Your gas bill

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Ah right - well that's what I was on (dual fuel too) and this other company still came in cheaper, so worth checking anyway!

yes, we've just been sent a £15 cheque from them. I think it's because we get our gas and electric off them, but I'm can't remember.

We launched the Essentials tariff, Britain’s largest social energy tariff, for 750,000 of our most vulnerable customers at the start of last year. Essentials provides additional help to vulnerable customers, particularly those who use prepayment meters, by offering them access to our lowest standard direct debit tariff prices, irrespective of their method of payment.

To be eligible for the tariff, you need to be an existing British Gas customer in receipt of one of a number of benefits. Direct debit customers are now eligible to essentials providing that they are in receipt of the qualifying benefits. The Essentials tariff replaced the Winter Rebate scheme.

PAYGE customers who are registered for the Essentials Tariff before 4th January 2008 will receive a quarterly payment towards their energy, which will act as a discount against their meter’s tariff so that they will pay the equivalent of monthly direct debit customers. The amount of the payment Essential Tariff customers receive will be based on the industry average for annual consumption. The amount may vary each quarter. Customers will receive this information in the confirmation letter they will receive when they have signed up for the Essentials Tariff, and should keep hold of this letter for reference.
Where possible, gas PAYGE customers will receive their quarterly payments directly to their meter. This payment will be picked up during the month the payments are made when the customer buys credit for gas. If for some reason the customer doesn’t receive their payment on their meter, they will automatically be sent a manual payment in the form of a cheque or a postal order.

Electricity PAYGE customers with a key meter will receive their payment to their meter where possible. If for some reason the customers can’t receive their payment on their meter, they will be sent a manual payment in the form of a cheque or a postal order and this will happen automatically. Electricity prepayment customers who have a token or smart card meter will receive their payment as a cheque or postal order. Customers will be told this in the letter sent to them to confirm they have successfully been registered for the Essentials Tariff.

Important – from 1 March 2008, Essentials tariff customers will have the tariff rates applied to their meter and will therefore be charged at the lowest standard tariff. Customers will no longer receive a quarterly rebate. . If you wish to know more about this tariff rate, please call us on 0845 850 2207* and one of our advisors will be happy to help you.

I'm not sure about switching as I'm thinking as soon as I switch, everyone else will put their prices up and then I'll have to switch again.

 

[sheothebudworths]

Yeah...looks like you get a £14 cheque for registering for dual fuel...it seems from the website, it gives you the lowest standard tariff (regardless of how you pay)...but as far as I could work out, that was still significantly higher than several other options.

Do you have a record of how much gas/electric you use there over a month/quarter/year?

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

I'm not sure about switching as I'm thinking as soon as I switch, everyone else will put their prices up and then I'll have to switch again.

They go up and down all over the place. Keep an eye on the switch website.
Customer service is important to me so I like to stick with southern when I can.

It takes about a minute to switch and it's really no sweat. Quite oftern there are cashback deals and freebies and you can switch back when ever you like.

 

[sheothebudworths]

They go up and down all over the place. Keep an eye on the switch website.
Customer service is important to me so I like to stick with southern when I can.

It takes about a minute to switch and it's really no sweat. Quite oftern there are cashback deals and freebies and you can switch back when ever you like.

Yeah I went through quidco to get £12 cashback.

 

[ATOMIC SUPLEX]

Yeah I went through quidco to get £12 cashback.

Last time I got 12 bottles of wine, some free lightbulbs, a meter to show my current leccy useage and £15 cashback.

 

[sojourner]

Last time I got 12 bottles of wine, some free lightbulbs, a meter to show my current leccy useage and £15 cashback.

kinell, that's alright

 

[liberty]

Mine is about £190 qrt for 3 story house.. The place is so hard to heat (no carpets just original floor boards) that we end up living most the winter in the smallest room

 

[moose]

£30 a month for electricity, £40 for gas, and around £20 for coal or wood.

 

[softybabe]

I just got my quaterly. It was £300.

Then I noticed that this was an actual meter reading according to the bill. Nobody has been round so I checked the meter. It was no way near the amount on the bill. I got it amended and it only came to £60 (three bed house, family of three, gas central heating).

What are your leckky bills like?

Mine is the opposite...about £4 gas and about £5 leccy ...it said actual reading which is frankly quite ridiculous for a two bedroom house...i didnt complain but I'm not looking forward to my next bill

 

[bouncer_the_dog]

This thread is freaking me out... i cant imagine how big the gas and leccy bills are going to be ... gulp

 

[quimcunx]

I'm £100 in credit on my electricity and nearly £200 in credit on my gas. I'm going to wait for the next (expensive wintery) bill to come in and if I'm still in a goodly amount of credit get them to give it back.

I've been paying £35/month for gas £27/month for leccie, on a 2 bed flat.

 

[Herbsman.]

I'm on ecotricity, who match our local supplier, who is Atlantic. I paid about 38 quid for the last quarter. Gas (Atlantic) cost us about 90 quid for six months.

 

[WouldBe]

I am most concerned about is my water bill - it's £35.32 a month which I think is a bit much for just me

Get a water meter. I live on my own and water costs me £29 for 6 months.

 

[MysteryGuest]

don't talk to me about my gas bill!


done readings for the last 3 quarters, checked last friday, meter was showing something insane and wrong! so i checked again on monday - even more wrong! had to ring up n power, was told 3 times that i must be reading the meter wrong, then they asked me to do a reading every day this week. so i'm having to do a reading every day this week. so i am. and the meter is indeed saying that i'm using about a year's worth of gas every night. gawd knows how it's going to work out... watch this space!

 

[quimcunx]

*subscribes*

 

[panpete]

Get a water meter. I live on my own and water costs me £29 for 6 months.

What if you live in a block of flats? is it still possible?

 

[wtfftw]

I pay quarterly and the gas is only the heating. One summer we got a bill for £0.00 Last cold weather bill pre increases was £90 that's for minimal heating even though I'm always home. Last electricity bill was £120.
I have to call edf and get on the social tariff but I'm so brain foggy that my last attempt was farcical. We're not straight forward qualifying benefit so it's all maths of last year but with increases and percentage of our income = fuel poverty. or something. I hate being a grown up sometimes.

 

[Greebo]

Last quarter's gas bill was £27.

I see you didn't mention the £20-25 a fortnight for electricity as well.

 

[ViolentPanda]

I see you didn't mention the £20-25 a fortnight for electricity as well.

Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady!

 

[tarannau]

Wear a jumper VP and keep your domestics off here.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Yeah...looks like you get a £14 cheque for registering for dual fuel...it seems from the website, it gives you the lowest standard tariff (regardless of how you pay)...but as far as I could work out, that was still significantly higher than several other options.

Do you have a record of how much gas/electric you use there over a month/quarter/year?

Well I keep all the receipts, but it's hard to judge really as obviously it went up a few times earlier in the year when b/f had blocked arteries and was feeling the cold a lot more

Obviously I could just add them all together though and come up with an average

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Wear a jumper VP and keep your domestics off here.

No, carry on, so we can all watch

 

[5t3IIa]

What if you live in a block of flats? is it still possible?

Yes, this?

 

[marty21]

just paid the quarterly gas bill, £48, didn't really use the heating til November, the Feb one will be £100 plus i reckon

 

[sheothebudworths]

Well I keep all the receipts, but it's hard to judge really as obviously it went up a few times earlier in the year when b/f had blocked arteries and was feeling the cold a lot more

Obviously I could just add them all together though and come up with an average

Well ignore what I said anyway cos the Essentials tariff isn't included on the comparison thing, so dspite the fact that the leccy is defo cheaper elsewhere, from examining the gas costs on my bill, they're still a fair bit lower than the alternative offered, so I have now cancelled my switch!

Good to know also though (from your earlier post) that I'm paying the same whether I do DD or carry on as I was!

 

[WouldBe]

What if you live in a block of flats? is it still possible?

I should think so. They'll fit it where the mains water pipe comes into your flat.

If it should work out more expensive with a water meter you can have it removed within a year and go back to the old billing method.

 

[Minnie_the_Minx]

Well ignore what I said anyway cos the Essentials tariff isn't included on the comparison thing, so dspite the fact that the leccy is defo cheaper elsewhere, from examining the gas costs on my bill, they're still a fair bit lower than the alternative offered, so I have now cancelled my switch!

Good to know also though (from your earlier post) that I'm paying the same whether I do DD or carry on as I was!

So are you staying with BG now and have you rung them up to make sure you will definitely be put on/are already on the Essentials Tariff?

 

[baldrick]

the last quarterly bill was £45 but that was before we turned the heating back on. god knows what january's is gonna be

we did get the capped tariff till 2009 though, the day before they put prices up by 30% so it could be worse.

 

[ViolentPanda]

Wear a jumper VP and keep your domestics off here.

I don't "do" jumpers, and she's not my domestic, she's my wife!

 

[sheothebudworths]

So are you staying with BG now and have you rung them up to make sure you will definitely be put on/are already on the Essentials Tariff?

I am already on it - had a letter about it and it says 'Gas Essentials Tariff' at the top of my online bill (and the prices per kwh are far lower than there given standard rathes...although they seem to change month by month )!!!

So anyway...that was a wasted hour yesterday ...but at least now I know I should stay!

My electricity bill is just standard though, not 'Essentials', but perhaps that's just because I have gas heating (I imgine the Essentials tariff is supposed to help with heating in particular)...

It is annoying that you can't do a proper comparison against the Essentials tariff though (I mean it may still be well worth me changing my leccy supplier, for instance, even with the loss of the dual fuel discount).

I suppose I could always attempt to work it out myself....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz