Replying to kenny diamond

Yearly gas units if 26000 kilo watts can cost £54 or less each month on direct debit . Allows for this time of year 104 kilo watts gas each day for heating /water and cooking 5300 units of electricity £46 every month or less on direct debit allowing for 15 kilo watts daily now and in the lighter night months 12 kilo watts daily Taking your figure of 8700 yearly units ratio 1.6415 gives a monthly figure of £75.51 and should be less due to price reductions March and April 2007

sorry at wits end - 2 bed house - 2x tvs, 1xpc, washer/drier, microwave, dvd, sky box. elec stove. gas heating. spent over £1300 on elec this year. pls someone tell me this isnt possible

I too have had a HUGE electricity bill. From November to February our bill was £491.97 we had also paid £160 in direct debits. The supplier has suggested we take readings for 5 days to compare them, done that and Saturdays to Sundays reading said we used 64kwh, Sunday to Monday (these are taking evening) said 62kwh. On Sunday I had the washer and dryer on 3 times, dishwasher and we were in, Monday we were at work from 7.30am to 5pm and the only thing that had been on was the dishwasher. The supplier also wants to change our direct debit to £80 per month and this is when the account has been paid up to date!!! Does anybody else use as much electricity a this???? I think our neighbours are tapping into ours!!....or at least the rest of the street!

Thanks for the info, I'll be working out some facts and figures over the weekend and calling British gas back, I'll let you know how I got on, cheers, Kenny

Hi Scott,
Thank you for your reply, I think the Tariffs for economy 7 are very poor, we are not offered the same as other customers, do you know of any companies that have the lowest Tariff for the night time. I dont want to leave the heating on all night and early morning, so I switch it off at the mains, and I have lower bills. Most people are out during the day so there is no benefit, with economy 7 its the most dearest heating system I have ever used. I feel that these companies are really taking avantage of there customers on economy 7. In fact Gas and Electric companies, have let down all the customers by overcharging on the fuel, they hold back the cheaper prices for both fuels deliberately. And its about time they were regulated by the Government properly, we have all been ripped off.

Christy,

Firstly, if you are on an Economy 7 tariff but are not using atleast 20% of your energy during the appropriate times (1am - 8am) then you need to take action. The Economy 7 tariffs are only beneficial to customers who have timers on their appliances (and can run them in the early morning) or worked shifts.

With regards to British Gas, their prices will be live on moneysupermarket today. They have launched a new online tariff - Click Energy 2, a fixed tariff - Price Guarantee 2008; and they have reduced their standard rates by 17% for Gas and 11% for Electric.

No body can say what energy prices will be like in a years time but that doesn't mean you shouldn't benefit from cheaper bills by changing energy provider now. I would expect other energy providers to now follow in British Gas' footsteps and reduce their prices as they compete for customers.

Remember, there is no limit as to how often you change providers. Energy contracts usually last 28-days and I would advise that you look to change providers atleast twice a year to ensure you are getting the best deal.

I hope this helps.

Regards,

Scott Byrom
moneysupermarket.com

Kenny,

That is a very high level of consumption for electricity and I'd advise that you speak to your energy supplier to ensure that this is 100% accurate.

The UK average for electricity is 3300kwh p/year so you are 2.5 times the average. You are also spending £1308 a year on electricity alone at the new figure of £109 p/month. The UK average bill is £1000 for both gas and electricity.

Let me know how you get on.

Regards,

Scott Byrom
moneysupermarket.com

Hi Kenny.diamond,
I just have electric, I cannot believe your electric is so high, your heating is gas, so why are you being charged all this money I would complain, we have economy seven which is astronomical, I have never sat down and worked out the KWH, but my electric has trebled. Due to the fact that there are to many price rises, each year on fuel, for the first 1000 KWH, we are charged a high Tariff, we are also charged a monthly premium for fixed prices. I am appalled by these excessive over charges, I hear British Gas is bringing there prices down, in March but is this just on gas. British Gas customers were complaining that they should have cut there prices during the Winter months. As British gas has lost 2 million customers, then they may get these back, but is it just a ploy for maybe a year then up the prices go again.Its about, time all the Gas and Electric Companies dropped there prices also.

I stay in a 3 bedroom house,2 adult and 3 grown up kids, with gas central heating and a gas cooker, I've worked out my average kwh for the last 5 years and its 21000kwh per year,£54 per month, about average looking at some of your other posts, but my electricity average is approx 8700 over the last 5 years, just the usual things, ie; 3 tv's, 2 computers, tumble dryer, wash m/c, microwave, dishwasher , and british gas has just bumped me up from £60 per month to £109 for my electricity, should the usage be as high as this?