Is this heating bill normal?

[TwinsAndTiramisu]

Just want to know if this sounds reasonable....

Family of 5, 2 adults, 1 teen, toddler twins. 4/5 bed detached.

Twins home all day 3 days a week (nursery the other 4)

Teen home all day weekends and school the other 5.

Us, home most days, DH usually WFH and me some part time work (online seller), with usually a TV on, and heating set to come on at below 21c.

Gas central heating. Electric everything else.

Our precise bill (smart meter) for the last calendar month is £470. £220 electric, £270 gas.

Does this sound vaguely in line with what others are getting billed? A bit toppy, or ridiculously too much? Or indeed, cheap compared to other people in similar circumstances?

You're using about double what the average household uses at the moment so yeah that amount does sound about right.

We pay similar for 2 adults who are both mostly away working FT.

Gas and electricity prices have risen sharply so you're paying a lot more for the same amount (like everyone else) and you are heavy users who haven't reduced their usage.

Electricity prices in the UK rose by 66.7% and gas prices by 129.4% in the 12 months to January 2023, and were some of the main drivers of the annual inflation rate.
www.ons.gov.uk/economy/inflationandpriceindices/articles/costoflivinginsights/energy#:~:text=Electricity%20prices%20in%20the%20UK,of%20the%20annual%20inflation%20rate.

21 C all day from early to late, can use a lot of energy, unless the house is well insulated.

If you need it, then you need it. It could be expensive though

4 bedroom here, just me and 4 cats but I'm home all day. My total per month for gas and electricity combined is £190, but my thermostat is set to 17.5 and it's off between 9pm and 7am. I think your heat setting is the issue, 21 is really high.

3 bed townhouse 4 floors, 3 teenagers studying at home and myself. £150 + brand new boiler

the old boiler was £250 through the summer

Yes sounds normal, unfortunately. I was living in a 4 bed myself for 7 months.

Paid £243 a month and have been told I owe £500. So that means the energy was £314 a month, for one person.

I had the heating on @ 18 for 3 hours a day tops and did maybe 2 loads of washing a week.

Sounds about right to me for the amount you have the heating on. Our electric (2x teens similar sounding house WFH) is about the same but gas is a lot less as we don't have the heating on as much.

Your contract seems to have changed and you're not comparing like for like. Going by the screenshots you've posted, your July 2022 electricity tariff rate was 28p per kwh and your November 2022 rate is up at 36p per kwh, so even if you used the same amount, the second tariff rate is more expensive. Of course, your winter bill will have a higher kwh usage, therefore it's much higher, with the higher kwh rate and the increased kw usage.

And of course the standing charge has increased, from 36.11p per day to 42.45p per day.