What's your gas / electric bill monthly please..

[HappyJoyful]

A friend and her husband have been having what they think (and I think too) quite heavy and unexplained bills.

They have an end of terrace, reasonably large 3 bed house, they don't have heating on constantly, usual washing loads for washing machine, and showers etc, no tumble tryer and just them in the house (well she's a childminder) but no others living there.

They are paying £80 a month electricity and £120 gas. Do you think this is excessive and if so would appreciate any thoughts on what it could be?

They've been told by both suppliers that if they want someone to come and check their meters then they have to fork out quite a considerable sum which is non refundable if nothing is found to be wrong.

Can you give me an estimate as to whether you think this is the going rate? I certainly don't pay this much.

£120 a month for gas in midsummer is a stonking amount. Even if that's averaged over a year, it's still very, very high.

How many people are taking showers/baths there, and how is their hot water set? If they have a poorly insulated hot water tank, set to be on 70 degrees all the time, that would contribute. Also, do they have teenagers who stand under the hot water in a daze for 20 mins?

Also, is their washing machine correctly plumbed in and only using a cold fill?

£73pm gas and electric combined.

£54 pm for both, on track for the year - possibly will up DD to £55. On a dual fuel fixed tariff with Ovo. Previously paid £52pm with BG & they owed us when we left (the fixed tariff was ending).

Sorry, large 3 bed, 3 storey mid terrace townhouse (1970s), large windows & limited loft / cavity insulation.

4 bed semi with greenhouse heating on year round
offset by solar thermal hot water all summer
£143 a month

OP
If your friends think somebody is tapping their light or power ....
get them to book a night away.
Before they leave turn EVERYTHING off (including the fridge, boiler, cooker, every switch right through the house)
photograph the meters as they go out the door
photograph them when they come back 24 hours later
(my Mum dd that to prove her neighbour was tapping your water and the company did an "emergency cutoff" that sorted the issue)

£79 for gas and electricity each month year round. That's with Ovo for a 4 bed 150m2 semi, but we have double glazing, cavity wall insulation and loft insulation, and we are out most of each day at work. About 5 tumble drier loads per week, same for washing. We do have a woodburner which saves us some money in winter.

February actual bill Electric £35/Gas £42

2 Bed modernish terrace,use gas for heating/hot water/cooking

Electric bill driven up by use of tumble drier

Boiler is 35 year old wall boiler ( non combi )

House is comfortable

She needs to get the kW and usage numbers from her bill, then look on comparison websites like money saving expert, or UK power.co.uk. It helps if she provides regular meter readings so that she only pays for what she is using. When was the last time that she changed her provider ? She may be on a really old, high price. The cheapest I paid for electricity was £14 a month, when I spent most of the time out of the house, so fridge, shower, washing machine. It went up to £20 when I was there more, very small property with wood burner and free wood source

I’ve just had my first quarterly bill after moving in on 18/12/17, 4 bed semi detached bungalow. £80 it was which baffles me as I asked about paying monthly and they said I hadn’t been in the property long enough to get an accurate idea of our usage so would be based on last occupiers so would be £150 a month! I don’t know what on earth they were doing but having looked at the estimate they seemed to use loads of power at night

It’s electric only we use as we have oil heating, so I’m just going to leave as is and submit monthly readings I think