To ask what your gas and electric costs are each month?

[CaptainBenson]

I'm just curious really!

Mine is £99 combined direct debit per month based on estimated use and I'm in credit which is handy for over the winter.

3 bed house, two adults, one child.

I'm just wondering if what I'm paying is about average.

Who are you with?

At this time of year if paying by monthly set direct debit you should be in credit as that will get you through the winter months!

I'm sorry, but I just don't believe this!! How is it possible? The standing charge alone is around £30 ish regardless of how much you're using. And at 20p ish per kwh that means you're using about 2kw a day and no gas at all, and you say you're in a 5 bed house?

They probably pay by dd and have lots of credit . According to BG a I should only need to pay £70 combined for my 4 bed detached but it’s because I have lots of credit . I still overpay .

We pay as we go so no credit. Just paid £83 combined for last month. 3 bed semi, 3 adults. Spent nearly £200 on seasoned wood for the log burner though.

Yes I reckon that too....its a bit disingenuous if that's the case, it would be far more accurate to know everyone's usage rather than their payment.

@TwistedSisters very true because we are actually quite big users but were on a very good fix and our payment , even at £150 probably doesn’t reflect my usage .

Indeed. We have built up credit so I think the £500 will last us through winter while we keep paying £100 a month. In February/March the credit will be £0 again.

4 bed with solar and log burner with free wood, average 2 adults home all day plus average 1-2 extra adults evenings/weekends, spend £800/year electricity & £500/year oil. Sunny Thames Valley so heating on for Christmas and the odd evening here and there, might be on more in January/February. No electric cars. No credit held.

But why do people want to build up credit instead of managing their account - you don't pay for your groceries upfront so why, in essence, are you paying for energy upfront, because that's what it is!

A nice earner for the companies.

Because not everyone is good at budgeting and they wouldn't put a bit by each month for winter and would then struggle but they can manage a direct debit they don't need to think about.

190 per month big 4 bed and 2 adults and 2 teens.

It is spread out over a year! So in winter I'm not paying for what energy I consume I am paying less. If we have a very cold winter I may owe them money in March/April time so it all works itself out.

It is a lot easier for most people who have to budget to pay the same amount every month all year round. This isn't a new thing, this has been going on for decades.

@TeenLifeMum unfortunately not where I am. No money from council. Plus conservation area. Already looked into any possible grants or reliefs. Nothing.

About 55 electric and 60 gas for a very small place but I run dehumidifier every night and am at home a lot during the day.

Sure he doesn't advise against dd !

£80 per month dual fuel, but I'm £1600 in credit & they keep on trying to drop my DD to £5 a month which I immediately swap back to £80. 2 bed flat.

Why?! You're better off keeping the money than letting them have it

That's my rainy day money, if I had it, chances are I would spend it, it's for if say my washer dies & needs replacing.

We pay £104 a month, 5 of us in a 4 bedroom semi, no solar, combined gas and electric. Around £180 in credit with octopus.

We do have smart sockets that turn everything off automatically when out, nest heating, led bulbs, tend to shower and charge devices at work only which keeps things down.

£250 😭

Four bed house with four people living here, plus wfh so in the winter the heating is sometimes on in the day too.

It's so depressing. Our council tax has just gone up again too.

How did you build up that kind of credit only paying £80? I take it not a smart meter have the got the right meter readings? Only id worry about them underestimating use, if you ask for that kind of sum to be returned they typically ask for pictures of your meter readings.

That is a very good and psychologically helpful point

£70 - £90 a month. 2 bed bungalow, 1 person + carer 3 x a week

I have a smart meter and pay what I use each month.

I'm someone who doesn't feel the cold as much as others so I pay more in the summer for fans and aircon.

£250 per month electricity, washing machine and dryer constantly on! And we have a large electric appliance that is always on that helps heat the house.

Gas is cheaper as we use less probably £150pm in the winter, next to nothing in the summer.

3 bed, 2 adults, 1 child.