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Original poster

Is anyone NOT paying as much for gas and electric as they thought?

92 replies

GasAndElec1 · 05/07/2022 07:57

I am aware that this issue is really affecting a lot of people and genuinely this is in no way a post to rub anything in. I'm concerned that something is wrong with the way provider is calculating what I'm using because my gas and electric doesn't seem to have gone up at all.

I am not on a fixed rate tariff. I'm with e.on who for ages recently were changing their system to e.on Next which meant I was unable to use their portal for a while or put in metre readings, I couldn't even use it to up my direct debit so was expecting when it finally finished that I'd be in a lot of debit with them as I'd just been paying the same as I always had prior to the April increase.

Anyway, the system move has been completed for a while now and I've been putting metre readings in and I'm still in a lot of credit on both electric and gas and I'm just a bit confused about it.

We live in a 3 bedroom with 3 kids and me and DH, I've been on maternity too so been home a lot and we were sort of bracing ourselves for a huge issue. We pay £70 a month for electric and £100 for gas, that's what we were paying prior to April and it appears it's still enough (I appreciate it'll go up again in Oct).

It just worries me that something has gone wrong when I see people talking about spending hundreds and hundreds every month. It seems like we're the only people who don't appear to have been massively affected by the increase and it's worrying me that they'll suddenly notice an error and go 'oops now you owe us hundreds'.

Is anyone else finding they aren't paying as much as they thought they would be after the April increase?

OP posts:
MiniPiccolo · 05/07/2022 07:59

Quite similar here. My Octopus bill hasn't changed much at all - but I did get a brand new worcester boiler last year so I think the old one was causing sky high bills.

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 05/07/2022 08:00

Mines about the same as it was, 3 bed house 2 adults at home full time and 2 dc. I'm on a pre payment meter and paying about £120 electric and £25 gas a month

Squidthing · 05/07/2022 08:01

I thought this but it is summer and warm/light and I checked back on this time last year's bills and they are 50% higher than then. So come winter if prices are the same then it's going to be tough to keep up.

Lastqueenofscotland2 · 05/07/2022 08:02

Mine is about £55/60pcm combined. 2 people (me and DP) and a three bed house.

ProfessionalTeaDrinker · 05/07/2022 08:04

My husband said the same about ours last week funnily enough ( I'm awful and ignore bills because he would still double check anyway!) so he decided to increase our payments just in case and to give us a bit of a cushion for the winter. We're hoping it's correct because it's summer and we have always been fairly cautious with our usage but who knows!

snowmanshoes · 05/07/2022 08:06

But have they actually raised a bill even though you’re inputting meter readings? With British Gas it doesn’t matter how often I put in meter readings they only raise a bill when it’s due for them to. They ‘take note’ and thank me for my readings but then I get an email saying they will want them again before my bill is due and so my dd doesn’t change until a bill is raised by them. Does that make sense with all my rambling?

BMW6 · 05/07/2022 08:07

Yes, we are on standard variable rate with BG , submit meter readings every month and pay by DD the next month.

Last month Gas £25 , Electric £52. Think electric will be pretty much the same every month, its the gas CH that will be £££££££

Proudboomer · 05/07/2022 08:08

MiniPiccolo · 05/07/2022 07:59

Quite similar here. My Octopus bill hasn't changed much at all - but I did get a brand new worcester boiler last year so I think the old one was causing sky high bills.

i put in a new boiler early last year just before any prices increases and firms going bust was announced. Told my new boiler would give me a saving of around 30% which has been swallowed up by the price increases so my bills are pretty much the same.
I think the ones who have had the major shock for price increases are those that were with the firms that went bust and on very low price deals.

BMW6 · 05/07/2022 08:08

snowmanshoes · 05/07/2022 08:06

But have they actually raised a bill even though you’re inputting meter readings? With British Gas it doesn’t matter how often I put in meter readings they only raise a bill when it’s due for them to. They ‘take note’ and thank me for my readings but then I get an email saying they will want them again before my bill is due and so my dd doesn’t change until a bill is raised by them. Does that make sense with all my rambling?

Could you ask BG to bill you monthly and take payment by DD as I do?

Armychefbethebest · 05/07/2022 08:11

Same here big 3 big victorian terrace and 150 for gas and electric and seem to have some of that left over too (I top up monthly) with utilita x

Dancinginthedark01 · 05/07/2022 08:13

I’ve been thinking the same. The amounts on my smart metre have gone up but my monthly direct debit is the same. I switched to a new tariff last autumn so maybe my bills will go up when the tariff changes.

Outoutoutshout · 05/07/2022 08:15

My gas/elec bill has gone down massively (well the direct debit has stayed at £88 but I'm now well in credit instead of being in debit). I'm being so much more careful and not overusing elec and it's really working. This amount of credit will be great for the winter so I won't have to worry as much about putting heating on.

wtfisgoingonhere21 · 05/07/2022 08:16

Same.

Mine are actually lower which even though rates have gone up I'm surprised at.

I have a smart meter and I check my smart hun app every few days.

We bought an air fryer so hardly use the oven and our electric power shower died so we use a multi tap shower point with a good head and that's saved a fortune.

Obviously with prices due to rise again in October it will go up but if it takes it to what it was before il be very happy.

We've literally cut around £40 a month off with the higher rates Aswell

PermanentTemporary · 05/07/2022 08:16

I think I was paying a lot anyway... the winter will be the shock.

Sooverthisnow · 05/07/2022 08:19

Mine hasn’t gone up by much. We were on the standard rate for a couple of years before the price hike so not the best deal. Maybe that’s why?
I’m paying £120 a month 4 bed house, but I’m putting in meter readings monthly and we’re overpaying just now.
Electric only. We have an oil boiler- that’s a different story!

SaltandPepper22 · 05/07/2022 08:23

We seemed to have escaped anything too heinous for now. We were paying £77/month but only using about £45 so there is lots of credit on our account which I will be asking to be refunded as I would rather have the cash tbh.

We took a gamble just before the announce the next hike in prices and refixed until 2024, according to our smart metre we are now using almost exactly £77/month but aware that it is summer so I have increased that to £90 and will see how it goes. I don’t expect to be paying more than £100 🤞🏻

WindyGlowers · 05/07/2022 08:24

We are using about £30 less electric a month than I thought it would be. It's building a bit of a buffer but I'm not convinced it will go far in winter. Our biggie is the oil central heating and we are terrified of what that will be to fill when the time comes.

SaltandPepper22 · 05/07/2022 08:25

Dancinginthedark01 · 05/07/2022 08:13

I’ve been thinking the same. The amounts on my smart metre have gone up but my monthly direct debit is the same. I switched to a new tariff last autumn so maybe my bills will go up when the tariff changes.

You might need to change it yourself, keep and eye on your smart metre usage and work out how much you realistically need to be paying

InChocolateWeTrust · 05/07/2022 08:26

Ours aren't great. 4 bed detached and both work from home, DH is bad for leaving his fancy computer running but has got better at remembering to turn it off.

Bil is obsessed with turning everything off at the wall all the time and I have to admit, they do seem to have low bills - although I think it's more related to the fact that they are out of the house a lot and have are generally low users.

Bonkerz · 05/07/2022 08:28

I've just reduced my DD for a couple of months as with octopus and sending monthly readings so all accurate. Currently has about £40 and electric is about £80. We've made no changes etc and I'm £400 in credit.

Afterfire · 05/07/2022 08:28

Ours has only gone up by about £50 a month. I was expecting ££££ after reading posts etc. We are with octopus on their variable / flexible tariff.

Bonkerz · 05/07/2022 08:29

Bonkerz · 05/07/2022 08:28

I've just reduced my DD for a couple of months as with octopus and sending monthly readings so all accurate. Currently has about £40 and electric is about £80. We've made no changes etc and I'm £400 in credit.

Just to add I work from home with children so have used my heating some days and having a dark house lights are on all time.

thebellagio · 05/07/2022 08:31

We moved into a new house last autumn. The boiler was literally 40-50 years old. We had it immediately replaced with a new one and also had a new smart meter installed as the old one stopped working.

we are currently paying BG £80 for gas and £85 for electricity. My smart meter says last month I used £14 in gas and my average electricity is about £13 a week. So I definitely want to come off my direct debit and just pay the bills each week. obv I’m aware it will go up in winter when the heating comes on but that is a huge discrepancy

What’s the bet that BG try to increase my DD when they review it this month?

ListerLess · 05/07/2022 08:32

Same as you, OP - with e.on and now switched over to e.on next, not paying any more than we were and giving weekly meter readings, they raised a bill and we're in credit.

However I have entirely stopped using our tumble dryer (not used once since end of Feb) and we are now strict with turning lights off, shorter showers, etc.

I expect it'll all shoot right up in Winter.

DockOTheBay · 05/07/2022 08:33

Ours was £60 this time last year on a fixed tarrif and we are now paying £93 which i don't think is too bad. We have tried to cut back, mainly using the tumble dryer less and using the halogen oven instead of the main oven, but I don't think that will make a huge difference.