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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Tue 17 Jan 08:40
My combined bill for gas and electricity for December was £297. We have gas central heating but there`s only two of us in the house and we are quite sensible with it, turning it down when we`re out and overnight. Radiators in our spare bedrooms are also on a low setting so they only come on when it`s really cold. Our thermostat is never set above 20°C and we don`t sit around in shorts and T shirts.
It`s not that long ago that my dual fuel bill never topped £100 over the winter months. Guaranteed to smash the £300 ceiling this month. 🙁
I`m sure there will be others who will face even bigger bills.
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: da_no_1
Date: Tue 17 Jan 08:58
2 bed semi in Spam Valley with 18 month old boiler & LED lighting all over the house.
Looking at nearly £400/month
I get a £200 discount from Utility Warehouse this month & the £66 rebate from Richi but after that it`s bicycle clip time
"Some days will stay a 1000 years, some pass like the flash of a spark"
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Topic Originator: jake89
Date: Tue 17 Jan 10:27
I think we`re on a decent fixed deal still. We pay £220 (combined) for a 4 bed detached. That`s across the year and I think last month was around £300. Our boiler is approaching 20 years old so I doubt it`s especially efficient. We`ve definitely reduced our usage but I wouldn`t say significantly.
My understanding is that it doesn`t matter which company you`re with right now as they all charge much the same but there do seem to be differences in what people pay for similar sized properties.
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Topic Originator: The One Who Knocks
Date: Tue 17 Jan 11:30
GG, it sounds as if you are keeping your central heating on 24/7 though sometimes only at low level? I`m sure I read, and I might be misremembering, that unless you have a house that is insulated to an extent that few UK houses are it is a very inefficient way to run your heating.
And although my eyes were open
They just might as well be closed
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Topic Originator: LochgellyAlbert
Date: Tue 17 Jan 11:35
Still on a fixed rate till May, building up over £300 in credit until then!🤞
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Topic Originator: veteraneastender
Date: Tue 17 Jan 11:47
GG - did you not get the £250 x 2 benefit from the government applicable to auld farts ?
We have that ready to supplement the monthly direct debit.
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Topic Originator: P
Date: Tue 17 Jan 12:59
£595 per month before the £67 contribution - how much do I use? No idea since Shell have not given me a bill since September 18th despite giving them regular monthly readings and online chats demanding they sort it out.
I’m a couple of grand in credit but don’t know if that is after those readings or if that couple grand will evaporate and they will ask for a couple more or something in between.
Unable to provide billing information is fundamental to any service so quite an impressive failure to just let drift down the road.
Finally asked for deadlock letter for ofgem today but I’m sure that will never come. Shambles of an organisation
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Tue 17 Jan 13:04
Quote:
The One Who Knocks, Tue 17 Jan 11:30
GG, it sounds as if you are keeping your central heating on 24/7 though sometimes only at low level? I`m sure I read, and I might be misremembering, that unless you have a house that is insulated to an extent that few UK houses are it is a very inefficient way to run your heating.
My house has all standard insulations, TOWK. Cavity wall, loft and double glazed windows. We turn the thermostat down to 15°C shortly before bedtime and I turn it up in stages when I get up, but never above 20°C. It only comes on at night when it`s really cold outdoors.
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Tue 17 Jan 13:19
Quote:
veteraneastender, Tue 17 Jan 11:47
GG - did you not get the £250 x 2 benefit from the government applicable to auld farts ?
We have that ready to supplement the monthly direct debit.
Where on earth did you get the idea I was an auld fart, VEE? 🤔
My first post stated that my energy consumption for December was £297. Any subsidies you and your fellow auld farts get is surely irrelevant? It doesn`t alter your consumption. I spread my costs evenly around the year and had built up a nice bit of credit but it almost completely evaporated now. 🙁
The other point I was making was that we try to stay warm without being wasteful. Some relatives of mine liked to sit in T shirts in a toasting house - not anymore they don`t. Thick jumpers are the new T shirts. 😃
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: auldpar
Date: Tue 17 Jan 13:52
My house energy is run almost exactly the same as GGR and my set-up - insulation etc. is similar. This morning I logged into my account. Usage Oct to date (I pay quarterly) showed £586 but British Gas today quoted £705 (gas and electricity) and said it was `based on an estimate` even though I have a smart meter and readings are taken every 30 minutes. I`ll query it but I`ve no idea why there`s such a big difference. Otherwise, what`s the point of a smart meter?
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Topic Originator: parsmad68
Date: Tue 17 Jan 15:05
Quote:
auldpar, Tue 17 Jan 13:52
My house energy is run almost exactly the same as GGR and my set-up - insulation etc. is similar. This morning I logged into my account. Usage Oct to date (I pay quarterly) showed £586 but British Gas today quoted £705 (gas and electricity) and said it was `based on an estimate` even though I have a smart meter and readings are taken every 30 minutes. I`ll query it but I`ve no idea why there`s such a big difference. Otherwise, what`s the point of a smart meter?
To run up your electricity bill? 🤨
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Topic Originator: dpard
Date: Tue 17 Jan 15:27
Our gas bill has went from £12 a week up to roughly £45 yet we only have our heating on 4 hrs a day. Boiler is only 2 yr old too. Our electric hasn`t changed a great deal to be fair.
I saw one lady post the other day that hers was £723 a month (both gas and elec) that is unsustainable for anyone.
Scary times.
The flame still burns
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Tue 17 Jan 15:27
Quote:
auldpar, Tue 17 Jan 13:52
My house energy is run almost exactly the same as GGR and my set-up - insulation etc. is similar. This morning I logged into my account. Usage Oct to date (I pay quarterly) showed £586 but British Gas today quoted £705 (gas and electricity) and said it was `based on an estimate` even though I have a smart meter and readings are taken every 30 minutes. I`ll query it but I`ve no idea why there`s such a big difference. Otherwise, what`s the point of a smart meter?
I was with British Gas and switched to Bulb some 5 or 6 years ago. My evenly spread monthly dual fuel bill immediately dropped from £120 to £90. After about a year, I`d built up so much credit, I dropped my payments to £50 a month for over a year. Recently, I was up to £150 per month, but that`s obviously not enough.
The moral of my story is that it pays/paid to shop around.
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: LochgellyAlbert
Date: Tue 17 Jan 15:33
Quote:
P, Tue 17 Jan 12:59
£595 per month before the £67 contribution - how much do I use? No idea since Shell have not given me a bill since September 18th despite giving them regular monthly readings and online chats demanding they sort it out.
I’m a couple of grand in credit but don’t know if that is after those readings or if that couple grand will evaporate and they will ask for a couple more or something in between.
Unable to provide billing information is fundamental to any service so quite an impressive failure to just let drift down the road.
Finally asked for deadlock letter for ofgem today but I’m sure that will never come. Shambles of an organisation
Did Shell not take over First Utility?
Another disaster of a company, OFGEM an absolute waste of time!
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Topic Originator: Buspasspar
Date: Tue 17 Jan 17:20
I have been with Utility Warehouse for 15 plus years .. I got my new combined gas/leccy monthly bill for this year and it is £180 .. they really are the cheapest I used to work for them .. They have just paid £107 back into my account as I had overpaid in 2022 .. 3 bed .. 27 year old bungalow/boiler .. wife a cauld tattie so heating not spared ..
We are forever shaped by the Children we once were
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Topic Originator: allparone
Date: Tue 17 Jan 18:08
Utility Warehouse is good if you’re someone who can’t be bothered to search for the best deals on things like energy, mobiles, broadband etc. but I found them to be be rather more expensive than what I could find for myself at the time. This was admitted to me by the person I knew who worked for them. Unless you’re on a fixed rate for energy that you signed up to a while back then you’ll be paying roughly the same per unit as anyone else on a standard tariff regardless of which energy company you are with. There are no good new fixed rates at the moment and most if not all energy firms are charging as much as they can up to the price cap.
If anyone knows of an energy company who are charging less than the price cap on a new deal then let us know.
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Topic Originator: Buspasspar
Date: Tue 17 Jan 18:18
Rather more expensive ?.. you will have to break that down for me allparone and I am not being negative towards you .. the more info we gan glean from this the better for us all .. Gas by the cubit foot or therm and Leccy by the watts those are the important points that most folk ignore to go for a cheaper deal which will not be as cheap in the bigger picture
ETA don`t forget it all comes from the same source .. Its the better run company`s with less overheads who can supply cheaper
Post Edited (Tue 17 Jan 18:22)
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Topic Originator: allparone
Date: Tue 17 Jan 18:33
BPP, it was a couple of years back now but they weren’t cheaper than my energy provider at the time. I also had to take other utilities from them (broadband and mobile I think) which were also more expensive than i was paying at the time. As I said it was someone I knew who gave me a quote and admitted that they couldn’t compete with what i already had. IIRC they said that UW offered middle of the road deals so weren’t the cheapest for everything.
A quick google search shows that UW were offering the best 1 year fixed rate of all energy providers towards the end of last year but it was still 100% more than the standard rate (price cap) at that time. It may be cheaper now as the price cap has risen but it would have meant people were paying a lot more at the start and less now. How that balances out I’m not sure but if they have a deal now that is less than the price cap then I’m all ears.
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Topic Originator: veteraneastender
Date: Tue 17 Jan 19:08
"Any subsidies you and your fellow auld farts get is surely irrelevant? It doesn`t alter your consumption."
The only thing that has altered our consumption is being indoors most of the day.
The government handout of £500 is not irrelevant.
Like you, we were with Bulb and paid my fixed Direct Debit so that we paid the same monthly.
Octopus is about to embrace us in its tentacles.
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Tue 17 Jan 19:21
Quote:
veteraneastender, Tue 17 Jan 19:08
"Any subsidies you and your fellow auld farts get is surely irrelevant? It doesn`t alter your consumption."
The only thing that has altered our consumption is being indoors most of the day.
The government handout of £500 is not irrelevant.
Like you, we were with Bulb and paid my fixed Direct Debit so that we paid the same monthly.
Octopus is about to embrace us in its tentacles.
Aye, you need to get out more, VEE. Plenty of nice walks close to where you live and the recent cold weather is ideal, if you wrap up warm.
£500 is better than a poke in the eye with a bent stick, but it`s still not going to affect your consumption - just how much of it you will have to foot. I`m hoping Octopus will have a similar philosophy to Bulb. Happy to give them a chance for now but won`t hesitate to switch again if I can get a cheaper deal elsewhere.
When I told a pal I was with Scottish Gas back then, he told me they should all be wearing masks. 😃
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: LochgellyAlbert
Date: Tue 17 Jan 23:02
Been with Octopus for 5 years now, Smartmeter supplies up to date readings, never had a problem with them.
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Topic Originator: da_no_1
Date: Wed 18 Jan 06:38
As a new customer UW deducted £200 from my bill this month.
"Some days will stay a 1000 years, some pass like the flash of a spark"
Post Edited (Wed 18 Jan 06:38)
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Topic Originator: ipswichpar
Date: Wed 18 Jan 07:03
As well as charging a lot they are also being very sneaky with holding on to cash. I`m currently with EON and they are not giving me back my 600 quid credit balance even though my deal ends in March. They have told me that they will return it, and it is on its way but it still hasn`t turned up. They spent more time trying to persuade me to keep the money with them.
Definitely won`t be going with them again.
Unfortunately we don`t benefit from Dual Fuel agreement as we on oil rather than gas. Thankfully the prices have come down a bit...they went through the roof at the start of the conflict.
Interestingly the 5 day prices seem cheaper than standard pricing which normally indicates oversupply (back at the start of covid they dropped massively). I guess in this instance it might be lack of demand.
It has certainly sharpened the mind about improving our large drafty house. But the supply costs to get it fixed have also shot up too. In the grand scheme of things it isn`t an issue...we can still keep warm and fed which is a fortunate position. I might feel differently after March!
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Topic Originator: da_no_1
Date: Wed 18 Jan 09:32
Ipswich - that`s my biggest gripe with them all. I was with OVO & had built up all this credit (in their bank account!!) by overpaying the summer before last (when I couldn`t give 2 fks about energy costs to be fair)
This last year, even though it meant the unit rates were slightly higher (as apparently it costs more to administer a pay as you go account), I cancelled my DD & paid for what I used every month. I took a stab at £200/month & in the summer months when it was less I paid the bill then banked the balance in a separate account. When it was more I dipped into the wee slush fund I had built up in my account. At least my money was always in my account. Then when I changed to UW in November there was no need to hang around waiting on OVO settling my account.
Just my take on things FWIW
"Some days will stay a 1000 years, some pass like the flash of a spark"
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Topic Originator: moviescot
Date: Wed 18 Jan 12:26
Some scary money for gas/electric on here.
Don`t feel so bad about our £180 per month now with British gas. British gas keep trying to get us to lower our DD to £130. We know from our smart meter that is not enough.
In previous years we have gone into the winter with a good surplus. This year we may struggle although £180 is certainly covering the winter costs so far.
It hasn`t been that cold so far and we have only probably reduced our gas heating temp from 20 to 18 or so. Not on overnight.
We are using the oven less since we got our air fryer and this does save money. Microwave is good too but we don`t use it enough as we don`t do ready meals. You can use it for other stuff but it`s often more of a faff.
So far coping fine in this energy crisis...
Post Edited (Wed 18 Jan 12:27)
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Wed 18 Jan 16:58
Quote:
moviescot, Wed 18 Jan 12:26
Some scary money for gas/electric on here.
Don`t feel so bad about our £180 per month now with British gas.
Aye there are some wild swings on this thread. Some folk paying less than £200 a month, others paying nearly £600. 😨
I know there will be all kinds of reasons for such huge differences, but I can`t help thinking that those with the smallest bills are sitting with 5 or 6 layers of clothing and the thermostat is set at around 10°C while those with the biggest bills are pretending they`re in the Caribbean, drinking cocktails and sitting around in their beach wear, with the temperature in the mid-30s. 😃
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: moviescot
Date: Wed 18 Jan 17:33
Quote:
GG Riva, Wed 18 Jan 16:58
Quote:
moviescot, Wed 18 Jan 12:26
Some scary money for gas/electric on here.
Don`t feel so bad about our £180 per month now with British gas.
Aye there are some wild swings on this thread. Some folk paying less than £200 a month, others paying nearly £600. 😨
I know there will be all kinds of reasons for such huge differences, but I can`t help thinking that those with the smallest bills are sitting with 5 or 6 layers of clothing and the thermostat is set at around 10°C while those with the biggest bills are pretending they`re in the Caribbean, drinking cocktails and sitting around in their beach wear, with the temperature in the mid-30s. 😃
Currently sitting here with my t-shirt on feeling cosy at 20 degrees. Higher than normal as the wife is at home today.
Only a 2 bed terraced house so probably helps being mid-terrace too. Insulation is pretty decent as is the sound proofing as we never hear our neighbours unless we go outside and then the music is pants.
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Topic Originator: ipswichpar
Date: Wed 18 Jan 19:28
Unfortunately there`s a risk that those who can afford it least are on the highest charges which is mental
Hopefully the government can get this sorted so those who need it most get it.
I`m on a fixed term deal (for electric) so I don`t understand why people in that position need any help at all.
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Wed 18 Jan 20:27
Quote:
ipswichpar, Wed 18 Jan 19:28
Unfortunately there`s a risk that those who can afford it least are on the highest charges which is mental
Hopefully the government can get this sorted so those who need it most get it.
This government? Good luck with that, Ipswich. 🤞
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: moviescot
Date: Thu 19 Jan 10:07
Hopefully things will improve soon. The futures gas price has now dropped back to pre Ukraine war prices. As the gas companies buy ahead prices will take a while to drop but they should soon.
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Topic Originator: ipswichpar
Date: Thu 19 Jan 14:06
Like petrol prices they seem to go up a lot quicker than they come down!
The rises seem to be immediate, the falls take a few weeks or months.
They`re at it.
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Topic Originator: Buspasspar
Date: Thu 19 Jan 16:30
Topic Originator: ipswichpar like
Date: Wed 18 Jan 19:28
Unfortunately there`s a risk that those who can afford it least are on the highest charges which is mental
Hopefully the government can get this sorted so those who need it most get it.
I`m on a fixed term deal (for electric) so I don`t understand why people in that position need any help at all.
Correct Ipswichpar This is scandalous :-
Only 72 out of more than 500,000 applications by energy firms to force entry into homes have been refused since July 2021 amid mounting concerns over the installation of expensive prepayment meters, i can reveal.
Data obtained by i under Freedom of Information laws shows that barely any applications by debt agents on behalf of energy firms are refused, leaving families helpless to stop themselves facing higher bills or the threat of being cut off.
The revelation comes as the Government is under growing pressure to act to help the UK’s poorest families, with Business, Energy and Industrial Secretary, Grant Shapps, ordering officials to draw up plans to end the practice.
We are forever shaped by the Children we once were
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Topic Originator: desparado
Date: Sun 29 Jan 20:07
My in house display stopped working in early December. I was glad actually because it was scary seeing how much it was costing.
Anyway fast forward a few weeks and Scottish Gas asked for meter readings which I gave, two days later the bill comes through.
Just over 1k for two months……300+ for Electricity and 700+ for gas…
Energy rich Scotland paying the highest prices in Europe. Another union dividend.
What an opportunity we missed in 2014.
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Topic Originator: Buspasspar
Date: Tue 31 Jan 19:14
oaft desparado .. Is it worth checking out ?
We are forever shaped by the Children we once were
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Topic Originator: Andrew283
Date: Wed 1 Feb 18:58
Use an electric card meter for my flat, 2 bedroom with flatmate working from home. Bills between £100 and £140 a month over winter which isn`t close to as bad as I was expecting, though we didn`t use the central heating at all.
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Topic Originator: P
Date: Thu 2 Feb 08:14
“Shell profits increased by 53% to £68.1 billion in 2022 due to soaring oil prices, the energy giant has announced”
Good to see my money is going to a good cause. Finally got a bill so £600 a month is about right with leccy alone being more than a tenner a day going by the wee box.
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Topic Originator: jake89
Date: Thu 2 Feb 12:16
And yet the UK will sell more licences to the likes of Shell who will make billions of pounds in profits.
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Topic Originator: Milos Drizzle
Date: Thu 2 Feb 17:00
And yet we still only see powder-puff windfall taxes on the energy producers..
This is my signature
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Topic Originator: Buspasspar
Date: Thu 2 Feb 19:29
Bastar*s proper Scum anyone with British Gas should now change supplier :-
EDF has suspended forced installation of prepayment meters after debt agents working for British Gas were found to have broken in to homes to fit them.
EDF, Britain`s second largest supplier, said it was reviewing its practices to see if it could make improvements.
The Times found debt agents working for British Gas expressed excitement at putting meters in the homes of vulnerable people in arrears on bills.
Minister Graham Stuart said British Gas should "hold their heads in shame".
Mr Stuart, who is the minister for energy and climate, said the supplier had said how it was supporting customers, but added "it turns out they were doing anything but".
Chris O`Shea, the boss of Centrica which owns British Gas, told the BBC he was horrified and added there was "nothing that can be said to excuse" the practices.
He confirmed the forced installations happened through a third party company working on behalf of British Gas to pursue debts.
Prepayment meters require customers to pay for their energy use in advance, either through accounts or by adding credit to a card. They are more expensive than paying by by direct debit but is sometimes the only option for people who have struggled to pay and are in debt to a supplier.
We are forever shaped by the Children we once were
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Topic Originator: Andrew283
Date: Thu 2 Feb 23:49
British Gas have always been an absolutely disgusting company, so their staff acting this way (guaranteed to be encouraged by management) isn`t at all surprising
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Topic Originator: jake89
Date: Fri 3 Feb 08:36
Some years ago BG repeatedly demanded money from me after I sold my flat. The bill was from AFTER I`d vacated. This ran on for many months with them becoming more and more threatening. This included one VERY aggressive "customer service" gent who was incredibly rude and kept telling me he wouldn`t discuss the issue until I paid. Guess what? Said gent had to phone me back after they found the letter from my solicitor, which they wouldn`t admit to having misplaced(!), detailing the date of sale and photographic evidence of meter readings. He was suddenly very apologetic and transferred me through to high priority.
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Topic Originator: AlfonzoBonzo
Date: Sun 5 Feb 00:13
Mental! I was £500 Dec and £700 Jan
Show us yer.... 
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Tue 7 Feb 11:35
My January bill is "only" £275, which was less than I was expecting, until I remembered that I was out of the country for the first 7 days and left the heating on a very low setting.(12°C) Factor in that we`re often out during the day and turn the heating down and off at night and it`s actually not that cheap at all. 🙁
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: LochgellyAlbert
Date: Tue 7 Feb 16:33
4th Jan to 4th Feb....£171...tarriff fixed till May, so not been impacted by price rises yet!
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Topic Originator: GG Riva
Date: Tue 7 Feb 16:55
Quote:
LochgellyAlbert, Tue 7 Feb 16:33
4th Jan to 4th Feb....£171...tarriff fixed till May, so not been impacted by price rises yet!
Will they not claw back any underpayment come June, LA? Presumably you`ll be on a much higher fixed tariff for some considerable time?
You don`t have to thank me for cheering you up, btw. 😉
Not your average Sunday League player.
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Topic Originator: LochgellyAlbert
Date: Tue 7 Feb 19:02
Don`t know, fixed deal been running for 2 years, £300+ credit lying in the account, so that`ll pay the first month!🤔😲🤣😮💨
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Topic Originator: da_no_1
Date: Wed 15 Feb 11:19
I`m with UW & my head has just exploded with that revelation LA
I had no idea that the companies that supply people with a reasonably priced service reward their sales staff with incentives......
Holy Toledo!
"Some days will stay a 1000 years, some pass like the flash of a spark"
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Topic Originator: LochgellyAlbert
Date: Wed 15 Feb 11:51
Quote:
da_no_1, Wed 15 Feb 11:19
I`m with UW & my head has just exploded with that revelation LA
I had no idea that the companies that supply people with a reasonably priced service reward their sales staff with incentives......
Holy Toledo!
Some incentive...even SKY aren`t that generous!
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Topic Originator: da_no_1
Date: Wed 15 Feb 12:02
True! Ignore my sarcastic response....they`re all robbing h00rs
"Some days will stay a 1000 years, some pass like the flash of a spark"
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Topic Originator: jake89
Date: Wed 1 Mar 19:21
The national grid is a bit of a joke tbh. Prices should be the same across the country and they should be investing in energy storage solutions.
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Topic Originator: saltonsgonagetu
Date: Thu 2 Mar 16:43
Quote:
jake89, Wed 1 Mar 19:21
The national grid is a bit of a joke tbh. Prices should be the same across the country and they should be investing in energy storage solutions.
Privately owned so profits go to CEOs and shareholders,not reinvested.
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