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

[Headphonehair]

……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.

I am with Octopus and I am having the same problems at the moment, I have always been in credit for my glas and electric and now I am over £1000 in debt, I have gave them meter readings so it's not that, we have barely had the heating on for a year.

Just change your DD back down then?

I’d give weekly readings to octupuss- you can do this online.
then you’ll have a very clear idea how much electric you’re using.

Then as you turn heating on etc it will be clear how much that is going to cost, even with the solar

We used to run hot water 24/7 but whittled it down to an hour at 6am, there’s just two of us and it’s a massive tank, we only shower, made a big difference to our bill.

I read my meters every month and calculate what I owe. Octopus disagreed to the tune of £43 pounds and threatened me with a collection agency. It took about 3 months and the intervention of the watchdog before they conceded they were wrong. Customer service was appalling even as it was escalated up the chain. They clearly didn’t read emails I sent. Take your own readings and check what you’re being charged, especially when moving house. All the information you need to do this is on your bill.

For what period is that the c£800 for? If it’s for a month that seems mad but if it’s for 6 months if seems about right.

Im with Octopus and it only generates a bill for me once I put meter readings in which I definitely don’t get round to doing monthly.

It will be because it's electric only and maybe your water heater isn't modern?

When we had an apartment I was paying double what I pay now because everything was electric.

One of my friends is in an electric only house and pays £500 a month.

I’m glad you think it’s sorted OP. I’ve been with octopus for four years and always found them fantastic if I have a problem.

Others I know who are with octopus just give monthly readings and pay usage, never any problems.”
I stopped paying dd As my provider was trying to rip me off too with large estimates .
Id been giving metre readings the full time every three months . It came to a head when I realised one day looking at my bill on the app that for at least 1.5 years it was estimations they had put down . Take a note of your readings my case is with ombudsman.

I pay usage now with a new provider .

We had an enormous bill when we first moved in. We gave a starting read but it turned out that the previous owners hadn't read the meter for a very long time so the electric company decided to send us a bill for the difference between the last reading on their system and ours! Result a £2550 bill - in 3 weeks. I knew it couldn't be right (well hoped!!) but it took ages to resolve. They kept sending me reminders and eventually I had to go to the ombudsman and it was resolved very quickly after that and I got compensation as well . Luckily, I'd not set up a direct debit or it would have been even more horrible than it was!!

@rosiewilsonnsjh Hopefully the OPs bill isn't caused by playing Connections or I'm going to be in real trouble 😅

There’s no programmer, he said the timer is done by electric supplier.

This will suggest that you have a 'radio meter' which will mean that Octopus will be hassling you to change to a smart meter before end of march as this timer signal is being switched off so whatever the timer issue is will be sorted in that process anyway... might be worth asking them about that! (I've had the same - for old storage heaters.)

I'm with Octopus and have found them flexible and responsive. I do have smart meters which makes life a lot easier. I like to overpay over summer and then I know winter is mostly covered, but I've still been able to drop my DD amount / claim back some of the overpayment balance easily if I've needed to.

Hope you get it sorted without too much stress. OP.

If you have just moved in, then perhaps the electricity company is basing its bill on the previous occupant? You're in a larger semi-detached now and it will probably surprise you how much more expensive these things are to heat! But I suspect the electricity company is assuming you will use the same amount of electric as the previous occupants. I would negotiate with them based on your use to date.

Obviously, I do - but then they keep putting it back up 🤣

And this isn't me forgetting to budget on actual usuage - using last years' figures my DD should be 125, which includes a 20% buffer. The account is in credit at the moment to £800.

This morning just got an email saying my DD has been risen to 220 (from 160!)

Off to complain and ask for yet another refund...

Yes we find octupus an excellent company to deal with….they respond quickly & personally to emails & are easy to reach on the phone. Any minor niggle we’ve had has been sorted without any delay.
Now ask me about British Gas & that’s a whole different story!!!

Check the start date of the bill and ask for a breakdown as they may have had owings from the previous tenants

@Headphonehair

@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
*^^^^^**

That is the right way round as my is like that.
The one in the airing cupboard is on at the switch, but has a time I set for a hour and a quarter at 6am to catch cheap economy 7.
The one in the kitchen is off.
I only occasionally use it if we run out of hot water. That never happens as an hour and quarter is plenty as we have showers.
So may only be necessary if we've had a coupe of baths.

That must be frustrating - I'm not in quite as much credit as you and Octopus are proactively lowering my DD from the end of this month, and I'm being offered the opportunity to go back to a tariff if I wish. I hope you get it sorted too.

Surely with Octopus you can change the DD amount yourself online?

Sometimes they won't let you lower it beyond their 'suggested' amount - Eon wouldn't let me put mine down even though we were in credit going into the summer this year 🙄

It wouldn't let me change mine online.
I rang up they did let me on the phone but they weren't that willing!!

@SoundTheSirens it really is!
@Graciebobcat sometimes you can, sometimes you have to email/phone! I can't work out when it applies, it's let me do it with 100 credit online and not when I have 1k+!

Big news everyone though: I just won a pound on the wheel of fortune 😜

@lostsoul2121 I’m so pleased!

I came to Octopus as I was with Robin Hood who were taken over by British Gas. I hate British Gas so moved asap. When BG phoned me to ask why I was leaving I told them it was because I’d had dreadful customer service from them in the past (and lies). The chap who was supposed to be persuading my to stay said “well fuck off then” and put the phone down on me. I laughed so much but I imagine that would have upset a vulnerable person.