Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Money matters

Find financial and money-saving discussions including debt and pension chat on our Money forum. If you're looking for ways to make your money to go further, sign up to our Moneysaver emails here.

Flip

Original poster

ermm much of a difference is 400 units of gas going to make to my account...........

21 replies

FAQinglovely · 03/03/2009 18:05

as I think they've wildly overestimated my gas bill for the last month.........

But not sure how much ££££'s we're talking for 400 units...

OP posts:

nannyL · 03/03/2009 19:10

it depends if you have a new metric or old imperial meter.

if you have an old meter the difference will be about 3 times a new meter

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 03/03/2009 19:13

errr - not sure - it looks pretty old.........but could just be the dust on it

presuming it's a new meter (so the smaller amount) appprox what sort of money would I be looking at?? Trying to work out whether to just pay the "over" estimate and end up in a bit of credit or whether it's worth giving them the proper reading and having the bill reduced........

OP posts:

piratecat · 03/03/2009 19:15

you need to know what the rate is per unit, and also bear in mid that there are different rates for say the first so an so amount.

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 03/03/2009 19:21

ok - the numbers on the bill (the estimated one)

are 946 units used

10615 kwh used

primary unites 363 kwh @ 3.351p each

secondary units 10252 kwh @ 2.451p each

all double Dutch to me - only thing I know is that according to the meter tonight I've only used 544 units, not 946...........and that my gas bill seems ridicuously high for 1 months use, considering I paid less than that (on the same rates) for 2 months use in the last 2 months at my old house........

OP posts:

callmeovercautious · 03/03/2009 19:25

If you divide the bill by the 946 then times the result by 400 you will get a rough guide to what they owe you.

callmeovercautious · 03/03/2009 19:26

Oh and definately call them with the reading or they will keep over estimating as they never read them any more.

piratecat · 03/03/2009 19:27

well without even doing the maths its self, you have only used 544 units, and they are estimating you have done 946 units whch is almost twice that. I def wouldn't pay them all that upfront.

ring them and give them your reading i would.

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 03/03/2009 19:29

I always used to get the meter read at my old place! Will definitely call them as I've just done your calculation suggestion and it's telling me just over £100!!!

OP posts:

piratecat · 03/03/2009 19:34

what is the amount they ask for your bill faq?

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 03/03/2009 19:38

£269 !

for one calendar month

OP posts:

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 03/03/2009 19:39

so think they've over estimated me by just over £100

I knew it would be relatively high for Feb because of having to heat the house through and the cold spell - but £269 certainly more than I expected.

Actually thinking about how much the heating has been on - I'm not sure I could have even managed to use as much as they've guessed I've used!

OP posts:

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 04/03/2009 07:35

ahh - now that's more reasonable - entered my reading online last night and they've updated it - £112 less to pay.

OP posts:

piratecat · 04/03/2009 11:14

oh good, glad you sorted it. still alot to pay isn't it

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 04/03/2009 13:16

well yes - but I did expect it to be high - I was tring to heat through the walls of a house that had been empty for 6 months...............in the middle of freezing cold spell - porr heating didn't know what had hit it lol.

OP posts:

piratecat · 05/03/2009 12:14

ah makes sense then!!

DrTrillianAstra · 05/03/2009 12:20

Glad you've got it sorted. We had this problem when we moved to our flat, I have no idea what the previous occupants were doing but they were using about twice as much gas as we have been (it's double glazed and we keep it nice and warm in here).

Are you going to be paying each bill as it comes? They usually charge you less if you can set up a monthly direct debit. What gas provider are you with?

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 05/03/2009 12:22

yes I pay each bill as it comes - can't cope with having a "set" date for money coming out of my account as most of my "income" is either weekly or every 4 weeks - meaning that I don't always have money there on "x" date of the month. Easier to put a bit aside each month and pay it when it comes in on a date that suits me

OP posts:

DrTrillianAstra · 05/03/2009 12:31

Ah yes, the joys of reconciling 4-weekly things with calnder months. Paid 4 weekly means you get 13 pay packets in a year, which is awesome!

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 05/03/2009 12:42

would be nice if it was paypackets - it's actuall my IS (weekly), Housing Benefits, CTC and Chilb Benefit - 4 weekly.

I'd rather pay a little extra for my bills than risk getting bank charges because the money simply wasn't there.

Plus ended up in a HUGE amount of debt to Powergen a few years back because they kept saying they were putting the monthly payment up - and then didn't - despite us calling a LOT of times as we could see we were falling behind (but couldn't afford a "bulk" payment to clear it).

If they aren't taking a DD I have control over how much and when they get their money

Although I have just discovered the tw*ts only let you make one card payment a day/per card using their online acount management thing. Ermm - great except I have seperate Gas and Electric accounts so they've let me pay my Electric but refusing my card today for the Gas

OP posts:

DrTrillianAstra · 05/03/2009 12:46

That's so weird and pointless - what could possibly be the problem with using a card twice? Do they think people are going to steal someone's purse and then max out their credit card paying gas bills?

Original poster

FAQinglovely · 05/03/2009 12:51

yep totally pointless and rather annoyed me - having got my OU course grant and CTC into my account today - and confirmation from IS that my change of address confirmation letter was posted on the 3rd (so therefore will have it before the 10th to show HB) I decided to sit down and pay all my bills today.

I know I only have to wait until tomorrow but it's aPITA when I wanted to do it TODAY.

OP posts:

Flip