to think people who don't have Smart Meters and who pay monthly or quarterly are going to be in for a shock at their next bill?

[cakeorwine]

Gas has gone up from 4p a kWH this time last year to 10p a kWH this year.
Obviously people with Smart Meters can see this on their display.

But if you still give readings and wait till the bill arrives, I think there are going to be some real surprises. Gas use is at its highest over the next few months.

I know people will have the £66 off their bill - but it's going to be high.

At least with Smart Meters, you can see daily use. Submitting a reading and then getting a statement and bill is going to be a shock for some people.

No, because most of us at quite capable of taking a a meter reading regularly and working out how much we have used. It takes 1 minute

Good for you,

I am not sure if that applies to those people who don't understand their bills - of which there are many

www.uswitch.com/gas-electricity/news/2016/04/11/consumers-still-dont-understand-energy-bills/

Granted that link is a few years old but it's clear on here that there are people who don't understand their bills

Or the gas conversion formula

Agreed.

There are enough news reports, post on here for people to understand that every bill/food etc will be more expensive then last year.

Nope.

I can take meter readings and pull out my calculator to calculate the cost of my monthly usage if I can be bothered.

I can't be bothered.

Plus my October and November bills have been less than predicted as the weather was warmer than usual.

I submit a monthly reading. I’m on a fixed rate until April. No surprises so far.

True

But gas this winter is 2 1/2 times last year
And winter is the time most gas is used.

We don’t have a smart meter. We have a two bed house, it’s new and so holds heat well. We don’t heat it past 18 but it will come on automatically if it drops below that. Not willing to be cold, whatever the price is.

My gas bill 9/11 to 9/12 was £50, loads less than I thought and we've had the heating on most days.

Most people I know update meter readings regularly anyway. I cancelled my DD a long time ago and pay as I go along. Octopus are very good and when I input a reading it updates within hours. I can see day by day how much I am using.

I pay off 10, 15 or 20 pounds several times a month. I just find it easiest to manage like this.

I don't have one but it takes me less than 5 mins to work out my usage in £ per week. I know the cost per unit and daily standing charge from my supplier.
For electric it's simple: daily charge x7, plus KWh charge x units used.
For Gas if you Google gas conversion calculator and put in the number of units used for a week, and whether your meter is metric or imperial it converts it to the kWh you have used. Then you do the same calculation as for electric: daily charge x7 plus KWh charge x units used.

Because you are on a fixed rate

YABU. There are plenty of people who cannot get smart meters due to location or house building materials. Still possible to keep on top of usage with monthly readings etc.

I have a thingy which is not a smart meter, that tells us our usage.

Tbh I just put the heating on and hope for the best. I’m in quite a bit of credit as I’ve been paying way over for both gas and electric since the year started so if there’s any surprises, the price hopefully won’t be too bad

So often on MN the first response nails it

And where I volunteer to, we regularly read the metre.

OP, you’re coming across as a bit patronising

We don't have a smart meter but we send a reading each month and it immediately updates what we owe them/they owe us. There's no 'waiting for the bill' as we pay monthly by direct debit.

As soon as I enter my meter readings onto my online account it tells me- no surprises

I don’t have an in-house display for the smart meter. I am still more than able to do monthly readings and send them in, and the company take readings direct from the metre mid month too so I am sadly all too aware how expensive it is!

Yes, I know, that’s why I said it. But I would still be staying on top of it if I wasn’t. I’ve also built up £800 credit over the past 12 months.

I had a shock I was almost a grand in credit!!!! Robbing bastards at EDF!

YABU.

We pay monthly and don't have a smart meter. No surprises here, we do monthly meter readings and adjust our use accordingly.

We've tried several times to get a smart meter but British Gas never turn up to install it.

I admit I was shocked to see I'd used £173 of gas in a month! But I had a high credit balance built up over the warmer months and that's what it's there for.

I'm perfectly capable of reading the gas and electricity meter but there is nothing like seeing the daily cost of each as you're using them to make you think again.

Yesterday I turned the thermostat down on the gas boiler and saw how much less I was paying. I've realised how much cheaper electricity is than gas.

It's far far easier to check the smart meter than it is to keep tabs on how many units have been used several times a day.