Fuel bills going through the roof?

[Ralph]

I'm with NPower on both gas and electric and the direct debits have just reached £66 per month on gas and £36 electric. I phoned NPower yesterday because I couldn't figure out how as a single guy living in a two bedroom flat whose not at home during the day I could be paying £100 per month.

For 3 months during the summer my gas bill was £60 and after a reading I just took I have a credit on gas of £60 and they still wanted to raise my DDI from £52 to £66 so I decided I better take a look at those dull incomprehensible bills I usually just file away.

Anyway spoke to customer services who were very helpful - I got the impression they were expecting my call or lots of calls. For a start they haven't applied the dual fuel discount so anyone the same as me should check out they're getting their discounts. I reckon I'm due around £100 for discounts not applied going back to 2005.

Anyone one else wondering if they're getting a bit fleeced by the utility companies?

[Si Hunt]

We had a similar experience. I don't like the idea of the monthly payment because, for some reason, that regularly they won't just let you read the meter every month (or read it themselves) and pay for what you use, you get this 'estimated payment' business where they take more of your money during summer and hang on to it until winter. But I got so sick of the "shock" of the three monthly bills that I decided to go monthly - there is apparently an extra saving attached to.

The guy on the phone worked out my estimated monthly payment, and put it in the computer. After I put the phone down I did some sums on the amounts his "computer" had come up with and realised it was about 20% more per month than what I'd just paid for three months divided by three... and that in itself was my highest bill for years (because I'd been working at home and using up more power). I rang back and he agreed... a mistake on the system. But he couldn't change it because apparently it needed "supervisor permission". I persisted, and made him go away and find someone who could change it.

So if I hadn't said anything, we'd have been paying about 30% more for our power every month and building up a huge overspend which would be sitting safely in Powergen's bank account earning them interest.

Si.

[SiHart]

I was on the monthly payment scheme for a while a few years ago and ended up so much in credit with the company that I decided it was best to go on the quaterly direct debit billing scheme. They'd taken all this money they didn't have to and made plently on the interest. So that's why i'd never do that again.

As a point of comparison, our gas bill for the last quater, over the summer (so no heating, just for cooking and water heating) was £2.62. You're being seriously overcharged Ralph and I suggest you do what we've done and switch to a quaterly bill where you take the meter reading yourself and email it to the company. We're with EDF if that helps and we've had no trouble with them at all so far.

I wouldn't trust N-Power after they came to the door and got us to change suppliers to them, without actually telling us we'd changed. Actually after British Gas turning out to be money grabbing bastards too, now I'm very suspicious of all of them!

Si xx

[WhiteCrow]

Yes they were very quick to raise electricity and gas prices "in line with oil" as they're allowed to.

Oil prices have fallen through the fall "but actually that doesn't count", so prices remain high.

The Government has been utterly impotent in this matter. I can't wait for them to start taking old people who've died of hypothermia out in a hearse, whilst the postman delivers a letter from British Gas saying "you just need an extra jumper on".

[Captain Tancredi]

I'm still in credit with Scottish Power after my meter was changed last year- they messed up taking a final reading from the old one and the first one from the new one, so I was paying way over the odds (about £40 a month). Once I reached £80 in credit they lowered my payment to £30, have put through two increases and still don't want to increase it!

[Larry]

not sure how much we pay a month but we do quallify for the winter heating benefits for pensioners but at just a couple of hundred pounds for the whole winter it makes no difference at all to to our gas/electricity bills each month and we're still paying just as much as before.

[Stephen Morgan]

We're £60 in credit with our gas, but £200 in arrears with our electricity. I can't understand this as both are with the same company, SWALEC.
Earlier this year we were in credit with the electric but they lowered our payment and the result is arrears for which we now have to raise our payment.
And regarding the price of oil, all companies are quick enough to raise prices when it goes up, but not so quick lowering their prices when it comes down to a more reasonable level. Thank goodness the supermarkets have seen sense and lowered the price of petrol in the last week or so.

[Larry]

well hopefully our heating bills will be a lot cheaper this winter, as we have now got rid of our gas fire in the sitting room and switched over to a coal/log fire. This has the big advantage of giving off much more heat then the gas fire ever did meaning also that we don't have to put both the radiators in the room on aswell.

Thank goodness the supermarkets have seen sense and lowered the price of petrol in the last week or so.

not just them most of the BP/ESSO/Shell stations in my are have lowered the price of petrol to 99.9p ..

[Stephen Morgan]

...most of the BP/ESSO/Shell stations in my are have lowered the price of petrol to 99.9p ..

Several petrol stations and supermarkets in our area are down to 94.9p atm.

[Dirk Gently]

Huh! Petrol around here is still over a £1.00.

[Rob McCow]

We had a guy round from EDF energy today (it's OK we invited him) to look at our insulation. Apparently we have cavity wall insulation already - but 20% of our heating is lost through the roof.

Yes, our heating bills are going through the roof.

So we're getting our loft properly insulated. Not just with old Q magazines and empty boxes.

[Dirk Gently]

We are with EDF Energy for both Gas & Electricity. Roof insulation is a must & will make a huge difference. You'll see.

[Si Hunt]

This is an interesting story. We got contacted by Powergen recently, who informed us that our electricity meter was old and due for replacement. This would apparently cost us nothing, but we'd have to arrange an appointment as it required someone to be in.

So I arranged an appointment, and made sure I was in. A man turned up last week, and got to work. About four minutes later (and not requiring anything from me) he knocked and said he was finished! Wern't you supposed to change the meter, I asked?
"Oh. Yes. Well, they ask us to change the meters if at all possible," he explained. "But you're a bit off the road, so I'd have to carry an awful lot of tools round here. So I've just given you a new battery, and you should be good for another ten years."

Hmmm. So if it was that easy, why don't they just give everyone a new battery? I'm deeply suspicious. And it's a good job I hadn't taken the morning off work or something to be in really, isn't it?

Si.

[Paul Monk]

We recently changed from EDF to British Gas and our bills are already cheaper. Although EDF didn't make things easy for us to do it. We needed to phone them up they said. I don't think so we said. Well its bound to be a salesman trying to talk you into something new isn't it?
Anyway they still took this months direct debit even though we were £150 in credit and then took a while to send the money back.
Anyway things are a lot cheaper now and the reason way is that we'd been with EDF for ages. And thats the thing we discovered. If you stay with one company for ages they gradually put you onto the highest standard tariff they have. So any change will save you money.
So anyone out there thats been with the same energy company for years and years, change now!

[Alex]

This is one of the few occasions that I like living in my rented bedsit, all I have to pay is the electricity, I've a meter in my room and it only costs about £8 a month during the summer, and £12 during the winter. Plus I normally have one or two chest infections a year, so that's about a week or two in hospital or at my Mums where I don't have to pay anything.

Oh. Hang on.

[SiHart]

It's going to get A LOT worse over the next few years apparently, according to a report published this morning:

Domestic energy bills in the UK could rise by 60% by 2016-17, the energy regulator has warned.

However, this would be the "spike" in bills, with prices estimated to rise between 14% and 25% above inflation by 2020, the Ofgem report explains.

The review also said that £200bn of investment is needed to secure supplies and to meet carbon targets.

Volatile gas markets and power stations nearing the end of their use are the chief concerns, the regulator said.

The report is the result of Project Discovery, a scheme that Ofgem started in March in which it outlines four possible scenarios for future energy use and security in the next 10 to 15 years.

It pointed out the need for investment arises at a time of volatile world energy prices and Britain's increasing dependence on gas imports.

This exposure means that supply disruptions across the world could affect prices. The scenario in which prices could spike by 60% was that of a strong resurgence in global economies along with missed renewable and carbon targets.

Significant changes are needed in the way energy is generated and consumed, the report added.

"These are big challenges. Consumers are already enduring high energy prices," said Ofgem chief executive Alistair Buchanan.

"This is why we are consulting with consumer and environmental groups, the academic community and industry to ensure any policy proposals we make are grounded on the best evidence available. Early action can avoid hasty and expensive measures later."

The report said that recent events such as the Russia-Ukraine gas crisis had raised concerns about the security and price of gas supplies at a time when many European countries were becoming increasingly dependent on imports.

It said that the retirement of older nuclear plants and closure of coal and oil plants in the UK by the end of 2015 could "pose a threat to security of supply".

Double the recent level of investment was needed, the report suggested.

Mr Buchanan said that the good news in the report was that emissions would fall by more than 40%, describing the climate change targets as "very, very tight".

The report came as the UK was facing the effects of the financial crisis, an acceptance that it was "no longer an energy island", and that it would see a revolution in the approach of power generation, he added.

He said there could never be a guarantee that the lights would stay on, but by looking ahead, the industry could be prepared for the changes needed and consumers would not pay for these changes being made too late.

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

Double the recent level of investment was needed, the report suggested.

And the Tories and Labour are talking about cuts, cuts, cuts.

Oh wait, all the energy companies are private aren't they?

That about wraps it up for fossil fuels. Better build some windfarms and tidal generators while we still can.

[Paul Monk]

Looks like we've got our open fire going just in time then.

[Rob McCow]

How long do you think you'll be able to afford coal? I think you'd better buy three hundred weight and get a storage shed.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

Hey if it's any consolation, electricity in New Zealand isn't a heap cheaper than the UK. And we have 90% of our energy produced from hydroelectric and geothermal energy plants - you know renewable energy and all, so theoretically isolated from global shifts in gas and oil prices, but it doesn't work out to be dirt cheap.

[Jon Masters]

How long do you think you'll be able to afford coal? I think you'd better buy three hundred weight and get a storage shed.

The saddest fact is that the UK still has huge coal reserves, but thanks to Mad Maggie T we don't have anyone left who knows how to mine it.

[WhiteCrowNZ]

The saddest fact is that the UK still has huge coal reserves, but thanks to Mad Maggie T we don't have anyone left who knows how to mine it.

I love you for saying that!

[Si Hunt]

I read a different news story about this earlier and was going to post it, but didn't because it mentioned this bit a little more prominently:

The report is the result of Project Discovery, a scheme that Ofgem started in March in which it outlines four possible scenarios for future energy use and security in the next 10 to 15 years.

Is it possible this report has outlined all the different ways this situation could progress, and the press have leaped on the "worst case" one and headlined "Energy Prices could rise by x%"?

Si.

[Captain Tancredi]

Hey if it's any consolation, electricity in New Zealand isn't a heap cheaper than the UK. And we have 90% of our energy produced from hydroelectric and geothermal energy plants - you know renewable energy and all, so theoretically isolated from global shifts in gas and oil prices, but it doesn't work out to be dirt cheap.

A couple of years back, NZ was advertising in the Yorkshire Post for experienced miners- a lot of people in the country burn wood in their homes so they're only just starting to exploit the coal reserves under South Island. I rather suspect that trumpeting the worst case scenario in the news and on the front pages will be the only way to get anybody to actually do anything about it.

[Andrew Curnow]

Is 'energy bills will go up' really a news story? Our energy bills, water rates, etc, etc already go up every year don't they?