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Original poster

Just been hit with a fickin £700 gas bill!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! How much do you pay?

42 replies

weepootleflump · 05/06/2007 21:55

Can you all tell me how much you pay for your gas and electricity please - I need to know whether I'm totally out of touch with prices or what?

I moved out of a 3 bed bungalow in March. Since last July I was with Powergen and they'd estimated that I should pay £50 per month (to cover gas & elec) which I'd been paying by direct debit.

I've just had the final bill and they reckon I still owe over £700 . I checked the meter reading and it's correct. Powergen say they'd just underestimated my bills.

I used gas for cooking and central heating and my husband is such a tight-arse that we don't over-do it on the heating anyway.

It roughly works out at £137 per month is this normal?

OP posts:
ChasingSquirrels · 05/06/2007 22:01

do you have a tumble dryer. washing maching, use lots of electrical items? it was over the winter....

Ceolas · 05/06/2007 22:03

Powergen underestimated out bills to begin with.

Then overestimated.

Think we are about right now at £98/month for gas and electricity. 3 bed semi. We use the dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer nearly every day.

Original poster
weepootleflump · 05/06/2007 22:23

Of the £1100 bill (total over about 8 months), less than £200 was for electricity - gas was £900.

I may be out of touch with gas prices as I had oil heating previous to this.

OP posts:
TheBlonde · 05/06/2007 22:26

350 quid a quarter for gas here
250 for electric

DrNortherner · 05/06/2007 22:28

£85 per month here for gas and elec. 3 bed terrace.

misdee · 05/06/2007 22:29

in winter i can be putting anything upto £100 a month on in gas. but this place is seriously not insulated. now its £5 a week in summer months,

Original poster
weepootleflump · 05/06/2007 22:34

Thanks everyone, looks like I'll have to stump up.... gutted .

OP posts:
FrayedKnot · 05/06/2007 22:41

It sounds high but if that's what you've used...

Our total spend on both electricity & gas from May '06 to march '07 was £678.

Gas is central heating only.

We had a condensing boiler installed last summer which is why I assume our bills are lower.

We have Scottish Power where you manage your bill online and it's much easier to keep tabs on what you are using, you create your own bills online, so in theory if you thought they were high you have the opportunity to turn your thermostat down or whatever if necessary, to save money.

Original poster
weepootleflump · 05/06/2007 23:05

Thanks for taking the time to do the comparison FrayedKnot , only thing I can think is that it was a really old system so maybe not very economical.

OP posts:
bookthief · 05/06/2007 23:10

Gas prices have increased by an insane amount. We only have a gas cooker and a gas fire in the kitchen (used to be a kitchen/living room) and when I last used the fire regularly in the winter the quarterly bill would be about £20.

This winter I was using the fire again and the bill for the quarter was £120!!

I know there's been loads about the increases on the news but because our gas bill is normally so tiny (just the cooker) I'd not paid much attention. Got a bit of a shock.

cece · 05/06/2007 23:27

I am glad I have found this thread as I am waiting for Powergen to phone me back tomorrow - this is their energy consumption department.

I got my bill today and it says I still owe them just over £200 despite paying £56 a month by direct debit each month.

So since joining them they reckon I have consumed £550 worth of gas and electricity since December.

Now I know prices have gone up and it has been the winter but this is nearly how much our annual bill was in our previous house.

But reading some of your comments maybe it is right? That means our monthly DD should be nearly £100

I only moved to them from Powergen as they said they would be £10 a month cheaper And I have had a new energy efiecient boiler fitted 6 months ago

cece · 05/06/2007 23:29

sorry moved from British Gas to Powergen. Oh and we moved last May 2006

ChasingSquirrels · 05/06/2007 23:31

our monthly direct debit is £100, and that is just electric (we have oil fired heating, probably fill the tank twice a year). also powergen. when we first moved here (ok so 6 years ago) they started us on a £18 dd, then a couple of years down the line said we were £100 in credir and refunded us, then suddenly we owed them £600. wtf. Still not back to zero, but they cocked it up so I will just stick with the monthly payment rather than settling it and starting again. Over the year average is probably £100 pm though.

morocco · 05/06/2007 23:33

£50 for gas/elec together in a well insulated 3 bed semi with gas c/heating and gas hob but electric oven. we have the heating on at about 20 degrees for about 3 hours/day, more on very cold days
I do our own readings every few months - didn't they do any at all between then and now??? that's pretty lax of them.

allgonebellyup · 06/06/2007 12:32

weepootleflump, cant you now just get rid of your tumble dryer and dishwasher?? they are hideous for the environment anyway. We dont have either, have 2 children, and survive very well!
Honestly, get rid of them!

(btw our gas bill is £50 p/m and elec is £25)

InternationalMouseOfMystery · 06/06/2007 12:33

in an attempt to make you feel better can i tell you that we got a £1500 bill when we moved out of our last house

hana · 06/06/2007 12:36

we pay $47 for gas and £51 for electric each month - we're always in credit tho as we don't use that much ( just waiting for refund back into account..)

I woudln't be without our dishwasher, they can be very green these days and use far less water than washing by hand.
We have a dryer as well, but it's only used when it's raining and when I can't be bothered in the winter to use outside line......you can't be a martyr about the environment I don't think...someething has to give and for me, it's these 2 appliances!

Bellie · 06/06/2007 12:41

powergen really do underestimate bills - for our gas bill when we moved in they suggested £45 a month dd, we are now (6 months later) paying £200 a month and our bill is still £1100 in debit! - have gas heating/water and an aga.

allgonebellyup · 06/06/2007 12:41

cant you use a hanging dryer inside when its raining? Theres no excuse to use a tumble dryer!!
its not being a martyr, its thinking about the environment and the world our children (and their children) will grow up in.

Original poster
weepootleflump · 06/06/2007 12:52

allgonebellyup, I don't have a dishwasher. The electricity bill isn't the problem - it was tiny - less than £200 for that 8 month period, the gas bill was £900.

OP posts:
hana · 06/06/2007 12:56

oh come on, there are 1001 things you can do to 'help the environment' save the planet sort of thing, doens't have to be not using a tumbledryer

speedymama · 06/06/2007 13:04

We live in a 4 bed townhouse and for BG we pay £27 per month and for EDF £23 per month.

I've just received a refund from BG for £360 and monthly payment was reduced from £40.

speedymama · 06/06/2007 13:07

We don't have a dishwasher and use the tumble dryer sparingly btw.

jellyjelly · 06/06/2007 17:52

I pay 37.50 for gas and 40 for electricity or the other way around.

I think that is huge. I have a 3 bed house not great for insulation so i am working around the house trying to block holes to reduce bills.

Ladymuck · 06/06/2007 17:57

Is your water gas or elec? I notice a huge difference in going from gas to elec water (ie it doubled my elec bill)

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