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Original poster

Gas and Electric bill going from £140 to £560?

45 replies

SleepDreamThinkHuge · 23/03/2023 08:14

I am with Shell and from last month they are saying my energy bill has gone up to £560 a month which I told them makes no sense as I live in a 3 bedroom house and use the same levels I did when I was paying £140 a month. Told them this is not affordable and makes no sense. They said this is the new rate due to huge rises. I told them I cannot afford it and told them to continue paying £140 a month DD. They said that is fine but in the long run I will owe them money. Saw my last bill currently owe them £420.

What can be done? Although I am still paying £140 a month they are saying it has gone up to £560 a month which makes no sense as I am not using more I have a smart meter and cannot understand how it can go up by up to 4 times! They seem to be unhelpful and not providing solutions just saying in the long run I will owe them a lot of money if I do not increase my payments significantly.

OP posts:
GrazingSheep · 23/03/2023 08:15

What is the current rate you are paying per unit or kilowatt?
Are you taking meter readings?

JemimaTiggywinkles · 23/03/2023 08:17

Prices have gone up, so the same amount of energy costs more money. Then, if you don't adjust your DD you go into arrears and will need an even higher DD to pay back the money you owe.

dementedpixie · 23/03/2023 08:19

£140 doesn't sound like much especially as gas and electricity prices have jumped. Think gas has tripled in price and electricity at least doubled so even if you are using the same amount it will cost much more.

Do you submit meter readings? I'm guessing you are already in debit if they say you owe them money from the last bill. Do you pay a monthly direct debit or pay when you get a bill?

Dozycuntlaters · 23/03/2023 08:19

Have you been checking your meter and keeping an eye on how much energy you are actually using? Are you frugal with heating or do
you use if freely? Check your old tarrif and new one and make sure it is within the capped rate.

Xrays · 23/03/2023 08:20

You need to find out your actual usage and the amounts you’re paying per kilowatt. I suspect you haven’t realised how much the prices have increased by.

ditalini · 23/03/2023 08:22

Were you on a fixed deal that's now expired?

My fix expires in May which means I've been very lucky to have been protected from the huge increases over the last year but will see a big leap in my bills compared to last summer even though I'm using less.

ItstheZwartbles · 23/03/2023 08:22

In January 22 I was paying £80 per month gas and electric. Jan 23 I'm paying £300 per month. 2 bed terrace, no one at home most days. Prices have increased massively OP.

JemimaTiggywinkles · 23/03/2023 08:23

For comparison, my aunt had an old fix at around £50 per month (single person in a small property). Once that ended and she moved to the new standard rate her bill tripled. I checked it all out for her and it was correct. The price of energy has increased massively over the last few years.

That said, £560 per month sounds like a lot for a three bedroom house. Is it a big house with quite a few people in it?

Chenford · 23/03/2023 08:23

Were you on a fixed deal that's now expired?

This.

rwalker · 23/03/2023 08:24

We’re you on a fixed rate that’s finished

Compare what rate you were on before and what rate u are on now they’ve told you there’s been a change in your tariff

tbh you need to adjust your usage if you can’t afford it the debt will not go away

there not being unhelpful I don’t know what you expect them to do this is your problem not there’s
so u pay more or cut down take responsibility for it yourself

Titsywoo · 23/03/2023 08:24

I'm in a 3 bed semi and the last 3 months my bills were between 400 and 500 per month. Used to be nearer 200 at this time of year. Sorry OP that's the way it is now.

MintJulia · 23/03/2023 08:29

Have you been paying £140 a month for the last year, without reading the meter and checking what you were actually using? Or have you been on a fixed deal that has ended?

How much do you currently owe them? Is the £560 a month to clear a year's worth of underpayment?

Either way, you need to turn your heating down, layer up, wear sweaters and socks. Limit your hot water to what you actually use - ours is on for 30 mins a day. Think about how you use your cooker - slow cooker rather than oven.

Most people have had to do the same for a year.

Sparklfairy · 23/03/2023 08:36

My DM is with Shell and they keep adjusting her DD and she puts it back. But she's really hot on knowing what her usage is and is meticulous in her maths to spread it out over the year so she doesn't get into debt.

dancinfeet · 23/03/2023 08:48

ring them!! I’m with shell and they tried to put mine up from £120 to £760 for a two bedroom house. I rang them and eventually after looking at my account we got it to £140 per month.

dancinfeet · 23/03/2023 08:50

also, after they looked at my submitted meter readings I was actually in credit, so I think they were just chancing it, hoping that the DD would go through, they sent an email notification of the DD one afternoon and tried to take the increased amount the following morning, which bounced. If it had gone through I would have been furious as it would have left me totally skint for the month

FirstnameSuesecondnamePerb · 23/03/2023 08:50

My mum lives in a 1bed room flat with 1 storage heater, shower, electric cooker and fridge. She has a smart meter and is paying an average of£50 a week during the winter.

Nindaelita · 23/03/2023 08:51

I have a smart meter and pay around £200 gaz and electric a month. I used to only pay £30 of gaz and £60 of electric before all these increases. 3bedroom house too, would say the amount you said, it's a bit much.

Surely if you have a smart meter you pay as you go, with tariff charge, but still pay as you go?

CeeceeBloomingdale · 23/03/2023 08:57

You're in arrears so your £140 was not covering the bill. From your numbers you should have been paying £175 at least. Now you need to cover the £175 plus the additional money you owe. Over £500 seems too steep but it should be over £210 at the very least depending on how quickly they want you to clear the debt.

Smallngrumpy · 23/03/2023 08:57

I am with Shell and agree they can be useless when you need help.
Have you actually been giving readings or are these estimates on your bill?
On your bill it will show your yearly usage , you need to use that to work out your yearly bill and this will show you the minimum you should be setting your DD at.
I have a 3 bed house with 2 adults and 2 teens , lot of console use , but Ive cut back on the heating. My DD is set at £190 and they just tried to reduce it. You need to check that you owe what they say you owe and then find a way to pay them back.
It wont just go away Im afraid so balls in your court now.

Nolongera · 23/03/2023 09:00

SleepDreamThinkHuge · 23/03/2023 08:14

I am with Shell and from last month they are saying my energy bill has gone up to £560 a month which I told them makes no sense as I live in a 3 bedroom house and use the same levels I did when I was paying £140 a month. Told them this is not affordable and makes no sense. They said this is the new rate due to huge rises. I told them I cannot afford it and told them to continue paying £140 a month DD. They said that is fine but in the long run I will owe them money. Saw my last bill currently owe them £420.

What can be done? Although I am still paying £140 a month they are saying it has gone up to £560 a month which makes no sense as I am not using more I have a smart meter and cannot understand how it can go up by up to 4 times! They seem to be unhelpful and not providing solutions just saying in the long run I will owe them a lot of money if I do not increase my payments significantly.

What were your old rates per unit for gas and electric, what are your new rates and how much do you use a year?

All this will be explained on your bills.

Is your bill for the amount you have used or is it the direct debit they are asking for?

If you are £420 in debt to them now, this will be part of the reason they want so much from you.

Are you aware fuel prices have risen massively recently?

Don't bury your head in the sand, deal with it or there will be consequences.

LIZS · 23/03/2023 09:06

Have you accumulated a debt by underpaying? Take readings and ask for a statement of your account. If you are in deficit you will need to agree a monthly amount to pay that off as well as increase your dd to cover usage going forwards. £560 is steep though.

FijiSea · 23/03/2023 09:22

Your payment of £140 sounds far too low for the current time and prices.
We are now around £300 a month and are really on the ball with usage etc.
You can’t just say “ I’ve always paid £140 so I’m going to just continue to pay £140”
Thats not how it works.

SunshineGeorgie · 23/03/2023 09:26

The increased sun sounds about right though

You need to find a way to cut down....like the rest of us have been

CatOnTheChair · 23/03/2023 09:28

That 140 is closer to 200 by the time you've added on the government support.

If you find a bill, it will give you an estimated annual usage. You can use that to calculate a monthly bill, and then add on the debt to clear that in around a year.

If you were paying 140 for more than about 18 months, expect it to be close to 300 without the debt to be covered. Prices have increased massively.

AnotherDelphinium · 23/03/2023 09:38

The ~£60 government support has now ended, this is the last month it will be paid, so if you were only just breaking even, you’ll need to now increase your DD by £60 to cover this.

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