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Original poster

Gas Bill - surely this can't be right?!

147 replies

FaceLikeASlappedArse1985 · 28/02/2023 18:47

Just had my bill from Octopus Energy and they are wanting to charge me £235 for a month's worth of gas - I know prices have gone up but surely this can't be right?! (I was in a lot of credit up to now so I hadn't really noticed as my payments had still gone up so presumed by the right amount but it was just using up the credit)

I am a single person living in a 1920s 3-bedroom semi. I am at home all day 5/6 days a week (working from home) but honestly the central heating is on for a maximum of 4 hours on any day, washing up once a day, one bath a day (occasionally 2 but maybe twice a month - period pains!) and use the gas cooker maybe 3 times a week - I try and batch cook and re-heat in the microwave

I'm genuinely shocked and just can't see how this can be right! It has been based on an estimated bill but I've just done a meter reading and it's almost identical to the estimated one!

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated!

OP posts:
Herja · 01/03/2023 08:42

Plug your chimney- we always used an old pillow when I was wee, but I seem to recall some kind of issue with using pillows. So maybe a proper chimney sheep and literally pin a blanket over the opening until you get one. Pinned all the way around, and a thick blanket/rug, that will make a decent difference.

Stuff tights with any scrap fabric, or old unwanted clothes, for free door draught excluders for the patio doors. Use that sealing tape for windows on the other bits. How are your curtains? You want big thick ones accross those patio doors and shut them in the day too.

BarbaraofSeville · 01/03/2023 08:53

FaceLikeASlappedArse1985 · 01/03/2023 08:29

That's exactly the problem with this one - it's only 8 years old maximum but the couple who lived in this house before me did a full renovation but for as cheap as possible and the guy did everything himself. So he just chose the cheapest boiler with no regards to whether it was suitable for the house! I'm saving up for a new one next winter but obviously spare cash is few and far between right now - British Gas offered me interest free credit over 4 years but it added up to £4000!

Show quote history

Have a look at Boxt for a new boiler. You can get a price on their website, and it says they can do interest free credit over 1 or 2 years, so you might be able to replace your boiler well before next winter.

No connection but I've seen people recommend them on here and they're likely to be significantly cheaper than British Gas. I got a price for a boiler swap of just over £2k. We haven't bought one yet, but our boiler is 16 years old so obviously won't last forever, and I just wanted to prepare myself for when the day comes.

CocoPlum · 01/03/2023 10:29

3 bed semi here. Have been submitting monthly meter readings as no smart meter. I'm home most days, heating is set to come on at 19° at certain points, otherwise 15°. Gas is only for central heating and hot water - shower is electric, no one has a bath. Bills for the coldest months have been upwards of £200. It's awful. My mortgage has also gone up by £140 over the last year, and my dd for energy will go up when the government help stops.

VanGoghsDog · 01/03/2023 10:46

FaceLikeASlappedArse1985 · 01/03/2023 08:37

I definitely wouldn't meet the threshold - I've got endometriosis and waiting for a hysterectomy so I'm hopeful it will improve afterwards. I'm still ok to work and be out and about as long as I'm dosed up on strong painkillers but I don't like to take them all the time so a bath is an alternative (although prescriptions are probably cheaper!)

Show quote history

PIP is nothing to do with whether you can work or be out and about.

Is there a reason you don't have a smart meter? It would help you keep on top of the bills. I worked out that my shower costs between 12p and 20p. But I'm not on the current unit rate, I'm on an old rate. I think a bath would cost about 3x that? So if you think of a bath as being, say, 75p? It does add up.

To have the heating on in my house in the way you have outlined you do would probably cost me £5 per day. So that alone is £150. Though I don't think you can have your heating at thirteen degrees, that's really cold. I am fine at fifteen, but much under that I get cold. Most people seem to have it at anything from seventeen to twenty four!

surlycurly · 01/03/2023 10:55

I bought a new, very efficient boiler last year. I also recarpeted with extra thick underlay. I'm only heating my Victorian three bed for four hours a day (17 degrees). My gas bill is £260 a month despite the house never feeling really warm. It's miserable to be cold all the time but the house never really gets hot. I couldn't put the heating on anymore than I do. My dd has gone up from £125 a month. I can't afford any more rises! Also, all the people that say, "I heat my house all day for £2 a day", you do realise that's not helpful, yes? There was a whole thread full of that yesterday.

WednesdaysPlaits · 01/03/2023 11:33

Hesputaneggonit · 28/02/2023 18:51

We've just paid today our British Gas bill for seven months and that was just over £900 so no idea what the hell you've been charged!!
We don't have the heating on often (we've got under floor heating) and I'll advance the hot water and radiators for an hour a day but that's pretty much it.

presumably because the OP has said she uses four times as much central heating as you...?? Possibly??

GasPanic · 01/03/2023 11:37

FaceLikeASlappedArse1985 · 01/03/2023 08:29

That's exactly the problem with this one - it's only 8 years old maximum but the couple who lived in this house before me did a full renovation but for as cheap as possible and the guy did everything himself. So he just chose the cheapest boiler with no regards to whether it was suitable for the house! I'm saving up for a new one next winter but obviously spare cash is few and far between right now - British Gas offered me interest free credit over 4 years but it added up to £4000!

Show quote history

Look up your boiler model on the internet and check the efficiency.

I think it will be 80% if it is 8 years old. I would be surprised if changing it over will reduce your gas bill that much, certainly it would take a very long time to justify 4Ks worth of replacement.

If he went for the cheapest then it would probably be low power, irrespective of the number of radiators. If it is underpowered it would probably use less gas than an overpowered one, just not heat the house enough !

You may well be much better off putting the 4K towards some improved insulation or even a small solar installation to reduce bills.

If he has done everything on the cheap then maybe there is not enough insulation in the loft. You can insulate your loft pretty cheaply (there are grants available as well) and it can make a big difference.

ClaritaCee · 01/03/2023 11:43

Similar house. My gas bill was £800 (covering three and a half months) so very much the same per month as OP. That does include the very cold snap though when the heating was on for about 10 hours a day. Usually it is on for about 5. We won't be putting it on at all from April!

Heytheredaisy · 01/03/2023 11:44

Gosh that's high!!

We're on a prepayment meter (so a standard variable!) and ours isn't as high! 2 bed house family of 4.

In fact last month we started the month on £2, received the £66 payment and ended with £15 in credit (electricity) WFH, xbox, laundry, cooking.

Gas: we stick £50 a month on the meter and take meter readings every Sunday. We had £5 left yesterday (showers, baths, dishes and heating)

😔 that's shocking OP x

GreenFingersWouldBeHandy · 01/03/2023 11:48

Sorry but you should have been keeping a closer eye on this as it's been all over the news for months.

Reduce usage as much as you can. I only have electric. Stop having daily baths for a start. I have a 4 min shower (sorry boyfriend, means I can't shave my legs), only put my washing machine on a short, cool cycle at 4am (cheaper tariff) and have only had the heating on for a couple of hours at a time during the really bitter cold (I think 3 times during the winter).

I have a woodturner which heats one room and sometimes sleep there.

Otherwise, it's lots of layers, thermals, jumpers, hot water bottles and blankets.

Heytheredaisy · 01/03/2023 11:49

I HATE my prepayment meter (it was installed by the previous owner!!) and Scottish Power have been assholes about getting it removed.

But I'm beginning to feel relieved that I don't have huge direct debits.

I am worried about next Winter. I was wide awake worrying about it last night. I've just been made redundant too. I live far away from sensible towns and cities with nice jobs 😔 and there's literally nothing to apply for here.

GasPanic · 01/03/2023 11:52

Heytheredaisy · 01/03/2023 11:49

I HATE my prepayment meter (it was installed by the previous owner!!) and Scottish Power have been assholes about getting it removed.

But I'm beginning to feel relieved that I don't have huge direct debits.

I am worried about next Winter. I was wide awake worrying about it last night. I've just been made redundant too. I live far away from sensible towns and cities with nice jobs 😔 and there's literally nothing to apply for here.

Have you thought about phone answering ?

You can do that from home, must be a load of stuff on the web. Might be a good stop gap while you find something better.

ClaritaCee · 01/03/2023 11:55

ClaritaCee · 01/03/2023 11:43

Similar house. My gas bill was £800 (covering three and a half months) so very much the same per month as OP. That does include the very cold snap though when the heating was on for about 10 hours a day. Usually it is on for about 5. We won't be putting it on at all from April!

Sorry, that was gas and electric, not just gas.

Heytheredaisy · 01/03/2023 11:56

@GasPanic no I haven't, never heard of it before. I'll have a Google. Thank you so so much!!

Also OP just another thing: I stopped having frequent baths and reduced shower time to 4 mins and my monthly gas usage has reduced by about 550 KWh. My Scottish Power app has a little graph so show me year on year.

It has made a difference to us! x

BarbaraofSeville · 01/03/2023 11:58

Heytheredaisy · 01/03/2023 11:49

I HATE my prepayment meter (it was installed by the previous owner!!) and Scottish Power have been assholes about getting it removed.

But I'm beginning to feel relieved that I don't have huge direct debits.

I am worried about next Winter. I was wide awake worrying about it last night. I've just been made redundant too. I live far away from sensible towns and cities with nice jobs 😔 and there's literally nothing to apply for here.

You do know that prepayment costs more than direct debit but you pay for the amount you use whichever way you pay for it?

So you'd only have 'huge direct debits' if you used a lot of energy. Obviously the definition of huge is subjective, but whatever it costs on DD, it will be more on prepayment.

sarahc336 · 01/03/2023 11:59

Our 1920s house has an energy bill of £400 a month at the min and that's with us having minimal heating on so I suspect yours will be accurate op

Heytheredaisy · 01/03/2023 11:59

Yes I do know that, thanks @BarbaraofSeville 😊

Original poster
FaceLikeASlappedArse1985 · 01/03/2023 12:26

I've just bought some insulation tape and a balloon type thing to block up the chimney. The boiler is definitely inefficient and underpowered so I'm planning to get a new one (also there was an issue with the pipe which means it empties into a bucket currently and it can't be used on a timer only switched on and off manually) - I have a local company offering me a good deal with interest free credit as long as I can put a few hundred pounds away over the summer as a deposit

I'll also get a curtain pole put up above the patio doors and get some curtains - hopefully the initial outlay will save on bills!

In terms of daily baths there's no way I will give them up; as I've said on previous posts I suffer with daily pain and a bath does help

OP posts:
dementedpixie · 01/03/2023 12:37

I just did my monthly readings and for 1st to 28th of February our usage was £163 electricity and £147 gas. January was £186 electricity and £180 gas but then January has extra days too.

My heating is on a timer and my house feels cold a lot as its off during the day. Thermostat is lower than what I'd have it at in the past. It sucks

Okunevo · 01/03/2023 12:50

surlycurly · 01/03/2023 10:55

I bought a new, very efficient boiler last year. I also recarpeted with extra thick underlay. I'm only heating my Victorian three bed for four hours a day (17 degrees). My gas bill is £260 a month despite the house never feeling really warm. It's miserable to be cold all the time but the house never really gets hot. I couldn't put the heating on anymore than I do. My dd has gone up from £125 a month. I can't afford any more rises! Also, all the people that say, "I heat my house all day for £2 a day", you do realise that's not helpful, yes? There was a whole thread full of that yesterday.

The OP was asking if the bill could be right with the heating only set to 13. Mine is set to 14 and on for 2 and a half hours minimum, often an hour on weekend mornings as well, so I thought what I paid could be a useful comparison. Others have posted who have heating set much higher than the OP.

Curlygirl06 · 01/03/2023 14:02

We've been away and I left the heating on for 3/4 of an hour twice a day whilst away. I took readings before and after and worked out that it costs about £1.20 an hour for heating. If you're having it on 4 hours a day that's about £149 just for heating, we didn't leave the hot water on so can't work that out, but with that and the standing charge it sounds about right. Our thermostat doesn't work very well,I think it makes no difference what we put it on tbh.

Have you tried reading the meter from one day to the next then working it out from there? If you put figures on here I'm sure we can all have a look and see for you?

NewBootsAndRanty · 01/03/2023 14:06

The first hour or so of heating will almost always use more. Once you hit the temperature you need, it drops.

GasPanic · 01/03/2023 14:34

Curlygirl06 · 01/03/2023 14:02

We've been away and I left the heating on for 3/4 of an hour twice a day whilst away. I took readings before and after and worked out that it costs about £1.20 an hour for heating. If you're having it on 4 hours a day that's about £149 just for heating, we didn't leave the hot water on so can't work that out, but with that and the standing charge it sounds about right. Our thermostat doesn't work very well,I think it makes no difference what we put it on tbh.

Have you tried reading the meter from one day to the next then working it out from there? If you put figures on here I'm sure we can all have a look and see for you?

I'm about the same. Heating "from cold" is about £1.50 an hour.

Obviously if you are up to temperature and cycling it is less, but if you are only turning it on for a few hours or so per day I think £1 to £2 is a good estimate.

That is how you can tell someone has something up with their bill. If they are using the heating for 1 hour a day and it costs £2 per day (£60 per month) then that is reasonable. If it is costing £6 per day (£180 per month) for an hours use then that is clearly not.

Curlygirl06 · 01/03/2023 16:11

GasPanic · 01/03/2023 14:34

I'm about the same. Heating "from cold" is about £1.50 an hour.

Obviously if you are up to temperature and cycling it is less, but if you are only turning it on for a few hours or so per day I think £1 to £2 is a good estimate.

That is how you can tell someone has something up with their bill. If they are using the heating for 1 hour a day and it costs £2 per day (£60 per month) then that is reasonable. If it is costing £6 per day (£180 per month) for an hours use then that is clearly not.

Show quote history

Funnily enough we put the heating on for 3 hours straight today as it's cold and raining here and dh was cold. That cost about £1.50 for the 3 hours; as you say, it's the first hour or so that costs the most and after that first hour it costs a lot less per hour.

latetothefisting · 01/03/2023 16:18

My gas was only £40 for last month so initially yours at 6xthat does seem high. However I only have the heating on maybe an hour a day and never use the gas to heat water (electric shower) so if you're using the heating 4 times as much and having a daily bath it's actually not that far off...sorry!

As pp said does this mean your electric bill is at least a little cheaper?