Energy companies and direct debits

[nw42]

Gas today has been 3.5 units so about £1.50. We tend to put the gas on in bursts of an hour and close doors to each room to retain heat. It seems to last quite a while before we need to flash it on up again, but are now as attuned as ever toward the spiralling costs heading our way. We are also lucky that we don't have any pan lids living with us so no problems with the lights being left on.

I suppose that's one way of doing it but I've left ours on because I thought it better to keep the brickwork warm rather than letting it cool down, it didn't impact on the bills until recently and the extra is not down to using more, just cost related. However, in anticipation of the further increases in cost I will probably try your method in the near future, there's only the 2 of us here, although I'm not sure it will be easy to change my wife's ways, she leaves doors open, lights on etc all the time, hardly worth clashing over it really, I prefer a quiet life and don't want to turn into my dad, he was fanatical about lights being left on when we were kids, it's a bad childhood memory.

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

Any idea who’s taken over bulb customers?

 

[nw42]

So as an idea were paying 0.04p gas and 0.19p electric right now with the price cap set at 0.0407 and 0.208

Aprils cap in numbers will be gas 0.0737 and eleccie 0.2834 so Octopus I expect to be slightly below this.

I struggle with numbers but here is what it says on our most recent Octopus bill,
Gas Tariff Name Flexible Avro October 2021 v1
Product Type Variable
Payment Method Direct Debit
Unit Rate 3.83p/kWh
Standing Charge 24.87p/day (£90.78/year)
Price Guaranteed Until Not applicable
Early Exit Fee None
Estimated Annual Usage* 27255 kWh

I'm not too fussed about the electric as its much less than the Gas. Been paying £120pm (both gas & electric) for yonks and had built up a credit of £160 with AVRO but as I said we've burnt that up since Sept and are now £65 in debit. So I've upped the dd to £150 on the basis that it would even out in the warmer months, this obviously doesn't take into account the increases you have mentioned. Either way it's going to get worse and we are probably looking at circa £200pm soon enough.

Here is what Octopus have assessed us at on the latest bill,
£608.31 a year for electricity
£1191.37 a year for gas

 

[Two Gun Bob]

I suppose that's one way of doing it but I've left ours on because I thought it better to keep the brickwork warm rather than letting it cool down, it didn't impact on the bills until recently and the extra is not down to using more, just cost related. However, in anticipation of the further increases in cost I will probably try your method in the near future, there's only the 2 of us here, although I'm not sure it will be easy to change my wife's ways, she leaves doors open, lights on etc all the time, hardly worth clashing over it really, I prefer a quiet life and don't want to turn into my dad, he was fanatical about lights being left on when we were kids, it's a bad childhood memory.

Maybe someone off topic could advise on the best way to heat a home cost effectively. By setting the thermostat and letting that do all the work or by switching on in bursts as and when required.

We have done the usual such as double lagging the loft and using energy saving bulbs and are lucky to have a combi boiler for the hot water but the times they are a changing and act we must. Not to the extent of the fanatical but certainly by checking usage on a week to week basis.

Anyway the warmer months are imminent so that should build up the credit for Octobers rise less of course that £200 loan that we are eternall grateful for. More neck than a giraffe our government!

 

[Two Gun Bob]

I struggle with numbers but here is what it says on our most recent Octopus bill,
Gas Tariff Name Flexible Avro October 2021 v1
Product Type Variable
Payment Method Direct Debit
Unit Rate 3.83p/kWh
Standing Charge 24.87p/day (£90.78/year)
Price Guaranteed Until Not applicable
Early Exit Fee None
Estimated Annual Usage* 27255 kWh

I'm not too fussed about the electric as its much less than the Gas. Been paying £120pm (both gas & electric) for yonks and had built up a credit of £160 with AVRO but as I said we've burnt that up since Sept and are now £65 in debit. So I've upped the dd to £150 on the basis that it would even out in the warmer months, this obviously doesn't take into account the increases you have mentioned. Either way it's going to get worse and we are probably looking at circa £200pm soon enough.

Here is what Octopus have assessed us at on the latest bill,
£608.31 a year for electricity
£1191.37 a year for gas

Based on your annual consumtion from Avro £150 a month seems spot on for now and so the only way to reduce is by means of what you mentioned earlier and lowering consumption.

 

[nw42]

Maybe someone off topic could advise on the best way to heat a home cost effectively. By setting the thermostat and letting that do all the work or by switching on in bursts as and when required.

We have done the usual such as double lagging the loft and using energy saving bulbs and are lucky to have a combi boiler for the hot water but the times they are a changing and act we must. Not to the extent of the fanatical but certainly by checking usage on a week to week basis.

Anyway the warmer months are imminent so that should build up the credit for Octobers rise less of course that £200 loan that we are eternall grateful for. More neck than a giraffe our government!

We have a combi too, do you leave the pre-heater on? I turned ours off years ago, seemed a waste to keep water warm while we aren't using any, I dunno.

 

[Two Gun Bob]

We have a combi too, do you leave the pre-heater on? I turned ours off years ago, seemed a waste to keep water warm while we aren't using any, I dunno.

I presume ours hasn't got one or if it has then we dont use it. The boiler kicks in with hot water when we switch on the tap and had no idea it was capable of pre warming. I dont think I would like it to do that as would defeat the logic.

We can adjust the heat setting of the water and we just leave ours on full.

 

[Two Gun Bob]

Iv'e just had a look at the settings and it's a Baxi boiler with 2 switches and a central pressure monitor.
On the left is the water temp and on the right is a picture of a tap ..Im guessing water pressure?

 

[denislawsbackheel]

Any idea who’s taken over bulb customers?

No one.
The govt are keeping it going.

 

[denislawsbackheel]

Maybe someone off topic could advise on the best way to heat a home cost effectively. By setting the thermostat and letting that do all the work or by switching on in bursts as and when required.

We have done the usual such as double lagging the loft and using energy saving bulbs and are lucky to have a combi boiler for the hot water but the times they are a changing and act we must. Not to the extent of the fanatical but certainly by checking usage on a week to week basis.

Anyway the warmer months are imminent so that should build up the credit for Octobers rise less of course that £200 loan that we are eternall grateful for. More neck than a giraffe our government!

Thermostatic radiator valves installed. Turn down in unoccupied rooms.