Your Home Fuel Prices - How much do you pay?

[Rawns]

I live in a two bed flat with the wife and a cat. It's a new build (well, coming up on 6 years old) and we're reviewing our outgoings and I'm thinking that our gas and electric prices are a bit OTT for a small place like ours.

 

We're with E.On and have an online 'duel fuel' account which we pay by direct debit. We pay £84 a month for both gas and electric with the idea that we 'overpay' in summer to take us into credit for the winter months. If you pay by direct debit, I'd be interested to know how big your place is and how much you pay a month.

Edited January 6, 2014 by Rawns

[zag]

I've just switched to ecotricity which is a green energy supplier, they charge 13p a unit which is less than all the other big 6 companies I believe after the recent price hikes.

 

Costs about £55 a month for my 2 bedroom newbuild appartment which is all electric including heating and hot water.

[Achandler]

2 bed Victorian end of terrace (so huge gabal end).

 

Have 3 rooms downstairs and then 3 upstairs and we pay £83 a month, so similar cost to you. So I reckon you might be paying to much or using to much energy, depending on how you look at it.

[Rawns]

2 bed Victorian end of terrace (so huge gabal end).

 

Have 3 rooms downstairs and then 3 upstairs and we pay £83 a month, so similar cost to you. So I reckon you might be paying to much or using to much energy, depending on how you look at it.

 

Looking at our bill, it seems like the electricity is the 'main offender' when it comes to cost. Maybe it's time to review what appliances we have on all the time...

[Oaktech]

I'm in a 40's three bed detached with Utility warehouse.

 

We have new A+ double glazing, more than the recommended amount of loft insulation and cavity wall.

 

We have all LED lighting (except for 1 bedroom and the living room as they are on dimmers).

 

We only have the heating on for a few hours from 6pm to 10pm from November to March.

 

Our utility bills are about £4-10 a month for gas from march-november and a pretty consistent £30-40 for electricity.

 

In the winter, so from November to March our gas is about £60-80 and our Electricity £40-50.

[Achandler]

Our breakdown is £50 gas and £33 on electricity I believe.

 

We only use gas for central heating and hot water, have electric cooker and hob etc.

[bossman]

Our Electricity has just gone up from £80pm to £92pm and we have now have 2 less people in the house so by rights we should be using less electricity, 3 bedroom cottage built circa 1858.

[sparkeh]

70's 3 bed mid town house with EDF as our supplier on a dual fuel deal and its me my wife and small child (ours!) living there.

We pay £84 a month as well and with the wife at home most of the time in the day with said child the heating is on a lot and children generate a lot of washing so washing machine is always on. Looking at the energy cert we had done when we intended to sell, ours was quite good in terms of efficiency.

 

Hard to say, but its does kinda sound like you are paying a bit much.

Edited January 6, 2014 by sparkeh

[Michael]

1930's Semi, dual fuel paying by DD. Electric is £30.00 and Gas £65.00 per month.

 

I can highly recommend uSwitch

 

I should add I had a new central heating system installed May 2013. You should also pay attention to the temperature(s) set, but also the timings also. You're at work 9-5, so either switch it off or set it low.

 

Same for electrical appliances. Switch them off whenever you can and when replacing white goods such as your fridge, make sure it's A rated or better. Your fridge is one of the few devices on 24/7.

[Rawns]

Cheers all, really does look like we are paying over the odds. Will do some research on uSwitch tonight and review all of our appliances and see what's on and what's not.

[pcstru]

... Gulp. Gas, £170 pcm, Electric ~£50, Wood and Coal - unknown. Old, drafty, parts uninsulated (and that's just the occupants), single glazed windows straight from 1810, two women that don't know that doors close, thermostats have more than two positions and unoccupied rooms don't need to be heated. Separate gas heated man cave.

 

Sometimes I think I might as well own a boat.

 

[ETA - owning a boat has been compared to standing in a shower ripping up ten pound notes and watching the confetti wash down the drain]

Edited January 6, 2014 by pcstru

[ButterflyMoon]

Am not far behind you @pcstru I am £92 a month for gas and £42 for electric. My flat is an old Tyneside flat with an extension at the back for toilet and bathroom. The main part of the building cannot be cavity walled as 'it is single brick'. I live alone and for most of this year had not much heating on at all and they upped my payments from 74 to 92 'to cover any bills'

[localzuk]

During winter, £65 a month for electric. Summer, £35 a month.

 

No gas here. I have a 1 bedroom house (at least 120 years old), (it consists of 2 rooms, and a small cupboard which is the WC). I have storage heaters and an emergen heater. I covered the emergen heater with sleeping bags and the like to insulate it better, and it reduced my monthly bill by a fiver.

Edited January 6, 2014 by localzuk

[laserblazer]

4-bed detached house. Double glazing and cavity wall insulation. We just signed up to a fixed rate until 2017 at £115 a month for gas and electricity.

[difinity]

3 bed mid town house about 30 years old. Gas £44 Electricity £22 water £11. New combi boiler fitted 2 years ago and i have cavity wall insulation. I have also swopped all of my lights to LED spots.

 

The only things on constantly are my American fridge freezer and my Tivo.

[sparkeh]

I have storage heaters and an emergen heater.

Really not being picky here but do you mean immersion heater? Just wondering if you mean that or there is another type of heater?

[CHR1S]

Currently £90 Gas & £70 Electric, that halves as it warms up in the year.

 

Large extended 3 bed with new A+ rated boiler.

[DSapseid]

2 bed bungalow, £110 a month for both with Scottish power. My sister loves to leave all the lights on in the house and use the tumble drier (until i removed the fuse from the plug so it 'broke'). She should be moving out in the next 2 months then im on my own and can hopefully reduce this.

 

I was with edf and they put my DD up to £165 but i switched and saved £50 a month! Plus i used topcashback and earnt £40

[zag]

In terms of saving energy I've got one of these to monitor energy:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Owl-Cm119-Wireless-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B001JJCLS0

 

I replaced my TV recently with an LED one which uses much less power than the 5 year old LCD flatscreen.

 

I also run a haswell NUC which is about 20% of the power of my old HTPC. It actually uses less power than my youview box.

 

I have a couple of qnap storage NAS's at home which only power on when needed.

 

All lights are energy saving ones and recently upgraded the fridge as well to an a+ one.

 

Saves a few quid.

[Rawns]

In terms of saving energy I've got one of these to monitor energy:

 

[ATTACH=CONFIG]22195[/ATTACH]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Owl-Cm119-Wireless-Electricity-Monitor/dp/B001JJCLS0

 

I replaced my TV recently with an LED one which uses much less power than the 5 year old LCD flatscreen.

 

I also run a haswell NUC which is about 20% of the power of my old HTPC. It actually uses less power than my youview box.

 

I have a couple of qnap storage NAS's at home which only power on when needed.

 

All lights are energy saving ones and recently upgraded the fridge as well to an a+ one.

 

Saves a few quid.

 

We did have an electricity monitor that E.On provided for us a good while back. It never worked as the adaptor had to connect to the main power lead in the communal hallway cupboard and the range was not great. It also seemed the other 5 people in our block had them too so not sure if they could be suffering from interference?

 

Maybe it's time to look at a new one...

[localzuk]

Really not being picky here but do you mean immersion heater? Just wondering if you mean that or there is another type of heater?

 

Yeah, I just never use the right term now.

[featured_spectre]

I am in a late 80's 2 bed house. I am with Ebico, and every month I pay £50. This is for both gas and electric. I am on a prepayment meter, which is the same unit cost as my neighbours opposite who are not on a prepayment meter. Since switching, I've never had to pay more than £50 a month for both gas and electric, as the summer top up (when the heating is off May-October) lasts nicely when the cold months come around (October - April).

 

Looking at receipts for January 2013-December 2013, we paid dead on £600 for both gas AND electric combined throughout the year.

[Sunnyknight]

Detached 4 bedroom.

 

£400 for gas and electric per 3 months. Scottish power. Around £250 -300 per 3 months for water.

[localzuk]

I am in a late 80's 2 bed house. I am with Ebico, and every month I pay £50. This is for both gas and electric. I am on a prepayment meter, which is the same unit cost as my neighbours opposite who are not on a prepayment meter. Since switching, I've never had to pay more than £50 a month for both gas and electric, as the summer top up (when the heating is off May-October) lasts nicely when the cold months come around (October - April).

 

Looking at receipts for January 2013-December 2013, we paid dead on £600 for both gas AND electric combined throughout the year.

 

You'll have to be careful of using 'built up' credit over the year, if the company changes their pricing. If the price goes up, you can end up with an extra bill to pay if your meter is not using the right pricing.

[featured_spectre]

We get notified in advance of any changes, so we either spend the accrued money, or get a cheque back when the tarriff changes. Usually we opt for the latter, put the cheque amount on the prepayment card/key (to the nearest £1) and then start the process over.