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Original poster

Please tell me this is a joke so I can sleep tonight (electric)

106 replies

Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 22:30

……and have a bath tomorrow

just had electric bill through for £890!

For context: just ds and I lived in a 2 bed end terrace, gas and electric £50 pm.

we’re hotbods so our bill is usually cheaper than the average household.

just moved to a 3 bed semi with electric only. On economy 7. Didn’t use cooker for first 3 weeks as hob knob snapped off on No 6 but that’s another story. Only difference in use is we have a bath instead of a shower. Haven’t turned heating on yet.

I’m aware that it would be more expensive due to being electric only and a slightly larger property, and also prices rising, but £840 increase? Really?

Surely this can’t be right, or is it, any thoughts?

with octopus same as previous property if it makes any difference.

OP posts:
Original poster
Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 22:48

Sorry immersion, thought it didn’t look right

OP posts:
lostsoul2121 · 12/10/2023 22:49

LiberteaBeautea · 12/10/2023 22:45

Oh do you @lostsoul2121 ? I bloody love Octopus staff, they’re so clever and helpful. They have been brilliant to my elderly mum when most companies put her on hold then cut her off. I really hope they’re nice to work for as I’m a bit in love with them
.

@LiberteaBeautea we are very much looked after, breakfast, tea and coffee on tap and flexible working. I'm glad it shines through, we get so many horrible customers so when you get genuine nice people come through, we cherish them and go above and beyond!

CesareBorgia · 12/10/2023 22:50

A tip for the future - get an air-fryer. If it's just you and DS you can get a smallish one with about a 3rd of the wattage of an electric oven, things cook more quickly and there's no pre-heating needed.

Original poster
Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 22:52

I’m really pleased with the service I’ve received from octopus and their prices so stayed with them.

No debt from previous, could it be from previous tenant?

Thank you for all your replies.

i will check the meter again tomorrow morning to make sure they tally up

OP posts:
2023shady · 12/10/2023 22:54

Definitely sounds wrong. My dad gave a meter reading one digit out and got a £1000 bill
Once he had picked himself up off the floor Grin he rang them and they were "oh it's the wrong reading Mr Shady, your bill is actually £43"
He is electric only

Original poster
Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 22:55

I’ve been meaning to look into an air fryer, I have a slow cooker which will help.

most of the bill is from the night time rate. The only thing on at night is the boiler.

was spoilt before as had a combi boiler and gas central heating

OP posts:
Original poster
Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 22:57

My face must have been a picture when i read the email. I’m surprised i didn’t end up on the floor 😂

OP posts:
CesareBorgia · 12/10/2023 22:58

Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 22:55

I’ve been meaning to look into an air fryer, I have a slow cooker which will help.

most of the bill is from the night time rate. The only thing on at night is the boiler.

was spoilt before as had a combi boiler and gas central heating

A Remoska (Lakeland) is another option, and has the advantage of being larger and having the flexibility to cook liquid things, but the initial outlay is more than for an air-fryer, particularly a small air fryer.

CoffeeLover90 · 12/10/2023 22:59

If you're worried about it being from a previous tenant, definitely check the period of the bill. I know a pp explained they currently work for octopus, working in the industry, I can assure you they are one of the best. Definitely give them a call in the morning.

Original poster
Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 23:06

It will be the first thing on my list tomorrow.
I’ll check through all the things everyone’s suggested, meter readings, dates, etc and give them a call. I feel less panicked and more confident it can be resolved now.

OP posts:
Floatlikeafeather2 · 12/10/2023 23:14

Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 22:55

I’ve been meaning to look into an air fryer, I have a slow cooker which will help.

most of the bill is from the night time rate. The only thing on at night is the boiler.

was spoilt before as had a combi boiler and gas central heating

I'm off on a bit of a tangent but can I ask why your boiler is on at all, if you haven't got your heating on? Surely that's all it's needed for, if you've got an immersion heater for hot water.

Cantdoitallperfectly · 12/10/2023 23:17

@lostsoul2121 was just talking to DP about how helpful octopus are. Glad to hear you get looked after!

Original poster
Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 23:22

Sorry should of said hot water tank, I just call it the boiler.

Boiler in previous property did hot water and heating.

this property has no gas supply. Tank heats the hot water and the heating is some sort of storage heating…. Which will probably be another shocker of a bill when we turn it on

OP posts:
CesareBorgia · 12/10/2023 23:28

The first step is to get a non-estimated bill.

If still high, you then need to check that your meter reading on arrival was aligned with the last reading given by the previous occupant.

If all that checks out you may have to do some detective work - have someone watch the meter, switch everything off and see if the meter is still rising; switch things on to see what's making it spin faster etc.

Original poster
Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 23:43

If all else is ruled out, the only other thing I can think of is…. There’s a what i call ‘shit pit’ I’m sure there’s a proper name for it 😂
We’re not on mains sewerage either as rural. The tank is directly opposite my property, it serves a number of other properties too. Could it be running off my electric supply? I guess turning everything off and watching the meter tick over would solve this.

I’m also awaiting on the go ahead for the solar panels, so that this can contribute towards lowering the bill. Already installed, just need to get them ‘connected’ to my bill as such.

OP posts:
CesareBorgia · 12/10/2023 23:47

Headphonehair · 12/10/2023 23:43

If all else is ruled out, the only other thing I can think of is…. There’s a what i call ‘shit pit’ I’m sure there’s a proper name for it 😂
We’re not on mains sewerage either as rural. The tank is directly opposite my property, it serves a number of other properties too. Could it be running off my electric supply? I guess turning everything off and watching the meter tick over would solve this.

I’m also awaiting on the go ahead for the solar panels, so that this can contribute towards lowering the bill. Already installed, just need to get them ‘connected’ to my bill as such.

It's definitely worth a try. Also, if you know what the meter said when you moved in, and you know your tariff with Octopus, it should be possible to calculate the cost of what you have actually used in that time yourself.

kitchenhelprequired · 12/10/2023 23:49

With an all electric household it's really important to understand how heating & hot water work because the costs are so much higher. We had all electric on economy 10 because we didn't have storage heaters so having all low rate electricity overnight wouldn't have been best. You need to check what temperature the water system is set to in case it doesn't need to be as hot as it is. Is there a programmer to set when that is heating? We had a programmer on the electric spur for that part of the system and had it set to heat for 4 hours during low rate overnight and 1.5 hours in the afternoon during in our case another low rate period. It was a new system so very well insulated. Once the water was at temperature no more power was required so I don't think it spent anything like 5.5 hours a day heating.

If the system is older and not well insulated it could loose a lot of heat and water could be heating for long periods. Even then though our system was 9kwh. IF it were heating for all 7 hours of economy 7 a night at c.15p per kWh that would still only account for £283.50 for a month so hopefully it's safe to say your bill isn't correct.

Look up the instructions for your heating & hot water set up and work out how to maximise use for minimum cost - do it before you switch the heating on to try and avoid a shock come bill time.

Original poster
Headphonehair · 13/10/2023 00:10

kitchenhelprequired · 12/10/2023 23:49

With an all electric household it's really important to understand how heating & hot water work because the costs are so much higher. We had all electric on economy 10 because we didn't have storage heaters so having all low rate electricity overnight wouldn't have been best. You need to check what temperature the water system is set to in case it doesn't need to be as hot as it is. Is there a programmer to set when that is heating? We had a programmer on the electric spur for that part of the system and had it set to heat for 4 hours during low rate overnight and 1.5 hours in the afternoon during in our case another low rate period. It was a new system so very well insulated. Once the water was at temperature no more power was required so I don't think it spent anything like 5.5 hours a day heating.

If the system is older and not well insulated it could loose a lot of heat and water could be heating for long periods. Even then though our system was 9kwh. IF it were heating for all 7 hours of economy 7 a night at c.15p per kWh that would still only account for £283.50 for a month so hopefully it's safe to say your bill isn't correct.

Look up the instructions for your heating & hot water set up and work out how to maximise use for minimum cost - do it before you switch the heating on to try and avoid a shock come bill time.

this is what I’m trying to figure out. The engineer said he put the tank in can’t remember but about 5yrs ago, he’s adjusted the temp down as it was too hot. There’s no programmer, he said the timer is done by electric supplier. No instructions so had to ask him to come out, tank in loft was leaking out of overflow too. 15.6 per kwh is what it says on my bill so you’re not far off.

OP posts:
Takeabreather23 · 13/10/2023 00:10

Id make sure your bill is part the old price rate and the rest is the new price rate from start October .
Also yes give a metre reading and call them when they say once a month , then you just pay what you use.

Snozzlemaid · 13/10/2023 00:17

We have economy 7 with a water tank.
We have two switches by the tank. One is for off peak, so at night during economy 7 hours.
The other is for it to be on all day.
We only ever have the off peak one switched on, so it's only heating up at night. That gives us plenty of hot water each day.

Original poster
Headphonehair · 13/10/2023 00:17

Ok so i couldn’t wait, i went out in the rain with a light.

so….. actual reading for nighttime is 91974
@15.6

estimated is showing 95335.4

Does this account for the difference?

I’m working it out wrong somewhere

OP posts:
OhNoForever · 13/10/2023 00:20

Yeah that's a huge difference like more than 3,000 kwh? I think you're fine.

kitchenhelprequired · 13/10/2023 00:20

@Headphonehair yes that'll a massive over estimation. At 15p per kWh that's over £500 of electricity.

Original poster
Headphonehair · 13/10/2023 00:22

@Takeabreather23 that’s a good shout, will check.

i have one switch in the airing cupboard (on landing) the other switch is in the kitchen. I was told the switch in the cupboard i should keep on and the other one off unless i run out. Perhaps it could be the other way round

OP posts:
CesareBorgia · 13/10/2023 00:22

Headphonehair · 13/10/2023 00:17

Ok so i couldn’t wait, i went out in the rain with a light.

so….. actual reading for nighttime is 91974
@15.6

estimated is showing 95335.4

Does this account for the difference?

I’m working it out wrong somewhere

It's late so my never great maths is not at its best, but that's a difference of 3361, so that x 15.6 = £534 by my reckoning.