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Original poster

British gas have just told me that my £270 pm bill is average!!!

86 replies

cameleon · 28/12/2007 16:52

..and I should start using my dishwasher and washing machine every other day to reduce the bill!
He also told me that if the average family(two adults and two children) used their appliances everyday like I do then their bills would be this high.
Please can you prove him wrong? How much is your electicity bill per month and how often do you run your washing machine/dishwasher/tumble dryer?
We have asked them to come and test our meter, but they are charging us £39 if it is working correctly.

OP posts:

brimfull · 28/12/2007 16:54

ours is about £100 pm

run washing machine every other day but could be 2/3 times
dishwasher daily
tumble dryer loads

brimfull · 28/12/2007 16:55

are they working on an estimated reading,have you checked the actual reading and compared it to the bill

Nbgdoesnthaveachristmasname · 28/12/2007 16:59

Cripes

We got ours the other week and its £156. Thought that was bad!

Theres dh and I plus 3 kids, incl a toddler and a newborn.

We have the tumble dryer, washing machine and dishwasher on once a day without fail.

holidaywonk · 28/12/2007 17:00

Our has and electricity bills come to £250 pcm combined - but we are paying off a backlog. No dishwasher, but washing machine and tumble dry loads.

SantaBabyBeenAnAwfulGoodGirl · 28/12/2007 17:00

is that for electricity or gas and electricity

Hulababy · 28/12/2007 17:01

Our gas is coming out at about £50 a month, not sure about electricity.

Friend just got an electricity bill for £350 for the last quarter and felt that was really high.

Original poster

cameleon · 28/12/2007 17:01

thanks ggirl, just as I thought
no it's not estimated, the bill has been calculated from two actual readings...

OP posts:

goingfor3christmaspuddings · 28/12/2007 17:02

We are serously underpaying, only about £30 a month and it has been the same since we moved into our house a few years ago, we are going to be hit with a massive bill of backlog one day!

holidaywonk · 28/12/2007 17:02

Sorry, gas and electricity combined...

Original poster

cameleon · 28/12/2007 17:03

sorry x-posts its just electicity!

OP posts:

goingfor3christmaspuddings · 28/12/2007 17:03

Ours is just gas though not electricity.

brimfull · 28/12/2007 17:05

have you tried the uswitch website

Millarkie · 28/12/2007 17:07

We are on economy 7 and spend £100 per month..that's including an electric aga (which charges up during the night), washing machine (on timer every night), tumble dryer each morning (was on night rate until the clocks went back so now I am only using it in emergencies) 5 bed house-worth of lightbulbs (all low energy ones though), dishwasher on every night, shedloads of computer equipment (dh is professional geek).
When we first moved in the power company charged us normal rates rather than eco 7 and the bill was almost double - so it might be worth calculating if you can use more than 15% of your electricity at night and change to economy 7.

Have you put your details into a site like uswitch and checked that you are on the best rate with the best provider too?

needmorecoffee · 28/12/2007 17:09

our gas bill is about 800 quid a year, leccy probably the same. And we turn everything off constantly and sit shivering.
run 3 computers (disadvantage of home ed kids. Little blighters are using leccy), dishwasher daily, washing machine maybe twice a week and have to keep one room warm for dd cos she's quadraplegic.

DanJARMouse · 28/12/2007 17:11

im on an electric meter. We put £10 a week on ours and it does us. Thats washing machine at least once a day and dishwasher at least once a day as well as laptop being on and plugged in most of the day.

We do the same for our gas meter but that comes in slightly lower a week as we are freezing careful as to how long we have the heating on for

Millarkie · 28/12/2007 17:11

Is your heating electric too?

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 28/12/2007 17:11

FGS I wouldn't say that was average.

5 of us here, gas central heating, gas fire and gas hob.

Washing machine, and dishwasher (both cold fill so using electric to heat) tumble dryer, (these are on everyday) electric oven, several TV's/videos/x-boxes/laptops

I pay £100 a month tops and usually build up some credit during the summer months.

We're with EDF - switched from BG about 18 months ago after they wanted to put my direct debit up.

LIZS · 28/12/2007 17:18

We're currently at £40 pm each gas anmd electrcity, overall probably ok but we'll see when the next Winter statement comes in(a month or so to go). For gas so far (since last Feb )we have been well in credit on electricity slightly in red. WM on about 5 times a week, DW every other day, TD only when it is too cold outside so once or twice a week winter only.

justbeme · 28/12/2007 17:23

How many radiators do you have?

Our gas for the last quarter was £320 - 14 radiators and gas hob.
I use washing maching about 3-4 times a week and dishwasher about the same and bill for that was about £130.

Both with BG - its very expensive now isnt it? Im dreading the next bill.

pinkteddy · 28/12/2007 17:29

Is that gas and electric? Ours is £45 gas per month and electric approx £30 - thats with using dishwasher and washing machine every day - sometimes twice a day but usually over night. Rarely use the tumble drier IME that is the thing that really pushes up the bill.

mumfor1standfinaltime · 28/12/2007 17:30

So happy now with my £73 a month for gas and electric! I do live in a 2 bed terrace though with no dish washer or tumble drier.
How can they charge you to check your meter??
I would daily jot down readings and when you use your drier etc so you can see how you can cut down. Also turn everything off at the switch when you go to bed or go out - don't leave things on stand by.

Magrat · 28/12/2007 17:33

bloody hell that's a huge amount

£127 a month for gas and electricity in a 2 adult, 2 child household

gas fired combi boiler (hot water and radiators) - gas hob - everthing else electric

run dishwasher daily
run washing machine / tumble dryer about 5 times a week

you're being ripped off I feel

Original poster

cameleon · 28/12/2007 17:47

We have only lived here for two months, it is a new build house so very high efficiency.
The house was empty for 8 months before we moved in, so minimal electricity used in that time.
We received a quarterly bill for £660 last month that we have delayed paying and have just been told that we have used £270 since then!
We have got gas central heating, 14 radiators and gas hob - does this effect elec usage?
We do also have underfoor heating in the kitchen and two bathrooms, but I can't see how that could have increased our bill by so much.
We are moving in the new year anyway, but there is no way we could afford to pay this much permanantly.

OP posts:

LIZS · 28/12/2007 17:52

Ar eht ereadings right ? Coudl they have keyed in a digit out . I ended up sending digital photos of our meter to shoew they were one place value out (and multiplying our usage). Or they could be charging you for the usage across several new build houses ?

Millarkie · 28/12/2007 17:53

So you are the first occupants of the house? I would get the meter checked then. My mum had massive water bills for the first few years after she had a water meter fitted - turned out it had been put in the wrong place on the water supply and she was paying for her neighbours (5 children, massive paddling pool filled every day etc) as well as her own (1 retired person)...mistakes do happen.

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