I can’t put the heating on.

[VacancyAtNumber10AGAIN]

Just that really. I can’t afford it. £19 went in 4 days last week. I’m on prepayment. They want £300 to change to credit meters. I can’t afford that.

flat is prone to damp and mould so have to keep windows open to ventilate, washing isn’t drying. Clothes in wardrobe are freezing cold and there’s black mould all round the window frames.

I don’t see why people in the world have to live like this. It’s not the 1800’s. I’m worried for my DD’s health and my own. Does anyone know if there are any schemes etc for help with gas? Also this isn’t a begging thread, I don’t take handouts off people and I won’t even ask my own mother for help with bills.

Counting down the days until summer

Brutally it will cost you same on DD. The prices are minimally different now! Few p less there, but few p more there.

As pp asked, are you getting your vouchers in?
It's about a fiver a day, your spending, how many people live there?

Totally disagree. I wouldn't be without my window vac, it sucks up the water rather than just moving it. If you could afford a dehumidifier, they are brilliant.

You should mind, it's costing you so much more to be on prepayment and when you run out that's it you've run out. Whereas on monthly billed fuel you can afford to use a bit more when needed and can worry about the bill a bit later.

Find out if your council runs either a Household Support Fund or a Household Support Grant.
My place of work administers a grant on behalf of the council and we help people with one-off payments for fuel top-ups.

No it isn't costing her much more. The price cap is similar for both prepayment and billed energy. The main price difference was due to the availability of cheap deals.

I'm on pre payment for gas and elec. My supplier only allowed the £66 a month to go on elec. I'd rather had put it on the gas.

speak to your housing association, they are very likely to have access to funds to assist or at least refer you on an agency that can help. I know ours does.
Also contact CAB.

Yup. Probably about 10p a day more on standing charge.
There are some regional differences on the cap, but that affects dd and prepayment alike

didnt mean to quote your post there

Part of my house is the original stone cottage so prone to damp ( especially as I live on the coast with the North Atlantic) . Dishes of ordinary table salt will work wonders. Pop them on the windowsills and in rooms with damp .

Are you on Facebook
If so, please join the following group:
m.facebook.com/groups/966754150512356/

It is full of amazing people who will offer advice, and suggest where funds can come from for those struggling. There are loads of pinned posts detailing what others have had success with.

Contact your HA and ask if they have a welfare/benefits officer. Lots do, and they'll run through all your details and check of there's anything else you can claim. Ours have it on their Annual Goals to obtain X amount of unclaimed benefits (on behalf of tenants).

OP which HA are you with?

Same situation here. Pre-pay gas meter in place from previous tenants, I've been putting off changing it because of the cost of a new meter but with gas getting so expensive I'm going to have to for a better rate.

What rates have you been offered? My supplier offered same like when on pre payment🙄 Others seem same too.

A previous poster has suggested that you get in touch with a welfare advisor.

Get the right one and they are marvellous.

The gas on prepaid meters im told is extortionate, you need to get that changed to credit meter which a benefits advisor will help you with.

Good Luck

Somewhat off topic but make sure your dd's father (am assuming you're alone?) is paying what he owes. Go to CMS if you've got a private arrangement, many men conceal their true income/capital. CMS take their info direct from HMRC. Even an extra £50 a month would help surely.

Don't forget the simple things when it comes to condensation. Lids on pans, use a squeegee after a shower.

Double spin your clothes. We use microfibre towels from Aldi. Dry on minutes and are usually reserved for camping!

It is surprising how well things dry outside if there's a breeze. May not be completely dry but better than not bothering

People need to stop thinking DD is considerably cheaper than prepayment. That is simply not the case now.
Gas on Prepayment for me - 10.65p.....

Don't waste money on a window vac. It the money towards the £300 to move to the lower tariff. And talk to the housing association. Call the power co. too. Ask about their hardship fund.

electric is more expensive than gas, but we bought a dehumidifier and thats about 150w when its running but less if it auto-shuts off at the right humidity level. Bonus it gives out a reasonable amout of heat for a small room. 150w is about 8 hours for 34p so most of the day?

if you moved it around a room each day or two rooms a day it may help keep the cold out a bit and importantly keep the humidity down?

those boxes with salt blocks in are a false economy - if you have a damp house you'll burn through those refills and it won't touch the sides

Window vacs will work to remove the moisture off the glass.
You can buy moisture traps in Wilkos, B&M, B&Q, (Yorkshire Trading, if you have one where you are) Amazon. Dot them around the house, on window ledges.
Or get some big bags of salt and put the loose salt into plastic containers like Tupperware boxes, ice cream containers etc.
Salt absorbs moisture, we use it in our caravan over the winter.

Do you have a launderette near you? Might be worth seeing how much it costs to do one big load of drying in there rather than have damp washing hanging about. Agree with the extra spin before it comes out of the washing machine too.

Top secret tip, if you change supplier your meter has to be remotely changed to a credit meter to enable the change.

As long as you have no existing debt (in which case your existing supplier can object to your switch) do this and figure out a payment plan later ❤️

You know I haven't even looked in to it yet, I'm in Ireland not UK. I'm just really hoping it'll be cheaper. I topped up by €100 on Thursday morning and it was down to €87 by Saturday morning.....I only had it on for a few hours a day!