How the fuck am I meant to afford this? Electric bill this month

[LadyFlumpalot]

My electric bill is £643 this month. SIX HUNDRED FUCKING QUID.

It's correct, I've checked and double checked. It was £400 last month. In the summer it was approx £180 a month.

I'm in a three story attached town house thing, fully electric. Two adults, two children. One fish tank. Usual tumble dryer, appliances etc.

I've got a balance built up of £450 so with my usual monthly payment I will just about break even this month. Next month will be a challenge though 🥶

And it's only going to get worse.

Not really looking for advise - just sympathy and solidarity. We are about to go full fucking Victorian. There will be no tumble dryer, no dishwasher, no charging appliances at home during the day.

I don't know how everyone's smart meters are letting them have so much information on how much appliances are using - beyond the level of tumble dryers use a hell of a lot. Our IHD was worse than useless and is now switched off - all the info was very delayed. You can take a reading with old fashioned meters whenever you want, smart meters don't add any extra magic. Also the Economy 7 suggestion's not likely to make sense for a house with electric heating, unless they have night storage heaters. NSH with E7 might be worth looking into (as long as you go to bed early!) they used to be the preferred option for all-electric houses and are much better now than they were then. In theory E7's being phased out, but Octopus seem to be encouraging night time consumption and we've just switched to E7 with them. Having said smart meters don't add any magic, they do allow easy switching to different tariffs and we wouldn't have been allowed an E7 switch without one.

The solar panels suggestion also doesn't help in the expensive winter months, except in the few sunny-but-cold days like we've just had a run of. We had solar put in last year, but while it leaves the bills minimal for 7 or 8 months of the year, Dec and Jan have still been pricy. One benefit of the solar has been much better reporting of how much we're using every 3 seconds though, so you can tell if someone left the fridge door open...

Genuine question. How do you all dry stuff without a tumble dryer? Washed my bedding today (1 duvet cover, 4 pillowcases and 1 sheet) no way would it have been anything close to dry by now if I hadn’t used the dryer. It’s very cold and damp here, rains a lot year-round. I simply couldn’t manage without one.

@Bard6817
to the fools who think a fixed monthly direct debit makes any difference…. #yawn.

We aren’t “fools”. Monthly direct debits make a huge difference in terms of budgeting. Most of us do not get more pay in winter and less pay in summer. This is a way to spread out the costs that you’d pay anyway over the entire year completely interest free. It doesn’t mean don’t try and be energy efficient, but understanding carrying a debit forward from Jan to sort of Jun timeframe is normal and should be reassuring.

It's really grim. And so worrying that all electric houses are so expensive to run. Is it an air source heat pump? I've read of people having issues with large bills where they're installed. I wonder what will happen if the Government still go ahead with phasing out gas in new homes by 2025? Surely there will have to be a compromise here - no one will be able to afford these huge bills for all electric heating.

What a shock OP!
To be honest, I thought you meant that was your six months bill! British Gas only bills properly every six months.
For only one month that is an eye watering figure!
Get onboard the energy saving wagon.
Time showers.
No tumble drier or minimum usage.
Reduce washing machine use.
Reduce heating use (watch that the problem you had is sorted. I had it for a while, around 2 years ago and it was a nightmare)
Batch cook, air friers, slow cookers.

We are almost at the end of Jan. Just a few more weeks and it will be spring again.

I used a heated airer and a dehumidifier. I can get 3 loads of washing onto the airer, towels & sheets over the top, and it will dry overnight.

My gas and electric was £400 last month, that was £100 on electric.
My thermostat is set at 16 degrees. I live in a 4 bed 3 story town house. I am a warm person, sometimes my teenagers moan but I tell them to put on layers or get hot water bottle. Occasionally I will turn it up if we are home all day.
This seems a huge amount for me as a single parent. I think ive had it on more this month than last.
Try and make as many changes as you can, jumpers, hot water bottles etc

@Melliphant i dont have an in home display; i use the loop app which updates every few hours with half hourly readings.

I'm the same Victoria. Funnily I don't mind using it. It is costly, but mine works best when full, so I plan my washes carefully so I will have a full tumble dryer load.

It costs c €1.50 to run so of course adds up

It's a practical need, is time limited once the weather improves so I accept that.

It's the stupid spending I hate. The kettles boiled needlessly, lights left on, oven heating when it shouldn't be (all my mistakes, not DC's)

SecretVictoria · Today 22:12
Genuine question. How do you all dry stuff without a tumble dryer?
How did people dry stuff in the hundreds/thousands of years before there were tumble driers ?

🙄 You have no idea if it will be a massive DD or not. The issue isn’t being on a DD plan, the issue is the higher energy costs and you’re going to pay them no matter whether you are on a DD plan or not.

I also try not to use my tumble dryer, hang things over doors like sheets and towels. Got an airier and use my rads even though I cant stand clothes on rads but needs must

The OP is not paying more in winter and less in summer, its just she can see that if she's not careful she won't get out of debt at her currently monthly DD rate

It's perfectly easy to understand that if your usage goes up £463 a month from summer the OP might panic a bit.

I would never be comfortable allowing a debt to run up in winter. It means if I change suppliers during those months, I would have to pay off the debt and - often - pay the first month with the new supplier around the same time. Not good.

I run up a credit in summer at a rate that means winter returns me to zero and not below it.

I quite understand why the OP is upset at the thought of the debt growing. February average temps are the same as Jan so there is still a tough month to go.

Oh God.

But that debt is going to be so much higher this year, as to be unaffordable or frightening to some! That's the point.

Of course level pay helps. But it doesn't help to address the massive jump that's going to come in that DD. That's the huge issue for so many.

By the way, on the longer term, I think electric will be the way ahead. We will produce it from green energy, wind, wave and solar.
Each day that passes there are more and more people stating over and over that the technology is ready.
This article about a book on the issue today: www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/jan/23/no-miracles-needed-prof-mark-jacobson-on-how-wind-sun-and-water-can-power-the-world

They didn't wash anywhere near as much or live the kind of lives we live today. Obviously

You know that doesn't get you on an 'all you can eat' tarriff don't you?? You still pay for what you use which is what OP is doing?

OP you need to use this as an argument to get a smart meter! We've been able to get a good benchmark and take steps to reduce significantly since getting ours in October so our bills are high - but no where near what they would have been without that action.

Why on earth doesn't he want to keep an eye on what you're using??

I wonder of a sense of superiority helps keep some people feeling warmer and that's why they aren't worried about their bills....

Would explain why politicians don't seem to give a flying fuck

Me too. I won’t ever give up my tumble dryer, I’ve owned it for three years, it lives in a separate utility room and it has saved what’s left of my health. I live on the North coast of Scotland, can’t hang outside and have a chronic lung disease from breathing in black mould spores caused by drying washing in the living space in a previous flat. I’d do without a lot before I’d do without the tumble dryer.

Heated airer and dehumidifier for drying washing.
Outside on as many days as possible. If the temp is above 3 and its windy, it goes out and dries 90% with a quick air inside.

Wash less. I do 4 loads per week. Kids wear uniform til it's actually dirty. We wear clothes a lot before washing, aisde from pants and socks.

You have no idea if it will be a massive DD or not.

Save your eye rolls if that's ok.

Of course it will. Look at the bill OP has. She has at least another one coming at that cost.

Prices are continuing to rise.

The DD will have to be very significant to take account of those increased costs.

Its basic sums: the cost is way higher and needs to be paid. That will result in higher monthly payments, something that is worrying to OP.

I could have phrased it better.

One poster above was blaming the large bill on the lack of a fixed direct debit. As you rightly inference, they are two different things, a payment schedule and usage.

Honestly people suggesting all these minor ways to save on energy - none if it will make a lot of difference - it’s the electric heating !

The issue isn’t being on a DD plan, the issue is the higher energy costs and you’re going to pay them no matter whether you are on a DD plan or not.

Exactly my point!

It's you who have kept saying oh but you're on a DD, this is all normal & taken account of.

No. It's higher. Her DD will be higher. That's a problem

If she hadn't a DD, she'd have some very high bills now, then smaller in the summer. Same payments tho .