Topic: Fixing energy bills...

[Nick110581]

Were you fixed before? How long for?
Sadly , double is what it is. Im not sure I'd be with others and predicting it comes down. Maybe im a pessimist .
How much headroom is there between variable and fixed right now? Could you save the difference for a few months and if the variable rises above the fixed you can dip into that?

We were fixed then moved to variable rate in March as that’s what we advised to do.

It’s correctly £1.2k for two of us in a three bed house and they now want £2.6k fixed.

[PaulF]

We were fixed then moved to variable rate in March as that’s what we advised to do.

It’s correctly £1.2k for two of us in a three bed house and they now want £2.6k fixed.

Unless someone has better advice, I'd try really hard to save £100 a month for a year, and then see where we are.
Premium bonds offer security and are just difficult enough to withdraw from to act as a deterrent but not a block.
And if you win the top prize you owe me a liverpool season ticket

The value of course is eroded by inflation, but it gives you a buffer if prices head North and a nice little pot if they don't.

[Nick110581]

Unless someone has better advice, I'd try really hard to save £100 a month for a year, and then see where we are.
Premium bonds offer security and are just difficult enough to withdraw from to act as a deterrent but not a block.
And if you win the top prize you owe me a liverpool season ticket

The value of course is eroded by inflation, but it gives you a buffer if prices head North and a nice little pot if they don't.

Good advice - we try to save around £100 a month if we can (harder now food is so expensive).

[gazzam1963]

Good advice - we try to save around £100 a month if we can (harder now food is so expensive).

You will get £400 added to that account in September unless the companies are already taking that into consideration when quoting you

[killer-heels]

It really is quite ridiculous how expensive this will be and the government still hasn't grasped how difficult this will be for a lot of people. I also think they are in for a rude awakening if they think by targeting just the poorest that they will get away with it, because a lot of people who are currently pretty comfortable will get hammered by this, inflation and rising mortgage costs.

Don't worry though, you are a declinist if don't believe in Britain if you think we are due a recession. Project fear and all that....

[reddebs]

You will get £400 added to that account in September unless the companies are already taking that into consideration when quoting you

I thought it was being taken off direct debit payments each month starting in October?

I'm still waiting for my £150 off the council tax 😯

[redbyrdz]

I thought it was being taken off direct debit payments each month starting in October?

I'm still waiting for my £150 off the council tax 😯

Yeah I thought so too. Vaguely remember that it depends on how you pay though, DDs its taken off automatically, but some other payment methods you have to do something?? Someone posted about it a while ago.


Haven't even checked the council tax bill yet.

[gazzam1963]

I thought it was being taken off direct debit payments each month starting in October?

I'm still waiting for my £150 off the council tax 😯

My thinking of it was a £400 credit to every electricity account towards the end is sept maybe October , my rebate came a few months ago from lpool council
Edit : just checked it’s a monthly £67 credit to your account from October to March

https://www.goodto.com/money/400-energy-rebate-668994

[reddebs]

Anglesey council appointed some weird admin company to sort out rebate cheques for those of us that don't pay by direct debit.

It'll be in the form of a voucher that's valid for 30 days only and can only be cashed at the post office with about 40 million proof of ID documents.

They started sending out letters on 22nd May at 2000 per week and we were told it'll take 12wks to do everyone.  We're at 12wks 4 days and still haven't had anything 🤷

[reddebs]

Does anyone know if it's just the unit costs that are going up in October or are they hiking up the standing charge again too?

[Elmo!]

Does anyone know if it's just the unit costs that are going up in October or are they hiking up the standing charge again too?

I don't think anyone knows for sure, but what I read was that the standing charge is unlikely to change significantly.

[RainbowFlick]

Confirmed today BoZo isn't doing anything to support people (hardly shocking). Really need Labour to offer some serious opposition now. It's an open goal. People across the political spectrum and across the country are going to be struggling this winter. I really don't understand why it's not being prioritised even more seriously.

[reddebs]

I don't think anyone knows for sure, but what I read was that the standing charge is unlikely to change significantly.

Thanks mate 👍

[Elmo!]

Someone on Reddit put this together, which is using gas futures prices to forecast what the price cap unit prices will be after each Price Cap review..... Based on my usage I'm coming out at £300pm for the December forecast.

https://pytho.uk/hephaestus

[Pheeny]

I pay a direct debit of €46 for Electric and €100 for gas, phoned the company up last month to check if I was still in budget and was told I might even get a rebate if I continue at the current usage.

So glad that I live in Belgium and not the UK...

[reddebs]

Someone on Reddit put this together, which is using gas futures prices to forecast what the price cap unit prices will be after each Price Cap review..... Based on my usage I'm coming out at £300pm for the December forecast.

https://pytho.uk/hephaestus

According to that my electric will go from £85 to £190 a month.  It was £35 when we moved here in March 2021!

[killer-heels]

According to that my electric will go from £85 to £190 a month.  It was £35 when we moved here in March 2021!

Mine went from £72 to £185 already. It will go up again in October.

[reddebs]

Mine went from £72 to £185 already. It will go up again in October.

Mine's been £85 since April and I've managed to build up some credit in the last couple of months.  I've also increased the direct debit to £120 to build up a bit more before October.

My electric account is easily managed with my app so I know exactly where I am.  I can make one off payments or increase/decrease my direct debits according to my usage. 

Back in the winter I'd pay the difference between the bill amount and my direct debit if it was more.

I know I'm lucky to be able to do that and that it's just us two so our costs are nowhere near as bad as some people's. 

I've no idea how my kids are coping, especially my daughter who's recently moved from a two bed flat to a 3 bed house.  Bless her she's just gone back to work after being a stay at home mum for 4yrs so instead of being able to save for some extras it'll all be taken up paying bills.

[west_london_red]

My son starts getting his 30 hours a week of nursery from September so my monthly cost goes from about £400 a month down to about £50 a month, thats softening the blow and I have upped the energy DD using that money already to build up some credit for the coming onslaught.

[killer-heels]

My son starts getting his 30 hours a week of nursery from September so my monthly cost goes from about £400 a month down to about £50 a month, thats softening the blow and I have upped the energy DD using that money already to build up some credit for the coming onslaught.

Dont get the violin out for me but within the first three months of next year I have childcare, a mortgage fix deal ending as well. Ouch.

[west_london_red]

Dont get the violin out for me but within the first three months of next year I have childcare, a mortgage fix deal ending as well. Ouch.

The thing is you can quite easily end up having to make some very strange choices. You might be better off with the little one at nursery, and yourself at work rather then you both be at home and have the heating etc on all day.

I currently go to the office one day a week, but might actually start going in to the office more when it gets cold as it might actually be more cost effective. If my kids are at school, Mrs is at work, and my parents are going out it doesn’t make sense for me to heat a 4 bedroom house when I’m the only one there.

Edit: make sure you sign up for the Tax Free childcare and get the 20% off. It’s amazing how many people don’t know about the scheme or use it.

[killer-heels]

Yep i have signed up for that. Its a massive income shock but I am fortunate enough to be able to cope. But for most people its going to be brutal. This heat and sun we are getting needs to be enjoyed because from September its going to be a deep and dark beginning.

[reddebs]

Has anyone noticed people stockpiling bottled water, candles and logs yet? 

With the impending shortages and unaffordable increases it'll not be long before they do.

Any Tory doners own bottled water companies 😂

[west_london_red]

Has anyone noticed people stockpiling bottled water, candles and logs yet? 

With the impending shortages and unaffordable increases it'll not be long before they do.

Any Tory doners own bottled water companies 😂

No, but I did order an electric heater a couple of days ago as a back up in case they start restricting gas usage

[reddebs]

No, but I did order an electric heater a couple of days ago as a back up in case they start restricting gas usage

We have a log burner as well as oil central heating and hot water so gas shortages won't effect us unless they restrict it for electric production.

I'll be calling at our local forestry place to find out how much a tonne is and get it delivered so we have a back up.

[redbyrdz]

No, but I did order an electric heater a couple of days ago as a back up in case they start restricting gas usage

Are you going to join Nick with his massive electricity bills?



Read yesterday that even Germany are confident they'll manage the winter, even if they don't get any Russian gas. There are various levels of emergency plans, but this forcast is based on them simply not selling gas on to other countries.

Should there be a gas shortage, the emergency rationing plan actually sees households cut last - first it's the production industry that'll have to do without.

[reddebs]

Does anyone know how bad it would be for suppliers if everyone that can, just turned everything off for a day?

No gas or electric used? 

Would it impact their profits at all?

I guess what I'm asking is can any form of protest work or are we beyond that?

[redbyrdz]

Does anyone know how bad it would be for suppliers if everyone that can, just turned everything off for a day?

No gas or electric used? 

Would it impact their profits at all?

I guess what I'm asking is can any form of protest work or are we beyond that?

Still paying standing charge...

Will it impact their profits....yes, but say their profit is P per year, then it's P/(365) x % of customers taking part. So likely a very small amount. It might be a good educational measure for people though, to see what they rely on, and what they could switch off.




There is another protest planned, a payment boycott, but personally I don't think that's a good idea, as you're just blatently breaking your contract and will just get hit with additional charges.




To be honest, I think instead of payment protests, it would be better to focus on energy-saving measures, and push the government to increase eg home insulation grants. And invest into renewable energy production to decrease the reliance on fossile fuels, which is the real cause of the price hikes.

[sheepfest]

I've started to do little things like make door draught excluders, rig up a curtain by our inner front door which has a pane of glass that gets  cold and today have bought a large thermos. Work from home but constantly have a a cuppa on the go so hope to cut down on the kettle in the day. Crazy things to do when you think about it.

[redbyrdz]

I've started to do little things like make door draught excluders, rig up a curtain by our inner front door which has a pane of glass that gets  cold and today have bought a large thermos. Work from home but constantly have a a cuppa on the go so hope to cut down on the kettle in the day. Crazy things to do when you think about it.

Don't think it's crazy, it's just good habits. It won't only save you money, but it's also good for the environment.

I'm going to make a curtain for the back door too. Was just saying yesterday how maybe we should all get big curtains for the winter again, like they used to have. Might also get a rug or two to put on the floor.

[reddebs]

Don't think it's crazy, it's just good habits. It won't only save you money, but it's also good for the environment.

I'm going to make a curtain for the back door too. Was just saying yesterday how maybe we should all get big curtains for the winter again, like they used to have. Might also get a rug or two to put on the floor.

We're putting up thick curtains this year too but not at the windows or doors but the openings from the kitchen into the living room and the living room into the conservatory as there are no doors but it's not open plan either.

We've got very thick, well insulated walls and amazing double glazing so it's not cold or even drafty as such it's more of a cosy thing but I'm sure it'll make a difference to our heating needs.

[Schmidt]

I currently go to the office one day a week, but might actually start going in to the office more when it gets cold as it might actually be more cost effective. If my kids are at school, Mrs is at work, and my parents are going out it doesn’t make sense for me to heat a 4 bedroom house when I’m the only one there.

I've been going in 4 times a week lately, my bills are significantly lower from not running my PC all day, plus as a little bonus I can charge my phone/earbuds there. Having air conditioning isn't too shabby either!