How is this affecting you? I'm not sure how it compares to the US dollar. Are you billed quarterly?
Thanks,
CoCo
British Friends: please comment on home energy tariffs
by compound complex 8 Replies latest watchtower beliefs
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Splash
I've cut back on both electric and gas usage in my home, but despite lower consumption I'm paying more than ever before.
I pay monthly and get a small rebate for doing so. The average UK energy bill is about £1500 per year i think. I'm paying £115 per month (x 12) but hope to reduce this in the next few months.
I also regularly review tariffs and change each year to the cheapest for me.
Splash
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compound complex
Thanks, Splash, for your input. Glad you have options.
One British Pound Sterling = $1.62 US
115 x 1.62 = $186.30
Sounds average for here in California. The larger homes that use propane (bottled gas) may see a monthly bill triple that . . . or more. Some homes are set at 72 degrees Fahrenheit, more, however in the low- to mid-60s. We still have some outmoded electric heat pumps chugging away here; they are not efficient and are expensive to operate. In our mountain community many areas are not piped for natural gas.
In any event, OUCH $!$!$!$!
CC
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compound complex
bttt
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cantleave
I just let nugget deal with utilities, it stops me from going into "rant" mode.
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Xanthippe
Just had my statement CoCo and my direct debit energy bill is going up to £101 per month this year. Hopefully we will get a much better Summer this year and it will go down again - not holding out much hope though
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Chariklo
I too pay by monthly Direct Debit, and it comes to just a little below Splash's amount. Mine goes mostly on gas, and about half as much on electricity, all my heating and cooking being done by gas. I'm a bit in credit every month, and that's fine by me, as I always feel I have a bit in hand, and they are good about refunding a surplus promptly if it becomes significant.
A thought: in the US, since you call petrol gas, what do you call gas?
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MMXIV
Consumer organisations and the government suggest 2 things
1) shopping around for the best deal which often results in a temporary discount applied for a new customer of about £200-£300 for the year.
The process to switch supplier involves the new supplier wanting to get you on board asap whilst the current supplier drags their heals by trying to apply unexpected charges etc. I've gone through this twice and both times it took months, ended with numerous phone calls, arguments, frustration, threats of court action.
I get energy suppliers knocking on the door asking me to switch. They dismiss my objection about how much hassle it is to change saying it is easy and they promise it will be. Well to be fair I’ve probably knocked on their door promising they could live forever.
2) Using less energy by insulating the house or turning down the thermostat.
It makes sense to insulate your home and you can buy some insulation very cheaply as its subsidised by the energy companies. There are a lot of old houses in the UK without cavity walls so it can be expensive to get a house up to decent modern spec.
I used to live in an old house and my annual energy bill was £1800. I was always freezing cold – often wearing a coat indoors. I moved to a well insulated house and my bill reduced 40% and I was hot.
I personally don’t subscribe to the idea of living in the cold to save some money. I pay thousands of pounds for a decent holiday somewhere hot and I figure for a few hundred pounds extra my house can be hot all year round. If I didn’t have the spare cash then maybe I’d think twice about this but its my little bit of luxury.
I’ll stop here – I have a great deal more to say on energy companies and hope the government does introduce its new law to ensure a few clear simple tariffs.
mmxiv
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compound complex
Thank you, our friends from Britain, for such comprehensive answers!
I'll have to do some more reading as to how you can switch to companies offering better rates. Here we have Pacific, Gas and Electric. There is no alternative, unless your home is on bottled gas: LP (liquid propane), many suppliers being available. Several homes have solar and sell power pack to PG&E. Accordingly, as far as I can tell, there is only this one supplier of electricity. In the valley there is SMUD.
Chariklo: good question!
gasoline for autos, natural gas in the more urban communities (some autos run on this), LPG, or liquid propane gas.
CoCo