Just had an offer from Octopus

[quicklybeendrivenmad]

Octopus energy
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Your current tariff
Flexible Octopus
Unit rates
Electricity: 27.35p per kWh
Gas: 7.28p per kWh
Standing charges
Electricity: 48.26p per day
Gas: 27.22p per day
Your new tariff options
Octopus 12M Fixed
£989.12
monthly estimate
Loyal Octopus 12M Fixed
Most popular
£945.53
monthly estimate
This tariff features 100% renewable electricity and fixes your unit rates and standing charge for 12 months. There are no exit fees, so if you change your mind, you're in control.
Your new quote
£11,869.50

God knows where these figures have come from, last months gas was £19 and Electric £180!! Who the hell would sign up to £989 per month at nearly £12k a year. Love how they say Loyal Octopus "Most popular" popular to who? Think they mean them.

How are people meant to run electric cars (not that I have one)

It's crazy isn't it because it's obvious that you wouldn't pay the same amount regardless of how much you use and of course you don't have to pay more than you actually use if you reduce your usage

Can I ask a silly question?? I assumed the rising cost of gas/power was due to fuel shortages (like gas etc, war in Ukraine..) so why are Octopus (as a renewable energy company) increasing so much??? Makes no sense to me!?

Because with a typical "green" tariff they simply mean they offset your usage with green energy..let's say...tokens.

They aren't beaming green energy through to your house via the grid while others on the grid get the fossil fuel energy. Otherwise, where would you be getting your energy from when there was no wind and it was gloomy, or nighttime?

Thanks to everyone who clarified things for me.

Also a lot of people may use wood burners so surely that will make pollution worse

People will be burning all sorts. Domestic fires will increase and the fire service will be in demand.

Yes, this is a real worry for me as a severe asthmatic surrounded by log burning enthusiasts in the middle of a housing estate.

It makes me laugh when were meant to be more green

Not that it's not serious but the double standards are unbelievable

Has anyone done the octopus balance forecast? £800 per month ffs

It's beyond stupid now

Woodhill I'm just wondering how to heat the house!

People will be burning all sorts!!

Fires will be more prevalent!!

Smog... fires.... asthmatic attacks!

Four tea what's worse though?
Cold air or slag being burned...
My dd has breathing issues.

For your child? I don't know, it depends which is her worse trigger.

I understand😀

This is why the government need to act otherwise they will have other problems to contend with

I wasn't alive in the,50s but they had to introduce a clean air act

I guess this is how so many people end up voting against their own best interests and thinking the tories are the party of average working people. It’s quite scary though.

I know, it's hard to comment on whether the fix they've been offered is worth considering because no one is looking at the actual fixed rates

Yes, this is key.

It looks like there must be a batch of much cheaper fixes expiring from a year or two ago, before it all went crazy and people are seeing the compounding of price rises in October 21 and April and October 22, which is expected to add up to a factor of about 4, plus some more on top because a year's fix now will go past January and April where prices are expected to rise again.

Unit rates are rising from about 15 p for electricity and 3 p for gas to 70 p for electricity and 15 p for gas, so when you compare those numbers, it is obvious why bills that average £200 pm are now over a grand.

Made worse because they've arrived at the doorstep of some high users, because if it stands to reason that if the average price cap works out at about 4-6k or whatever it is (and the price cap amount really isn't that much, we use slightly more than that as a couple in a small 2 bed who don't meet MN expected frequencies for laundry and showering) then if you have a large house, and a large family, and are forever doing laundry, then your bill is going to be eyewatering.

But the silver lining in this particular cloud is maybe that £10k+ proposed utility bill might shock some into reducing your usage somewhat, because at least they sometimes can do that..

A thousand other problems to contend with.

So France has done something what about other countries?
Weren't we supposed to get some gas from USA?

Is this affecting Europe? Italy, Poland, Germany?

Have you calculated what you will be paying?

There are estimates of the unit prices and standing charges for electric and gas out there for October. Obviously not 100% accurate but likely pretty good. Use your average usage over a year and the estimates you can find online to see what your bill will be. Minus the £400 government money and any current balances.

We are relatively low users (but not crazy low - 3 bed, 4 person family I just am pretty good at not having the heating on too much, don’t use a tumble drier that sort of thing) and am fully expecting bills of £250ish a month.

I didn't know it was that low for fuel poverty. My direct debit is going to be £200pm. That's maybe 15% of my wage

Time to break up the furniture for firewood

Barbara we have gone so low!
Oven's highest eco rating but usual use air fryer which shaves so many minutes off cook,always use eco washing time 45 mins, eco dishwasher, lights are eco bulbs!
TV is rated eco...what else?

Yes this but it’s also fuelled by the media isn’t it - all the “average family will be paying 4K / 5k / 6k / 7k etc a year!” headlines based on usage data from 2 years a go.

My parents fixed a few months a go “for £250 a month” and we’re gleeful in telling me all about it. I think they think got one up on the energy companies. I kept saying I have no idea if that’s a good deal or a bad deal without seeing their usage or the unit prices they’ve signed up to.