That it’s bonkers this is my FIX? Sorry another ENERGY one

[Ineedtoletgo83]

I wish I’d fixed in Oct 2021 but on MSE advice I didn’t then. Wow now this is our situation, what can we do? cut down usage is our option.

I did the MSE calculator is suggesting I strongly fix at £483 per month. Paying £165 atm due to go to £220.

I mean we could reduce our usage but really how much will that affect our bills?

large 4 bed semi, dreaded open plan area. Gas central heating.

we use 17800 kWh of gas?!

and 3744 kWh of Electricity.

I wfh 5 days a week. DH two days a week. Kids home from 4ish most days.

I agree that if your house was boiling in the heatwave then it's likely to be less well insulated, not more. The hottest/coldest part of my house is the 25 year old kitchen extension. The original 1950s bits were easier to keep cool with closed curtains.

It sounds like curtains might be an idea for you, even if they spoil the look a bit.

Do think about what you can do to warm the people, not the house. Maybe batch cooking as well to reduce how often you're using your oven.

We are a 1950s semi - typically extended (wraparound and double storey). Now thinking perhaps we are poorly insulted and as a PP said our entire lower back wall is glass.

the idea is to use the front room moving forward.

My fix offer is only showing the DD per month, they are not showing me the individual prices.

Yes it’s the extension. And ironically yes very easy to keep the ‘old’ house cool

We chose not to fix either, and that’s probably saved us about £750 over the last year as we’ve been paying a lower unit amount on variable, so remember, you’ve (sort of) got that ‘saved’ for the next phase. Had we fixed 6 months ago we’d have already been paying about £150 over the odds each month as it was a much higher unit price.

Also, what put us off was the exit price of fixing (£150 per fuel) and length (2 years). Time will only tell if we’ve made the right call.

Get some oodies. Cut your gas usage its far higher than you need get smarter with your heating, showers and cooking.

OP for while you are WFH in the bigger cold room, have you thought about one of the plug in heated throws?

I get really cold working so use it to just heat myself instead of the room/ house.

They are really nice and while it does obviously use electricity it's very little.

I'd highly recommend

@KangarooKenny they legally have to show you the tariff rates somewhere so hunt around. There should be a comparison label thing which enables you to see the unit rate and standing charge. They are sneaky and might hide it but it will be there!

I’ve been all over the app and can’t see it. I’m off to message them now !

I think this is a good strategy. Mine is also 1950s with an old extension across the back and the extension is the worst bit of the house for isulation. It's been unbearable in the heatwave. The front living room though was cool all day if I kept all the windows, doors and heavy curtains closed. I thought of it like a big fridge!

The last time I checked our fixed rate offer was £925, we currently pay £250 pm and the variable is £330. We'll have to go to the variable and hope for the best!

Our Scottish Power offer is currently £650/month for a one fix year BUT also says £150 exit fee per fuel 😱

I fixed last year for 2 years only because I got a well timed email saying my old fix was running out, I refixed taking us from £130 to £180/month (missed £150/month because i thought about it for 2 days!).

The news was just starting to suggest prices would jump, the new offer seemed a huge % increase at the time and much more than the standard rate so i nearly didn't, I remember thinking as there were no exit fees I could easily change again in a couple of months when prices settled back down. I never imagined it would have got this bad ☹️

I gave my niece (expecting her first child this winter), my £400 fuel payment that I'll be getting refunded from the government as, while I can see it is easier and quicker for them to give it as a blanket payment to all, the lucky timing of my fix means I dont need it for fuel hikes compared to her this winter. Next year might be very different..

I guess I’m thinking fix and use all you want

Eek, is this what people think fixing means?

If so the government needs an education campaign. Urgently.

I was offered this fixed deal on Monday by Sainsbury's Energy. I decided to go for it. Glad I did as their fixed prices have now gone up. I'm aware that the unit prices, especially the electricity, are higher than the October price cap, but judging by reports, it's likely to be higher than that when the price cap is reviewed again in January. Sainsbury's Energy also have no exit fees, so I can come off the fixed rate at any time.

Some people are going to be in for a MASSIVE shock

DH and I have Oodies!! Well used last winter lol! But yeah thermostat in wrong place too!

very badly managed usage our end dear MNetters!!

Extended double storey is also cool in winter and is our bedroom! DDs over the garage bedroom is cold too!! I feel like we all need to move into the ‘old’ house!

"I should say our house was baking in the heatwave so think retains heat well"

Nope. Not how heat transference works. Heat/energy will always pass from higher to lower state.

If heat can get in...heat can pass out.

A well insulated home will keep cooler in hot weather (insulation preventing heat from entering house)...and keep warmer in cold weather (insulation preventing heat from leaving house).

I should point out our south westerly facing garden didn’t help in the heatwave. But it does mean if we move into the front room it will be the warmest room during the day. Need to cut back hedges/trees at the front so sun gets into the room!

Yes! Thank you for this, honestly I don’t know why I don’t know this stuff.

Yes, if your house was boiling in the heatwave that shows the insulation is not too good. As energy prices are so high, could you invest in insulation? It may well pay for itself. The bedroom over the garage could be a good place to start as that is probably leaking heat.

Stop promoting your idiotic ideas that help no one.

If you live in a house where some rooms get much colder than others you will probably benefit from adding thermostatic valves to your radiators. These will allow you to set the temperature of the radiators differently in different rooms, meaning that you won't be wasting money heating rooms that don't need it.

Two words: Thermal underwear!

It can't both 'get cold straight away' and 'retain heat well'; those are contradictory statements.

It's very clear from reading on Mumsnet that a lot of people have no idea what a lot of this stuff means. From threads like this where the OP doesn't understand a fixed rate to others where people think there is no point cutting their usage because the standing rate is "so high" (when cutting their usage would make a massive difference to their bills.) Also the fixation on what their monthly DD is rather than the unit price and looking at their usage. A lot of people simply done understand how it all works.