My supplier sends me my bill monthly and lets me know how much I have left in my account. This one has been for the gas only, so I emailed asking where the one for the electric was (still waiting).
I got out my calculator and worked out, if my usage continues like this during cold spells, my monthly bills in total are likely to triple, rather than double. I pay in £75/month. Even if it doubles to £150 it is not likely to cover everything.
How can we go on like this???
Hi
This is just the first rise this year, there is another one due in October, forecast to half as much ago.
The oil and gas exploration companies have said there is enough oil and gas in our bit of the North Sea to keep us going for the next 50 years.
The Government are not issuing licences however.
The thing is Swim, my gas unit price has not gone up by the predicted 54%. It has doubled. From 3.65/unit, to 6.99. By a rough calculation I make that that it should be 0.0562/unit.
Wow Jazzi that seems a lot this is mine:
I’m in Devon and with Ovo
Currently my electricity standing is 24.44 and 20.57 a unit, as from 1st it will be 51.62 standing and 28.40 a unit.
Currently my gas standing is 24.87 and 3.99 a unit, as from 1st it will be 27.22 standing and 7.48 a unit.
Thats awful, Jazzi…It seems we are all at the mercy of energy companies and its a worry on top of everything else we are worrying about! I was reading that some people are thinking about voluntarily cutting themselves off from their supply come the summer months. Can’t see how that is feasible at all, but we shouldn’t even have to be thinking along those lines.
Crikey Wendeey! That seems a lot as well.
Pixie, we can cut down our gas and heating in the summer, but cutting supply completely?? That is extreme and dangerous, I would think. We all need some form of gas and electric.
@Jazzi , Try doing what l am doing Jazzi,
I haven’t switched on my combi boiler or used the electric heater in the
lounge for the last three weeks just to see if we can do it ??
The answer so far, despite the low temperatures we have experienced during
this period,( minus one degree on one occasion!) Is YES !!
I Intend to keep this up for the year to see how this will translate to my
bills? Unfortunately l haven’t received an actual bill yet, only an estimate so
If the estimate turns out to be correct l will know there is something up ??
I am confident we can continue without using the boiler or the electric
heater as l was brought up during and after WW2 with just one tap and
one electric socket in the house, plus a gas cooker and boiler in the kitchen ?
Electric goods weren’t available due to the lack of supply to most houses !!
When l find out if this reduces my bills l will post a progress report!
My advice meantime is to wear long johns’ and a vest and a woolly hat to
keep the heat in, l haven’t resorted to wearing socks yet !
Donkeyman! 
But see, @Donkeyman why should we have to deprive ourselves and change our behaviour for the worst, purely because the energy companies want to keep up their profits? Its a national disgrace.
I do agree, Jazzi, but people are looking for extreme solutions to offest extreme bills. People have worked all their lives to live in worse poverty than they grew up in? No, this is so very wrong.
@PixieKnuckles , Exactly Pixie, that’s why we must try to stop using the product
as much as possible to hit them in the pocket ?
The next thing we can do is make a lot of noise about it ??
Donkeyman! 
Can’t we just make a lot of noise about it AND be warm too, though? Eat hot cooked food in a warm kitchen, with all the lights on, and decide to take a bath every day just because. You think these energy bosses are suffering? Nope. You think THEY are having to make decisions about whether to cut back on food or heat? Nope.
Even if everyone suddenly stopped using gas & electric, it would take forever for it to trickle up to the pockets of the bosses to where they decided to do something about it. But I’m happy to make some noise…where do I shout? 
Everybody concentrates on the cost of Units, the Standing Charges have doubled so, if you turn the Gas and Lecy off for a month, you will still pay the Standing Charge which has doubled.
See post circa 213 (perhaps a few before) on this related thread for the reasons for it.
https://forum.over50schat.com/t/manage-your-gas-electricity-price-increases/89406/217
My direct debits have more than doubled too.
All this 54% increase is tosh, its a lot more than that for many of us.
@spitfire ,Yep,that’s correct, but l haven’t found a way to tackle that yet as it
will need some legislation to delink the price of gas from the standing
charge? Why should it be linked !!
Probably sumfink to do with using percentages l fink?
Donkeyman! 
@Donkeyman They reckon the cost of maintaining the network has risen to that proportion, don’t know how to validate that claim.
Electric as of 1st April
|Standard unit rate|27.865p per kWh|
|Standing charge|48.127p per day*|
Gas as of 1st April
|Standard unit rate|7.367p per kWh|
|Standing charge|27.220p per day*|
British Gas is my supplier due to my own choice Bristol Energy going bust just before this all kicked off so wait and see I am not on direct debit and on their “welcome tarif”
I do feel for people even my neighbour was saying will not be cooking every day…and going to bed earlier to stay warm this is not right.
I am yet to get a bill and feel slightly left adrift as I had planned to stay with what I considered a supplier who was not only good but I though would survive the closures. What do they say about best laid plans…
@PixieKnuckles , Where to shout?
Try your neighbours first, get them riled up first?
Then get everyone to shout at their MP together ?
Then maybe organise a hunger march to Westminster !!
The things l am suggesting are not sick jokes but genuine suggestions Pixie ?
Donkeyman!
Donkeyman, you may have switched off your combi boiler, but what have you done about washing?? Or do you simply mean your heating? I could turn my boiler down on the radiators, but this house is bloody cold.
There are two massive air bricks in the kitchen wall behind the washing machine, so lots of cold air coming in. And I am wondering if I need to get someone in to look at my loft insulation. Trouble is the access to the loft is very awkward and not easy.
And yes, as I said, they have massively increased the standing charges so they get us either way.
I’m sitting here on the computer in the dark, afraid now to keep turning lights on. And I have decided not to watch so much telly.
Was thinking, while out, where I can pare down on my monthly outgoings. There is one DD I could potentially cancel*, saving a tenner a month, and one where I can get it cut down**.
*my Mail on Line paper can be cut out, as I can read it online, on the free PressReader app (through library subscription). **Sky, I can cut out several parts, saving about £30. Looked into that recently when they upped my bill by £3/m.
I agree, Kazz.
Especially when you see things in the news like the a Russian oligarch paying £24,000 to fly a live crab and some black caviar from Moscow to London on a private jet - just for a party! 
