Utility bills

[CameronK]

Hi everybody, recently moved off my fixed tariff and moved onto the standard variable with So Energy on economy 7 meter. I'm electricity only with me, partner and child. I didn't realise how lucky we were that our fixed tariff was on through this crisis so late. Now our new bills have came through I am seriously worried about the cost... especially once this energy grant ends in March! I try being as efficient as possible but when you have a newborn so the heating has to be on for the wee one and all the washing that comes with it. Whats everybody else's experience like at the moment and how are they coping? Our bills on the old tariff were just less than £60. Our latest is over £180! The world is honestly becoming a harder place to live now and it's only going to get worse. How can all of us keep up with this when our pay packages don't match the inflation at all.

Why are you on Economy 7? Electric heating?

Yes exclusively electric unfortunately, impossible to get a place with gas

Night storage heaters? If not, Economy 7 is unlikely to be the best tariff for you.

I found NSH horrendously expensive, but I believe newer ones are better. The only way to cut bills is to lose fewer units, so make sure you know how many kwh you're using a day, and how many you can afford to use. Don't heat rooms you're not using, but don't let them get cold and damp either.

Reduce washing as much as you can, and use lower temps and eco programmes. Dry overnight if you have night storage heaters on - if you're not using heating, aim to keep humidity under 60%. Avoid/reduce use of anything that involves heat - tumble drying, ironing, cooking. That's not to say don't use them, just minimise use.

As a family, we've always tried to avoid being wasteful, but this winter, we're cutting right back.

We do have a NSH but have never used it. Instead I use an oil filled heater to heat each room individually as we use it. Humidity has been a problem this winter but I've got a dehumidifier to help tackle damp and mold. the water storage heater isn't the best either which doesn't help. Unfortunately there's only so much you can cut out. We were meant to have a smart meter installed months back but our supplier so energy messed us about. After booking a day off, the engineer told us over the phone 8pm at night... 2 hours after this appointment expiration that they didn't supply economy 7 smart meters. I could phone them up and ask them to make it a single rate but the last time they done a calculation over the phone e7 was still cheaper.

If you don't use storage heaters or have an electric car, Economy 7 is unlikely to be cheaper unless you are nocturnal and do things like cook or run the tumble dryer during the Eco 7 hours because you pay quite a bit more for daytime usage. So I'd try again to get a standard rate smart meter.

As for how people are coping, that depends on their incomings vs outgoings. Some people will be fine, some will see their disposable income much reduced so will be able to afford to do little except cover the basics, some won't even be in that position.

All you can do is review your budget to see where you are, can you maximise your income, apply for any grants if you might qualify, minimise what expenses you can (eg cut other bills like mobiles, pay TV, broadband etc) and make the best of your situation.

Have a look at:

www.moneysavingexpert.com/energy/ - there's a 'is Eco 7 right for you' article that might be useful. Also the wider budgeting advice like

www.moneysavingexpert.com/family/money-help/

Thanks for the insight, on my latest bill they informed me I'm £43 cheaper on a single rate so will be making that change immediately.