Gas usage!!!

[buzzlightyea]

We purchase our gas from southern electric and we use a card meter, at the moment we putting on �20 a week, we use gas for heating and water, is this a normal/average price to be paying? it seems to have crept up in price rather quickly lately.
any replies comments greatly appreciated

[Cakeboy]

Prepayment meters are a lot more expensive per unit than a standard meter anyway and utilities prices have shot up in the last couple of months anyway. All the providers have put prices up by around 15% in that time.

Winter is obviously going to be a bit more anyway - it's hard to say if you're paying a normal price without knowing if you have the heating on all the time, a well-insulated property, a bath or a shower and how any times it gets used in a day, how many people in the house etc etc.

For a comparison, I'm in a 2 bed semi detached and we use gas for heating, cooking and water. The heating is not on all the time, but we don't have a shower so baths are the order of the day. Our combined electric and gas bill was �270 for the last quarter so we're paying a fair bit less than you are.

Hope that helps a bit - if it does seem too expensive you should see about getting a normal meter fitted if it's an option. Cheaper and you can still pay in the same way - weekly, so no large bills

[CheekyChops]

I aso have a card meter and use about �15 per week at the moment for heating and water. I live on myh own and my heating is on about 7 hours per day but not very high (everyone always complains that they are cold in my house!) so �20 is probably about right.

[Disco Fever]

My heating is set at 19C and it's on about 7 hours a day and we also pay by direct debit at �27 a month and we are also in credit, I think you need to get your meter changed to a quarterly one and then pay by DD, sounds like a cheaper option....

[queen 1954]

i am with same company and have a pre payment meter for electric and a quarterly bill for gas.they have assured me that they are one of the few companys that dont charge extra for pre pay meters.i suppose it depends how often you have heating and hot water on for.my hot water is timed for 1 hour in morning and 1 hour at night, i use heating when i need it and also cook with gas.my last bill was approx �80 for gas which i think is good.if you are concerned get them to check meter settings it does sound rather alot.meters do go wrong my electric one did last year in my last property and they ended up owing me �60 so get it checked out is my advice