Energy bill £339 per month 😭

[Peony94]

We have just had an email telling us our monthly cost for gas and electric will be £339 per month, that is more than I will be earning a month after I pay for nursery. We cannot afford that amount 😣

Is there anything we can do about this? Is it better to give them monthly meter readings and just pay for usage, is this even an option? We don't have a smart meter.

I'm also confused as I thought the price cap was £2500 a year but they're charging us over 4K, I must have misunderstood this.

@sheepdogdelight

I think some people do think their behaviour is normal.

I’ve seen threads on MN about this where people think nothing of washing towels and clothes after one use, drying everything in the tumble dryer rather than line drying, taking two showers a day, having laptops on all the time etc

I also wonder whether these high-use households have kids doing lots of gaming?

I really want to know what these high use households are doing too. I think we are fairly high use but our usage estimates are nothing like some of these. There are three of us, I work from home, we do about 4 loads of washing a week, no tumble drier, use dehumidifier when we can’t put washing out, watch TV/ use laptop of an evening. Hoover once a week (don’t come at me, we sweep downstairs daily), each adult has about 5-7 short showers a week each, toddler bathed most days as they get really grubby at nursery. This summer our energy bill was around £50-60 a month. I estimate it will be around £250-£300 max a month in the winter (was around £100 last winter). We’ve built up credit of £700 paying £140 a month since March and £80 a month before that.

Family of 4
We do a lot of washing as dh and I go to the gym most days a week. Dh plays football and coaches rugby too. Ds plays rugby and goes to the gym. Dd doesn't do anything athletic so she doesn't create as much smelly washing as the rest of us. You cannot wear sportswear more than once so it's all single use.

I shower in the morning and then after an exercise class so sometimes 2 showers per day. It's an electric shower so with 4 of us that adds up too although dh showers at the gym on workout days as he goes before work.

Electric oven which is used most days. Large full sized fridge and also same size freezer will also use electric to keep cold/frozen.

Don't have a tumble dryer so use airers instead. Towels are reused several times.

You need to read your meters OP and submit the reading.

this ^^ and do it weekly or at least fortnightly, you can usually do this online. I set an alarm on my phone to remind me at a time Im normally home.

This way, you'll also know how much its costing you each week or fortnight so can alter your usage if you find its to expensive.

You can request to keep paying by direct debit and send month meter reading on the same day each month and get an actual bill. The advantage is that you'll pay for what you actually use and in the summer month our bill will be much cheaper - but obviously the bills will be much higher in the winter (but you can stash some cash during the summer for the winter. The advantage of paying by direct debt is you get a 6% discount, but most people pay an average - but the companies are putting the averages up more and more. This way the utility companies don't have to borrow money from the bank for their business as they can use the customers money

dementedpixie if you're going to the gym, wha are you not using the showers at the gym instead of your own?

Also an after gym shower is only a couple of minutes surely?

I've had a smart meter for a while now and I'm using around £3 per day. It's a four bedroom semi and my kids are at Uni. I work part time and heating is set to go up and down in temperature from 15degrees when I'm out walking the dog twice daily, from 5pm-8pm is about 21/22 degrees. Off overnight. I also only heat the rooms I use.

It's always been easier just to come home to get changed rather than lug everything with me. My shower is quick unless I'm washing my hair

@dementedpixie

If you’re showering after the gym (presumably in the evening) why do you need another one the next morning?

This always baffles me.

You obviously aren't a perimenopausal women who sweats overnight then! I smell in the morning plus my classes are mid morning so I am not showering at night.

It's always been easier just to come home to get changed rather than lug everything with me.

maybe, but it’d still save on water and gas or electric. I just take a small hold-all with towel bottle of gel and shampoo and gym clothes. It saves a lot over a week or month

So I have just got off the phone to EON (after being on hold for over an hour 😵‍💫 the poor people taking the calls, I really feel for them!) I told her that I couldn't afford the £339 and she instantly said that they can lower it to £170, this will go up after the government scheme ends. She didn't know why the original price was so high. Thank goodness!!

So pleased, that must be a relief!