Utility bills, am I paying too much? Gas/electric bill's are crippling me.

[ProphecyGirl]

I'm on an electric meter and with my heating on (in ONE room bc I can't afford them in all) I am spending like £120 a month maybe more, easily £10 a weekend. But I just switched over my electric to bulb, topped up yesterday and got home around 5ish... left for work 7am and spent £4 over night??? It's a lot of money!

 

[Tin&Gonic]

Honestly I can't believe it. It's really putting a strain on our finances. I'm going to check if we can change provider? I'm hopeless and not sure of our terms. I just panic and get upset at each bill.

Jesus wept! Just change providers!!! I bet you are with one of the Top 6 ie British Gas etc

I agree. There is 6 of us. But still its expensive. Teas made at the same time. Heatings heating one house. Washer is on daily but other than charging phones and we aren't running baths..as we only have 2 showers. I cant fathom it. I'm going to be extra vigilant with switching lights off etc. But I don't know what else to try. Especially if I try to leave again and they block it.

How? How do they block it?

 

[Dandylion1]

I have a two bed house and pay £78 combined for gas and electric a month I’m with octopus energy I found them the cheapest, I have a Combee boiler heating on about four hours a day use the dishwasher washing machine oven and tumble dryer every day

 

[F the dust.]

Thanks everyone for replying. I'm going to have to do something. Does anyone know if there is an independent bodie that can look at our meters? They can be fiddled apparently.

 

[F the dust.]

You need to phone them and tell them you’re going to seek advice from a legal team to take a look into your bills as you’re certain they have charged you far too much and potentially have previous tenants debt.
Ask for paper statements for every month since you’ve been there and any previous statements (6m worth) from your previous property.

Also, tell them your position and that you have an autistic child. I’m not sure if you claim DLA for the child but they have a duty of care towards you and your child so they can look into your payment methods and sometimes award a discount or credit to your account.

I live in a 6 bed detached, family of 4 and I pay £210/month combined.

Thankyou, my hubbie is named on the bill so I can't ring myself. But he can after work. We don't have a large income. It's knocking my MH right back as well.x

I've just moved and have had a gas bill for £120 14/10/19 to 24/11/19. I didn't move in until 6th Nov (got keys 14th). I have downsized into a new build so thought it would be a lot cheaper to heat. Previously bills were £70 for gas and electric!!

Wow, so it's not just me? It's ridiculous. Why aren't these companies monitored and prices capped? Maybe I'm being stupid? My gas/electric bills are higher than my mortgage since moving.

Something is wrong, your bills are far too high.

I'm in a 4bed detached bungalow, home most of the day, heating on all day from 6.30am to 10pm, I pay £90 a month for both gas and electric, always in credit after the summer months that sees me through the winter months. I'm with EON.

Get on the phone and hopefully you can get it sorted.

I tried switching they blocked it. I'm. Going to do my damnedest to pay it and try again! Eon seem to be much better.

 

[Scorpihoe]

@F the dust. did you manage to sort it?

 

[F the dust.]

Jesus wept! Just change providers!!! I bet you are with one of the Top 6 ie British Gas etc

British gas..we tried. We paid our final bill and tried, the company we went with told us British gas had blocked it. I said earlier I wasn't in a good place then so let it slide. Plan on moving again, this time I will not.

 

[F the dust.]

Why haven’t you just phoned up to find out if you’ve been paying the previous owner’s debt? I bought my house last year and found out there was a debt from previous owners but it’s not my (or your) duty to pay it. Just phone them and find out once and for all.

Oh I did and had an independent electrician check my meters..couldn't find anything untoward but there were Bill's totalling £1000 on gas/electric...our first bill was high despite at the time only having electric...no heating as we ripped the house to bits and had no radiators! In one house we had pay as you go meters...I was putting £20 a day in when I rang they said we were paying off the last owners debt..so then it was sorted and meters were removed. I don't believe they're going to admit it unless I can prove it and I've tried.

 

[Grenouille]

If we hadn't if paid £200 off with our payment cards it would have been £800 a quarter

The more I think about it, the shadier it sounds. One day we received a huge water bill (£409 for 3 months). It turned out we had a hidden leak. The water company actually called us to first check if it wasn’t a meter problem or a problem their end. Nos that’s good service!

Off topic but I'm owed about £250 by an energy company from overcharging.

I switched as they were so incompetent, gave them the meter reading that they lost and they say I owe them £80, they've sold on this debt even though my account was in dispute and I keep being chased for this £80 and being told I'll be charged loads more when they go through the courts. I've given up ever trying to explain anymore and ignore the letters. It's bad enough I'm owed around 250 let alone this chasing that they say I owe them money! Never should have privatised it IMO.

I hate when they do that. You must have been accumulating that credit for quite a while. Normally their supposed to regularly check and give it back to you if it’s over a certain amount.

 

[caterday28]

We live in a two bedroom new-build flat and pay £50 per month for gas and electric with one of the "green" gas and electricity suppliers. We are in credit from that. Your bill sounds extortionate!