How much do you owe for your gas and electric?

[WulfWuman]

I'm £350 short rn, which is a lot less than it was. It was loads more last year. Obviously didn't impact them that much as they've all made billions in that time 🤨 they tried to put up my direct debit so I just cancelled it and I'll pay quarterly. Hopefully the price reduction in April will let me catch up. As long as I don't switch any lights on!

How about you?

£2300

That's crazy - why would you let the energy company have that earning interest for them, rather than earning interest for you? You'd get about £100 for that in interest over only 6 months.

The energy companies are perfectly happy to have far too much credit sitting in customer accounts, but ycan phone them to ask for a partial re-fund. I've got about £300 credit in mine, which I think is probably OK for this time of year.

@GeneCity the question was how much do you owe your electricity company...

@Maverickess, it's awful to hear you describing using the washing machine or oven as luxuries. The government should be ashamed.

I hope things improve for you soon.

Well, I mentioned that I'm in a relatively low amount of credit in the context of trying to make the point that customers shouldn't accept being in a high amount of credit, and should instead ask for a partial refund.

@DemBonesDemBones, oh, I'm completely mis-reading now. Apologies!

I’m a couple in credit and pay £80 pm. Been lucky I was on a fixed rate till last April, which meant the £60 we got put me in credit. Was panicking last month as we were almost in deficit but was granted the £150 heating allowance.

hoping next year prices will fall and can fix at a reasonable rate.

For anyone on a non variable direct debit, how much credit/debit you are in is meaningless without also noting when your last bill/statement was.

You could be £200 in credit, but not billed for the last quarter yet so due to imminently go into debit. Or in debit by £100 however have just had the last quarter bill taken, so you are actually in a better position than the person £200 in credit.

We are in credit by about £280 with the December, January, February usage just billed yesterday (was a few quid shy of £1k before bill). Our DD comes out on the first of the month at £210 a month so in a few days will be £490. I am happy enough with that at this stage of the year.

fair point @loudbatperson
my dd about to come out
will leave me £75 credit

We pay £100 pm on electric and the same on gas. Currently £250 in credit on electric and £750 in credit on gas. Am going to wait until May to claim back some of the gas credit as the heating will be off for the summer and all paid by then. Will put the savings towards holiday spending money. Can only assume we've accrued so much due to being in a new build with good insulation.

I owe about £100. They’ll just have to wait until the summer. I pay by DD and give as much as I can afford.

@DoAWheelie

My Brother is on one 24/7
They get money towards it..

www.phauk.org/help-to-navigate-the-cost-of-living-crisis/if-you-take-oxygen/

My direct debits is £200, I'd built up about £500 credit going into winter, but that's down to £250 now. Dec was £280, Jan £250. Large 4 bed detached house that seems to take loads to heat and I work from home.
Hoping by April bills will be back down to what my direct debit is so I can start building the credit back up for next winter.

About 200 in credit, maybe because our son has moved out

Why will they write it off can I ask? We owe similar and in just burying my head in the sand 😔

Yes the poster owes that much

Every company has a fund, Octopus has one too, that people who are struggling/in debt can apply to. How much they give you depends on how much you owe(think they gave £400). They'll also lend you things like draught detection appliances (can't for the life of me remember what they're called) to see why you are using so much heat.

I only came across it last year when I was really worried about how much I owed and couldn't see any hope in clearing it.

About £400. We have never been in any debt for the electricity before but our bills have skyrocketed this winter. I could pay it off now, but I'm hoping it evens out over the cheaper summer months.

None but I am on a pay as you go. They tried to get me to switch for years to a direct debit and I refused. I'm so glad because this makes it much easier. People always say it's more expensive but when you have no control over the DD I don't think it is tbh. It works well for us. I have topped up £85 electric over this month but I hadn't put anything in since the start of January and I won't need to again until the start of next month.

We are £500 in debit. I've just agreed to an increase in direct debit but not as much as eon next wanted, as the debit will be easily paid off by around June when we stop using the heating. What is annoying is that we had built up £500 credit in October but eon wanted to increase the direct debit...when I challenged this I was told the balance wasn't taken into account when assessing the direct debit amount as it could be withdrawn at any time...so I withdrew it, not the best decision it turns out...

@GeneCity

Thank you, to be fair my comment about using the oven & washing machine being luxuries was a bit tongue in cheek, because they're costing like they're luxuries but they are essentials - I have to wash my clothes, my work uniform needs to be clean for every day, I wear the same jeans & jumper, changing underwear and t-shirt for dog walking and the garden etc until I can no longer get away with it, and longer than I probably should, and then I have a 'decent' set for shopping, going to friends etc that I wear probably again, longer than I should. Same with things like bedding and towels, they get washed when I've got a good chance of getting them dry on the line or even in the house but without too much heat needing to be added.

I have to cook food, well I suppose technically I don't, I could always eat cold food and not put the oven on at all. What a hoot that would be 🤣.

But yeah, the point stands that these things really are essentials, and should be affordable for everyone, especially someone who works full time! It's appalling that apparently there's no one who can or wants to stand up for the people who are struggling with the prices increasing and increasing while the profit also increases and increases.

I consider that I'm probably in a better situation than many posting that are in debt to these companies and worrying about that and facing having to try and pay it back, while their current consumption is also rising. I've owed companies like that and faced bailiffs, pre payment meters taking a % every top up and although my situation is pretty rubbish, it's not like that and I really feel for those people.