[quote NewModelArmyMayhem18]@AllOfUsAreDead I'm an eco-warrior at heart . People absolutely can do without their status symbol SUVs and using tumble dryers non-stop![/quote]
Unfortunately unless the weather is good like today then I do need to use the tumble dryer. I hate it but ds lungs hate the damp from the drying clothes around the house more. That’s why I had the washer on at 6am so load 1 is on the line already to do as much as I can on dry days!

I also have to drive him more than I would like to (but not in a gas guzzler)

And that is a part of the problem. A lot of the houses with the most vulnerable in society (disabled/very young/very old etc) will be the ones who have less places they can cut back.

For those looking to pull back some money if your not already on a water meter it may be worth looking if one would help.

Might have already been asked but how are/will those of you WFH managing? Has your employer offered you anything in relation to the increase?

Have to admit, I’m currently glad that our house is empty for up to seven hours, five days a week. Heating on first thing and then for about two hours (depending how cold it is) when we return.

@BarbaraofSeville

I know. I am so confused!!

MrsTommyS

It's hard! I WFH, I also have my 89 yo mother live with me who feels the cold a lot, ( doesn't help that she sits around in thin nylon blouses)
I have lost count of the garments I have bought her, thermals, hot water bottles, snoods, a heated throw, thick socks, they all end up in one of her bags to give to charity. She prefers the heating on max at all times.
I think things will have to change.

We don't use that much extra due to me WFH. The laptop won't use much and I don't put the heating on a huge amount extra, maybe a couple of half hour bursts during the daytime, if I'm cold, but I always make sure I'm warmly dressed and go out for a good walk every lunchtime, which helps to warm me up.

Has maybe cost around £5/10 pm extra which is a drop in the ocean compared with fuel costs for driving to work.

My switch to them completed in December. Maybe they just haven't updated yet, but that have had readings since November which are all recorded on my account and are marked "accepted for billing".

Several people l have spoken to have said they won't be able to afford a holiday this year because of the energy cost so the travel industry will suffer even more than it has already.

@MrsTommyS

Might have already been asked but how are/will those of you WFH managing? Has your employer offered you anything in relation to the increase?

Have to admit, I’m currently glad that our house is empty for up to seven hours, five days a week. Heating on first thing and then for about two hours (depending how cold it is) when we return.

I WFH.

Employers has mentioned nothing.

@BarbaraofSeville you’re absolutely right! The fuel I use offsets my heating bill! Forgot about my bloody car for a moment

[quote NewModelArmyMayhem18]@AllOfUsAreDead I'm an eco-warrior at heart . People absolutely can do without their status symbol SUVs and using tumble dryers non-stop![/quote]
Try telling them that people here think they need the suvs just to be able to see over hedges easier when driving.

If climate change is really going to effect the world in the way its predicted to, then people will either have to get over their excuses, find a different way or suffer for it/die for it. It won't discriminate, it won't make allowances. Imagine the very worst scenario, no more electricity, no more heating, no more technology. What's the plan then? Guess for most it will be die. Only the fittest will survive.

But hey ho, as long as people get their holidays right now, who cares how much their children suffer?

I just don't understand it. Found out earlier this week our monthly bill will be increasing from £90 to £340 when the fixed rate ends next month, and we and nearly £300 in credit. Surely that can't be right?