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.

Oodies are great for kids and blankets in the sofas in the evenings.

On

WHAT IS THE UNIT COST?????

This was me back in Feb when I was coming to the end of a fix in April just as prices were going to rise. I was offered a 12 months fix which wouldn't start till April, it was higher than the April rise but after much debate I took it. I'm glad now as it will be well below the October level but it is complicated. I decided to go with it as I'd be paying higher than the cap for the summer months and would be protected from a big October rise for the winter.

I think the way the present the cap makes it easy for people to misunderstand what it means.

I fixed at these - the smooth one is the new one. MSE strongly advised it, and I'm happier knowing what my unit costs will be
This is what I was offered with Sainsburys just before the October price cap was announced

OP the predicted rise in energy bills is that they will rise for two years. It’s been stated to expect the average house amount of three thousand odd a year to become ten thousand odd end of 2023/2024. This price cap raise is just the beginning unfortunately. If you think you can afford the fix plus reduce your energy usage alongside it that might at least give you peace of mind.

We've just had an EPC done on our property as selling and it has really helpful list of actions to take alongside impact on energy consumption and cost versus cost saving. Included measures such as insulation. So my suggestion OP would be to see if you can get similar so you know what actions will have the most impact on your home. Turning the thermostat down by as many degrees as you can, delaying start of heating season (eg til as late as poss on November) and shaving as much time as you can either side off the period that you heat the house will also have a massive impact.

I know not everyone will be in a position to buy these things at moment but we cut our gas bills considerably after we purchased heated throws from Argos and didn’t use any heating from Feb to April despite both working from home. I think they work out under 10p a day and much much less than our radiators. We got all our family them for Christmas last year and everyone agrees these were really worthwhile.

Sorry I had read it yesterday and it’s obviously been updated since then.

A lot of people are saying they aren't fixing because the DD is too high, but if the variable goes up, you'll be paying or not that anyway

The easiest was to think of it, is petrol
You're fixing the price per litre you pay of petrol. So the amount you fill up with might vary because of your usage but you will always pay the same fixed rate per litre/kWh

Any fixes on offer now are basically an invitation to gamble with the energy companies on whether the predicted price cap increases will happen exactly as predicted or not. We have been offered a deal by Eon. If all predicted price increases go ahead as stated over the whole year then we win (saving of about 300 to 400 quid by the end of the 12 month period) and Eon loses. If the price caps do not increase as predicted or even fall, or the government intervenes to prevent any further rises then Eon wins and we lose. To expect ordinary citizens to engage I this way with energy companies who have economists, risk assessors, statisticians at their disposal is disgraceful. Basically fix or don't fix but try and understand what gamble you are taking and how much you stand to gain or lose is my best advice.

No exit fee on mine so that's part of why I took it as I can drop back to the variable

Check if you have a leak. We only discovered earlier this year when the gas people were replacing the main pipes. Very scary. The leak was in our rarely used garage, so we couldn't smell it. On the upside our gas bill has gone down by a quarter!

Our monthly DD was 250 on a fax from last August. The new fix we've been offered is over 900. We won't be fixing it.

I don’t know what the unit cost is because they are not telling me, they are just giving me the DD. Tried to ask today but they are only available Mon - Fri.

Which company?

I think not all fixes are "fixed" though? They can still go up? That's what someone I know was told when she phone British Gas.

She said she wanted a fix so she knew where she stood, they said that wasn't possible.

I'm happy to be wrong though (I'm on EDF on an actual fixed rate - I checked!)

As you’re working from home, make sure you claim the relevant tax deductions…every little adds up!

ScottishPower. I can’t find the offer and variable rate unit price on the app.

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

A lot!

quicker showers?
Go into the office more?
Shower at work or the gym?
Reduce hours of heating in the winter?
Do not leave loads of lights on for no reason?
Keep central heating at a lower temperature?

We use just over what uou do, our house is rented and it's old and has old windows and the boiler is knackered (even when it got checked the guy who done it was surprised that we still had it).
We have and are trying to get it down but this winter is going to be a tough one.

They have us all by the short and curlies regardless of what you do or try and save etc
I think it'll be like this for a while as well

That's an awful lot of heating!

Ours is on 6-6.30 to just take the chill off, then 6-8pm and set at 19!

I'm lucky that we have a "front room" so in winter only I have to cook in the open plan kitchen and the kids can stay warm in there.

the average house amount of three thousand odd a year to become ten thousand odd end of 2023/2024.

can you show me where it is predicated to become £10000 per year for an average home usage of electric and gas - thats £833 per month. This would be more than my mortgage, council tax, water, tv licence etc all put together - my take home pay is £1350 - it would leave me £517 a month left to pay the other bills

For most people the winter is when they use three quarters of their energy (even though most of us spread our payments over the year). I would be overpaying now to make it easier in the winter.

Then basically use as little as you can… insulate yourself as much as possible (thermals, jumpers etc; it’s crazy to walk round the house in t-shirts and bare feet in December), look at any grants to have your house insulated. Thick curtains, blankets. If you’re going to watch tv in the evening do so in your bedroom. Get used to having your house at 18 not 21. Turn the heating off a couple of hours before you go to bed.

Also many energy companies give you data on how much energy you use for different purposes and by time of day. Get to know it, there is some great insight out there that most of us aren’t using. Likewise make sure your heating is programmed properly so if there are days you’re out of the house you aren’t paying to heat empty rooms.

If you’ve got savings look into insulation, solar panels, heat pumps or a new boiler if yours is over about 10 years old. Have heating zones set up in your house so you can set the heating to come on later upstairs if you are downstairs in the evenings.

As a country we went through years of really cheap gas prices compared to many countries so I think lots of us have had the luxury of not having to pay attention to what we use. I really feel for everyone at the moment.

Most energy companies are desperate to avoid fixed deals at the moment as they don’t really want any more customers and are having to pay massive prices to hedge for future energy usage…and are also incurring costs for the customers they’ve inherited from failed suppliers. Something like a fifth of suppliers have gone bust in the last few years. It must be absolute chaos at the moment.