Dual Fuel Increase

[smurfchops]

My British Gas fuel bill is going up from £129 to £306 per month But for the first six months I will apparently get a £66 refund. How does this compare with your increase?

[gingejbee]

No increase here...I have a two-year fixed deal with Octopus taken out Oct 21 just before gas prices went daft. Just over £100 pm (both fuels) in a decent-size house.
Luckiest thing I ever did!

[Redhelen72]

My electric is going up from £30 to £100 but that’s my first increase we await the second.
Apparently NI is not covered by the cap the way GB is!

[davebro]

What I don't understand (probably I'm not meant to!) my usage graphs with Shell comparing year-on-year costs exclude standing charge & VAT. Why would they do that - I have to pay those things & IMV standing charges have risen disproportionately!

[Maydup]

We’re all electric and I can’t look sorry!

[davebro]

Shell seems to have disappeared up its own backside so can't tell.

Damn savages...

[smurfchops]

I was on a fixed Direct Debit plan till next July but they have changed my Direct Debit…. Can they do that? If not, who can I complain to? Is there an Ombudsman?

[bednobs]

itdepends on if you mean your rates were fixed or your DD is fixed

[bednobs]

and if you are in credit

[davebro]

I suppose it depends upon the terms of the "fix". Maybe it allows for certain increases.

I think complaints go to Ofgem - the energy regulator.

[smurfchops]

This is what they said:

“As you are in a Fixed Direct Debit payment plan, we check how much you are paying twice a year. Your payments may need to be adjusted, if your energy use changes, move into a different tariff, or if the price of your tariff increases. We have now reviewed your current payment amount and need to make a change to make sure you keep on track”

[davebro]

so the tariff price isn't fixed and if you didn't increase your DD you would fall heavily into arrears

[smurfchops]

Thanks for understanding this for me. Almost everyone seems to be in the same boat. I don’t understand how these companies can get away with this, especially for people who just cannot afford the increase.

[Atheist]

As I understand it, the supply companies are having to pay much higher rates to get the enrgy which they then sell to you. So they put the price up. You can't really expect them to subsidise you by selling at less than what they are having to pay. My supplier (Octopus) communicates well and explains what is going on. They estimate how much energy we will use, and then adjust the direct debit amount to cover what they think we will owe them. If we end up paying more than we use, then they will owe us money, and if we pay less than we use then we will end up owing them money and they will increase our direct debit to allow for that. They say they are a non profit-making company. Here in France (where we live about three months a year) the French govt seems to be stepping in to help private individuals more that the UK govt, but obviously that can't go on forever or the taxpayers would complain.

[davebro]

//How does this compare with your increase?//

My current DD is £83 pm.
Estimates for my 2 bed flat are 8000 kwh gas and 1800 kwh electric. Giving an annual cost of £2400.
Checking the year to date I used about 30% less than that - so £1680.
Less the £400 from the gov = £1280 for the coming 12 months or just over £100 pm.
So my increase is £83 up to £107 pm. = £24 pm.
With a bit of economising I can probably keep below £100 pm.

[emmie]

i dread to think what my bill is going to be with EDF. they have already increased it twice in the last three months.