Utilities

[bricol]

I'm £150 in credit, but it's government money. They pay me more than I use every month.

Chatting with some biker mates last week, one guy is paying £300 a month for electric, lives on his own, in a bungalow, like me..... The mind boggles. He can't explain why, maybe he supports global warming, has heaters in his back yard?

Next door neighbours are entirely electric - electric storage heaters. So on cold days when they "empty" the storage heater of useful energy, they then need additional electric heating . . .

And wear more jumpers . . .

and now I notice its gas - maybe he's go an other half like my ex - heating on, windows open, just because she could . . . and wasn't paying my bills . .

 

[Morrisman]

Many years ago British Gas decided to put our £60 a month DD up to £130. No reason, no excuse, just a letter telling us so. I phoned them up, asked what they were playing at, and got all sorts of apologies and they blamed it on a computer error......

At the time we were averaging £30 electric and £30 gas a month, so maybe they were pulling a fast one and just hoping a certain percentage of their customer base simply did nothing.

 

[My Old Landy]

I am sorry to hear so many horror stories from BG. We chose them as they were very helpful when we needed a new boiler at our old house (5 independents either declined to quote or quoted more than BG).
It also helped that they were the last supplier and had smart meters fitted. We use the app to check the usage is correct to the uploaded amount. They even reduced our DD as we were paying too much although I felt it was now too low.
With there app, you can adjust it anyway. We pay £90 per month combined and it seems reasonable to me considering the price rises etc. In the last year and a half they have supplied energy and charged accordingly. Perhaps I am in the minority but it just works for us.

 

[Morrisman]

I am sorry to hear so many horror stories from BG. We chose them as they were very helpful when we needed a new boiler at our old house (5 independents either declined to quote or quoted more than BG).
It also helped that they were the last supplier and had smart meters fitted. We use the app to check the usage is correct to the uploaded amount. They even reduced our DD as we were paying too much although I felt it was now too low.
With there app, you can adjust it anyway. We pay £90 per month combined and it seems reasonable to me considering the price rises etc. In the last year and a half they have supplied energy and charged accordingly. Perhaps I am in the minority but it just works for us.

I have BG Homecare insurance at the moment, had it for 20 years. Can't complain about it, though I nearly cancelled it last summer thinking there was no point having it, I mean, what can really go wrong in a small bungalow?

The heating boiler could burst, on the coldest day in memory, a week before xmas.... that's what could happen.

Took a half hour on the phone, and they found a guy who could come out the following morning, which was a Sunday.
He ordered the parts, and on the Tuesday my heating was back up and running.

 

[rosinante]

For " Bricol " That's what started this thread , checking, now awaiting confirmation of actual rates , but of course you already know all this

 

[rosinante]

Well the water board have come through quarterly bill now 50 quid ish , plus £30 from them for helping get Colliford reservoir 30% full, plus another £13 for I'm not sure what plus £12.50 from the Duchy of Cornwall , plus a big refund of my overpayment ,

 

[Morrisman]

Well the water board have come through quarterly bill now 50 quid ish , plus £30 from them for helping get Colliford reservoir 30% full, plus another £13 for I'm not sure what plus £12.50 from the Duchy of Cornwall , plus a big refund of my overpayment ,

My last house we had no meter, water bill was fixed at £50 or so a month. New house has a meter, I was worried it could get silly..... but I pay around £18 a month now.

 

[Robotstar5]

My last house we had no meter, water bill was fixed at £50 or so a month. New house has a meter, I was worried it could get silly..... but I pay around £18 a month now.

Thanks for the post, it's reminded me sort out getting a meter fitted, now booked

 

[Robotstar5]

Not particularly pertinent to Morrisman, but do check where your surface water goes. Often(?) the water companies ‘assume’ your surface water is dealt with by them - and charge for it.

If your surface water is drained by soak-away, your water rates could be lower. Also, if surface water can be redirected (used for flushing the loo?) your apparent usage can be drastically reduced, in some cases. Our suppler charges sewerage disposal at 90% of the water meter reading usage.

There is an odd one in the Midlands, some places have water supplied by South Staffs Water while waste and surface water is dealt with by Severn Trent Water.

 

[rosinante]

Yes discounted as on soakaway