Anyone else decided to stop caring about heating bills?

[ClarissaParry]

I put the heating on during the cold snap in December, and now I'm £200 in debit.

I'm not happy about it, but my dc were warm.

I've decided to put my head in the sand and crack on with staying warm over winter. We're not talking 24C 24/7, but 17C or 18C morning and night, and during very cold days, for longer. Minimum temp is set to 13.5C at the moment, but on cold and damp days, I go for broke and up it to 14C!

I'm hoping spring is early this year and we have a long run of not needing the heating on so I can avoid getting too deep into debt with the energy company, but I'll still keep the house reasonably warm regardless. Am I the only one willfully ignoring their energy balance?

I don't mind generally, I don't mind a bit of credit building up. I have to be on DD as I'm on a fixed rate that is dependent on it, plus you pay around 10% less on DD.

But I mind when they're just being idiots, and when I could be getting 6% interest elsewhere. Also, I've had to bring it to their attention twice now, both times DD has gone down, because I was right, and I've never got into a penny of debt. Also, I have a smart meter fgs!

I've had no issues with Eon, in fact they credited a few hundred pounds to my current account when I would have rather they kept it.

I decided at the begining of winter that the heating was going on if it's cold. Don't care if it goes into debt for it. I figured the 2 months I'm not paying council tax in Jan and Feb can go on the gas bill instead to bring it back into the black.

As it happens I'm still in credit at the minute so it hasn't come to that but making the plans before the winter really kicked in certainly saved my sanity.

No issues with Eon here either. When I built up a bit too much credit I emailed them and they refunded it straight away, and dropped my direct debit when I asked.

Its one of these, duvet one side and fleece the other. I want to hibernate in it for the next three months 😁

www.finebedding.co.uk/products/night-owl-outdoor-duvet?variant=39726201700414

Yeah, but that doesn't mean others are!!

I know. I have no idea what the actual temperature is in anyone else’s house, obviously. I was just saying what temp it is in my house 🤷🏻‍♀️

@WaddleAway

you said...

That’s far warmer than we have ours set to (18 in the day and 14 at night) and don’t need to layer up, it’s plenty warm enough!

i was pointing out that 18° in your house, may not be the same as 18° in their house! You just can't compare like that because of the placements of thermostats & draughts etc.

I'm sorry you seem to have taken my comment so personally. Can we let it drop now please.

This is good advice if the PP has used more energy than her supplier estimated she used. As you say, she should submit meter readings before the unit rates go up, so as to be billed for the outstanding units at the cheaper unit price.

However, if she has actually used LESS energy than her supplier estimated - which is very possible if she has been economising - then of course the opposite applies. Because of the supplier's inaccurate estimates, she will have paid upfront at the lower rate for energy she hasn't yet used. With prices rising, that's to her benefit. If at all possible - if she doesn't desperately need her supplier to refund her the overpayment because she needs ready cash - she should delay submitting readings.

So she should look at the meters, compare her readings with her supplier's estimates, and then decide whether to submit her readings.

This. I could have written this virtually word for word.

I don't like the huge bills £354 nov and think was £400 + dec

And that was using much less khw than last year as price 3 times as much. Was 3p for gas. Now 10p

That has just about cleaned my credit out

So jan and feb bill will make in debt

But as @Justmuddlingalong said. Think was you. Who said about council tax.

So usually pay 10mths and think it's £185 so will put that towards g&e for 2mths and will break about even hopefully as will be another almost £400

Then will be spring and using less so will hopefully build some credit for next winter which is going to be even worse

Will we get £66 again for 6mths. Or even more as so many people are struggling or get nothing

No the £66 goes in April and it won't be replaced next winter.
Be very targeted towards those on benefits and pensioners I assume.
We won't get anything.

The cap is currently £2500 liz truss gave lots the impression that annual bill won't exceed that yet its average use based in 2 adults and 2 kids living in a 2 bed house.

We are 2 adults and 4kids
3 bed terrace
£270 dd month octopus 🐙
But usage this winter not including December which was disaster area but oct was £330.
We use more electricity than gas as we have no gas fire and no gas cooker hob.
Gas is much cheaper per unit than electricity.
We tried avoid using the drier but have to as sheer volume clothes 6 people have plus towels abd bedding.

I'm November our very old back lit boiler got condemned.
We were without central heating for 4 weeks .
It was during that really bad cold snap.
We had portable electric fire in reception rooms.
But we brought 3 mini heaters for bedroom.
I brought fleece fitted sheets and oodies
Thermals and we each had hot water bottle.
My god it was freezing one night the kids went round the local warm bank the week the new boiler was being fitted.
People don't understand how just having heating on 1 hour morning 1 hour at night can take the chill off.
Felt so cold to the bone

Anyways even restrict how much we turned in electric heaters we racked up £470 electric bill I'm 1 month going from £340 in credit to 60 quid in debt .

Really feel sorry people who have no gas as electric so expensive and oil sounds really expensive too.

Am I worrying 😟 yes because long term I can see it getting worse.

Everyone celebrating gas prices falling yet to see this passed onto consumer
The cap will go upto £3000 in April.
The majority won't get any help.
Prices depends on supply and demand.
Spring Sumner will offer some respite on heating but not so much electric maybe use drier lot less but summer used fans a lot.

Also another factor is many eu countries filled up gas storage which is considerably higher than UK gas storage with Russian gas before that was cut off.
Uk doesn't have much storage so can't buy it cheaper in summer months so spends more buying winter when demand is highest.
Next winter there won't be Russian gas so we will all be competing with Europe for Norway/ Middle East and usa gas.
Gas extracted our North Sea won't stay in uk as all privatised will go highest bidder.
France is having issues with nuclear power UK relies on France and Belgium for electricity.

We just forked out close to 4k on combi boiler we hoping over time that brings some efficiency savings although total energy bill is 1/3 gas 2/3 electric even the shower is electric.

We decided replace one single glazed window and door at the back as door os rotten and makes house feel so cold.
But in addition to this even if means some form credit considering Woodburner as we have open plan diner/ kitchen and lounge at the back of house so would heat all those rooms.
We could recoup money in 2 to 3 years solar is just too expensive looking at 8 to 10k then.

Looked at solar power batteries generators but large ones over 1k and many won't power big appliances so not sure huge cost saving.
If anyone's has success with this option as regular used source rather than emergency please let me know.

Dreading next bill we don't have smart meter we take meter reads each month.
I'm not stressing about using the drier or the oven needs must.
We Still mostly not putting on heating much.
Our house also has some damp and condensation issues so considering

Dehumidifier but that uses electric.
The cost of no heating will effect things like damp and condensation.

@Echo40 that sounds a nightmare
For you

Temp is dropping again here and heating on more daytime

I got a new health diagnosis this year that means I need a daytime temp of 21 and night time at 18.
I'm taking the approach that it is what it is.
My gas use for December increased about three or four fold compared to last year.

I'm "lucky" enough to get PIP and ESA, and qualified for the warm home discount so I'm fortunate enough to get COL support.

The only upsides are that it stops me getting really ill, and and it's not freezing if i need the loo in the middle of the night.