My mum is with Scottish Power and her fixed term finishes on Tuesday. The best new fixed rates offered to her are showing as £450+ a month.
Can that be right with the price cap? She is currently paying £150pcm. She is not running a cannabis farm either!
Fixed rates do not have the price cap applied to them. In the good old days they were often much lower, but now all fixes are far higher than the price cap.
If you would like to go into the price cap, you do nothing, let your fixed contract expire, you then automatically get put onto their "standard" tariff, which is the price cap.
My mum is with Scottish Power and her fixed term finishes on Tuesday. The best new fixed rates offered to her are showing as £450+ a month.
Can that be right with the price cap? She is currently paying £150pcm. She is not running a cannabis farm either!
Fixed rates do not have the price cap applied to them. In the good old days they were often much lower, but now all fixes are far higher than the price cap.
If you would like to go into the price cap, you do nothing, let your fixed contract expire, you then automatically get put onto their "standard" tariff, which is the price cap.
Thanks, so best to go on the standard tariff?
That's a tough one.
If you want to guarantee that you will pay the lowest amount you can for NOW, then yes.
However, a good fix, whilst currently above where the price cap is today, might be lower than where the price cap is in October, and after a presumably further rise in April.
Martin Lewis is a good one to follow on this, and everything else related to personal finance for that matter, and although at first he said do nothing, I think he has said that some fixes might be worth it.
It's all a symptom of a pretty broken market to be honest...
I'm currently on the Standard Tariff. I'm going with the rationale of safety in numbers!
My mum is with Scottish Power and her fixed term finishes on Tuesday. The best new fixed rates offered to her are showing as £450+ a month.
Can that be right with the price cap? She is currently paying £150pcm. She is not running a cannabis farm either!
Fixed rates do not have the price cap applied to them. In the good old days they were often much lower, but now all fixes are far higher than the price cap.
If you would like to go into the price cap, you do nothing, let your fixed contract expire, you then automatically get put onto their "standard" tariff, which is the price cap.
I suppose the problem is the associated admin processes to restrict it as well as means testing is a) costly and b) there isn't time to put it in place.
Still it would have been a surprise if the Tories did anything else.
It does seem unfair, but how to restrict it per household simply other than per meter?
If you have a second home, in theory you are only in one at any one time so only using minimal power at the other. Unless of course some of the family are at one and the others at the other.
Until lockdown, Shrek and I lived at my flat in Greenwich during the week and his house most weekends. We didn't use more power than if we lived in just the one place, but not nearly twice as much (standing charge, heating on low in the coldest months, lights on for security as well as fridge/freezer etc) living at one place, as we do now (as I have rented out my flat). Quite rightly, now we will only qualify for 1 payment. I think if we had received 2, we would donate the second payment - although not sure who to as would want it to go to the most needy e.g. really can't heat and eat
Salvation Army, THE best charitable organisation i m o
Really?
Just think how much they could do for good if they didn't waste so much money on pointless uniforms and musical instruments. Not to mention the shiny headquarters building slap bang in the middle of London.
And that's before you start on all the religious mumbo jumbo. I don't need "salvation" thanks very much, so they can fuck right off.
I suppose the problem is the associated admin processes to restrict it as well as means testing is a) costly and b) there isn't time to put it in place.
Still it would have been a surprise if the Tories did anything else.
It does seem unfair, but how to restrict it per household simply other than per meter?
If you have a second home, in theory you are only in one at any one time so only using minimal power at the other. Unless of course some of the family are at one and the others at the other.
Until lockdown, Shrek and I lived at my flat in Greenwich during the week and his house most weekends. We didn't use more power than if we lived in just the one place, but not nearly twice as much (standing charge, heating on low in the coldest months, lights on for security as well as fridge/freezer etc) living at one place, as we do now (as I have rented out my flat). Quite rightly, now we will only qualify for 1 payment. I think if we had received 2, we would donate the second payment - although not sure who to as would want it to go to the most needy e.g. really can't heat and eat
Salvation Army, THE best charitable organisation i m o
Really?
Just think how much they could do for good if they didn't waste so much money on pointless uniforms and musical instruments. Not to mention the shiny headquarters building slap bang in the middle of London.
And that's before you start on all the religious mumbo jumbo. I don't need "salvation" thanks very much, so they can fuck right off.
I suppose the problem is the associated admin processes to restrict it as well as means testing is a) costly and b) there isn't time to put it in place.
Still it would have been a surprise if the Tories did anything else.
It does seem unfair, but how to restrict it per household simply other than per meter?
If you have a second home, in theory you are only in one at any one time so only using minimal power at the other. Unless of course some of the family are at one and the others at the other.
Until lockdown, Shrek and I lived at my flat in Greenwich during the week and his house most weekends. We didn't use more power than if we lived in just the one place, but not nearly twice as much (standing charge, heating on low in the coldest months, lights on for security as well as fridge/freezer etc) living at one place, as we do now (as I have rented out my flat). Quite rightly, now we will only qualify for 1 payment. I think if we had received 2, we would donate the second payment - although not sure who to as would want it to go to the most needy e.g. really can't heat and eat
Salvation Army, THE best charitable organisation i m o
Really?
Just think how much they could do for good if they didn't waste so much money on pointless uniforms and musical instruments. Not to mention the shiny headquarters building slap bang in the middle of London.
And that's before you start on all the religious mumbo jumbo. I don't need "salvation" thanks very much, so they can fuck right off.
dickhead !!
You most certainly are.
Or are we all supposed to agree with whatever you say?
Sally Army have their hearts in the right place but I do agree there is no point in this day and age for them to have all the way over the top trappings. They don’t need the uniforms and religious stuff. Saving souls is so 18th century. It turns people off. They’re stuck in the Victorian age. They do good work all the same.
Sally Army have their hearts in the right place but I do agree there is no point in this day and age for them to have all the way over the top trappings. They don’t need the uniforms and religious stuff. Saving souls is so 18th century. It turns people off. They’re stuck in the Victorian age. They do good work all the same.
Steady there SHG, or you'll be called a "dickhead" by the colonel-in-chief!
Sally Army have their hearts in the right place but I do agree there is no point in this day and age for them to have all the way over the top trappings. They don’t need the uniforms and religious stuff. Saving souls is so 18th century. It turns people off. They’re stuck in the Victorian age. They do good work all the same.
Steady there SHG, or you'll be called a "dickhead" by the colonel-in-chief!
Sally Army have their hearts in the right place but I do agree there is no point in this day and age for them to have all the way over the top trappings. They don’t need the uniforms and religious stuff. Saving souls is so 18th century. It turns people off. They’re stuck in the Victorian age. They do good work all the same.
Do they still rattle their collection boxes outside pubs at chucking out time like they used to in the old days.
What’s going completely under the radar it seems to me is the fact that standing charges are going up across the country by an average of around 81%. Why ? The inability to supply gas and electricity cheaply is understandable but what’s changed in standing charges which pay for the cables and pipes etc that warrants such a massive increase and at a time when the uncontrollable aspects of energy are causing people to not heat their homes. What the fuck are Offgem or whatever the regulator is called these days doing ? Eff all is the answer.
The various regulators exist to pay a nice fat salary to the CEO and a few others. And give the public the impression the government actually cares. Surely everybody knows that? Name a regulator that is fit for purpose. Ummm...
I think something died in the National character after 1.3 million people marched in the hope of averting Tony Bliar from bombing the hell out of Iraq in pursuit of the fictitious WMD. I sometimes wonder if the enormous number of people HAD pulled BLiar back from the brink, that we would all have been buoyed by democracy actually doing what it says on the tin and peaceful public protest actually DOES SOMETHING.
If it DID, I have no doubt that atvl ~ 1.3 million people would be on the street tomorrow protesting the punitive and disgraceful hikes to the prices of utilities as of 1st April. Let noone think otherwise ~ this is going to bury A LOT of people already stretched by the cost of living...
This is worse than the Thatcher poll tax. At least there was a vestige of belief that the PT was paying for, or investing in future, local council services. As SHG points out ~ the standing charges (which have nothing to do with the price of energy going up) has nearly doubled overnightm
O to have the Yellow Vests here...
I expect a month or so of moaning into ones pint with a bunch of other moaners (The British way!) and then,after yet another dodged battle and cowardice, resignation to one's plight and an adding to the family debt mountain...
Thanks. This looks much better than donating to a food bank, which I know do brilliant stuff for some people but doesn't fit with my criteria (of the most needy)
I just want to know that what I donate goes to the most needy and not those that can get help that honestly don't need it as much
Yeah... Have worked for two major charities. Those most in need ALWAYS get ignored for those that will give a better press story.
Bit ambiguous a statement Dazzler. I would agree those MOST in need always miss out and those who can "perform to the gallery" always get the pie..But without being clear WHO such persons or groups are ~ one has no way of really being able to agree or disagree to your point..
Edf asked me for a meter reading on Tuesday, I got the bill by email today .. the new rules now say that any cash residue after the bill is settled is to be refunded .. I am to get a nice repayment in my a/c in early July .. goodish news for a change and AT LAST a good piece of work by the Govt
For various reasons we don't have a smart meter so I have to submit readings myself. When I don't, they (Bulb) use estimated readings. On my latest bill and statement they overestimated my electricity use by a massive 893 KwH over just 2 months since my last meter readings at the end of March. Applying their current price of 28.221p/KwH that equated to being overcharged by £252.01 in just 2 months!! The gas has also been overestimated but only by about a month's worth. Un-fucking-believable!
I complained about this of course and they have credited the overcharged amount back to my account (Bulb account, not bank account; so they've still got the money) and reduced the monthly payments a bit. I'm now going to be submitting meter readings every month and calculating how much I'm actually spending rather than the amount they want me to pay.
For various reasons we don't have a smart meter so I have to submit readings myself. When I don't, they (Bulb) use estimated readings. On my latest bill and statement they overestimated my electricity use by a massive 893 KwH over just 2 months since my last meter readings at the end of March. Applying their current price of 28.221p/KwH that equated to being overcharged by £252.01 in just 2 months!! The gas has also been overestimated but only by about a month's worth. Un-fucking-believable!
I complained about this of course and they have credited the overcharged amount back to my account (Bulb account, not bank account; so they've still got the money) and reduced the monthly payments a bit. I'm now going to be submitting meter readings every month and calculating how much I'm actually spending rather than the amount they want me to pay.
Bulb is another one of those energy suppliers which i m o verge on the edge of fraudulent trading .. they are being propped up by the Govt through increased energy bills for all other users .. other companies just prior to going bust have handed out bonuses and dividends to their owners/share holders, knowing the company is failing .. this is evidently OK according to company law, to my mind the recipients of this cash and those who paid it should all spend a few months in the slammer and have their bank a/cs frozen .. https://youtu.be/wNt74QfkmEw
The failures of energy providers and the mess it’s left behind is a classic example of why some basic necessities for living should not be left to the frailties of the market.
For various reasons we don't have a smart meter so I have to submit readings myself. When I don't, they (Bulb) use estimated readings. On my latest bill and statement they overestimated my electricity use by a massive 893 KwH over just 2 months since my last meter readings at the end of March. Applying their current price of 28.221p/KwH that equated to being overcharged by £252.01 in just 2 months!! The gas has also been overestimated but only by about a month's worth. Un-fucking-believable!
I complained about this of course and they have credited the overcharged amount back to my account (Bulb account, not bank account; so they've still got the money) and reduced the monthly payments a bit. I'm now going to be submitting meter readings every month and calculating how much I'm actually spending rather than the amount they want me to pay.
I would say this is a basic, staple requirement if you do not want to be overcharged. I do not have a smart meter however I email my meter readings to Octopus at the end of each month without fail.
For various reasons we don't have a smart meter so I have to submit readings myself. When I don't, they (Bulb) use estimated readings. On my latest bill and statement they overestimated my electricity use by a massive 893 KwH over just 2 months since my last meter readings at the end of March. Applying their current price of 28.221p/KwH that equated to being overcharged by £252.01 in just 2 months!! The gas has also been overestimated but only by about a month's worth. Un-fucking-believable!
I complained about this of course and they have credited the overcharged amount back to my account (Bulb account, not bank account; so they've still got the money) and reduced the monthly payments a bit. I'm now going to be submitting meter readings every month and calculating how much I'm actually spending rather than the amount they want me to pay.
I would say this is a basic, staple requirement if you do not want to be overcharged. I do not have a smart meter however I email my meter readings to Octopus at the end of each month without fail.
Just got my Octopus bill for the past two months and I’m going to have to do the same, they’ve massively overestimated my gas & electricity usage.
For various reasons we don't have a smart meter so I have to submit readings myself. When I don't, they (Bulb) use estimated readings. On my latest bill and statement they overestimated my electricity use by a massive 893 KwH over just 2 months since my last meter readings at the end of March. Applying their current price of 28.221p/KwH that equated to being overcharged by £252.01 in just 2 months!! The gas has also been overestimated but only by about a month's worth. Un-fucking-believable!
I complained about this of course and they have credited the overcharged amount back to my account (Bulb account, not bank account; so they've still got the money) and reduced the monthly payments a bit. I'm now going to be submitting meter readings every month and calculating how much I'm actually spending rather than the amount they want me to pay.
I would say this is a basic, staple requirement if you do not want to be overcharged. I do not have a smart meter however I email my meter readings to Octopus at the end of each month without fail.
Just got my Octopus bill for the past two months and I’m going to have to do the same, they’ve massively overestimated my gas & electricity usage.
Don't understand this as they send me an email on the 28th of each month reminding me to take, and send them my meter readings, if you get these emails and choose to ignore them then overestimated bills are to be expected.
This has been the norm for the last 3 years, nothing to do with the energy price rises.
They do make me laugh. Was paying British gas £100 a month spring/summer 2021. Come October they owed me £500 and put me down to £60 a month with winter coming, by April this year I owed £300. Now £160 a month.
Our gas bill is currently over £400 a month due to a faulty valve which meant our water tank was being heated 24/7. Must have been going on for at least 6 bloody months. Now I manually switch on the boiler once a day for about an hour and our consumption is down by around 65%. At least we should be one of the few households to see our gas bill go down this winter.
Comments
If you want to guarantee that you will pay the lowest amount you can for NOW, then yes.
However, a good fix, whilst currently above where the price cap is today, might be lower than where the price cap is in October, and after a presumably further rise in April.
Martin Lewis is a good one to follow on this, and everything else related to personal finance for that matter, and although at first he said do nothing, I think he has said that some fixes might be worth it.
It's all a symptom of a pretty broken market to be honest...
I'm currently on the Standard Tariff. I'm going with the rationale of safety in numbers!
Just think how much they could do for good if they didn't waste so much money on pointless uniforms and musical instruments. Not to mention the shiny headquarters building slap bang in the middle of London.
And that's before you start on all the religious mumbo jumbo. I don't need "salvation" thanks very much, so they can fuck right off.
Or are we all supposed to agree with whatever you say?
If it DID, I have no doubt that atvl ~ 1.3 million people would be on the street tomorrow protesting the punitive and disgraceful hikes to the prices of utilities as of 1st April. Let noone think otherwise ~ this is going to bury A LOT of people already stretched by the cost of living...
This is worse than the Thatcher poll tax. At least there was a vestige of belief that the PT was paying for, or investing in future, local council services. As SHG points out ~ the standing charges (which have nothing to do with the price of energy going up) has nearly doubled overnightm
O to have the Yellow Vests here...
I expect a month or so of moaning into ones pint with a bunch of other moaners (The British way!) and then,after yet another dodged battle and cowardice, resignation to one's plight and an adding to the family debt mountain...
Heaven help us..
I complained about this of course and they have credited the overcharged amount back to my account (Bulb account, not bank account; so they've still got the money) and reduced the monthly payments a bit. I'm now going to be submitting meter readings every month and calculating how much I'm actually spending rather than the amount they want me to pay.
This has been the norm for the last 3 years, nothing to do with the energy price rises.
Gone up from £96 monthly to £271 a month, absolutely furious.
Will be having some words with EDF!
Was paying British gas £100 a month spring/summer 2021.
Come October they owed me £500 and put me down to £60 a month with winter coming, by April this year I owed £300.
Now £160 a month.