£186 a month in 2009, thats a lot, who was your supplier, Dick Turpin?
E-On. I kept arguing on the phone that it couldn’t be right, for my gas anyway because I couldn’t be using that much.
However, it was one almost fatal day I went into the kitchen and could smell gas so I isolated it and called out a plumber, who found a busted pipe to my cooker, so it had been leaking gas for … ?
Problem was, E-On didn’t believe that I’d been leaking gas and still estimated me for previous “use” even after it had been fixed, so I switched supplier. 
Molly assume you are paying a lot less now? For £186 a month you should have been able to have had the heating on 24/7!!
We are with E-On and had a similar problem in that our bills shot up for no reason, we reported it, but were told if they sent someone to check the meter and no fault was found we would incur a call out charge in £98. Although we were 99% sure the increase was not usage, we could not afford to take the risk
I is a Mollie, not a Molly, Missus Marpaul! 
That was my argument with E-On. On one of my finer days arguing with them, I explained that I wasn’t actually living in a 10-bedroomed house but, as I mentioned, the cost of the gas would have been due to the gas leak I had, and which I could have blown meself up at any time. Luckily, I keep my kitchen window open all the time so me cats can come and go as they please, so the gas had an escape route.
However, once that leak had been attended to, they still charged me at the same rate because I was always estimated and rarely had an actual meter reading. Even then, when the man called when I was in, nothing seemed to change, so I gave up and switched to another supplier. 
Probaly because Brown nearly bankrupted the country and we can not afford it.
Errmmm - who was it that actually gave us the heating allowance and the free bus passes in the first place AB??? And who is that has now determined to cut back that heating allowance from us again - that super rich, greedy B***ard David Cameron.
Ha Ha Ha…Joe pull your claws back in. 
Too right Joe and they haven’t finished yet.
I noticed that the people on some benefits are to get £300. Does this mean they have taken a bit off some folks to give the ones who are harder up or was it the same last year?
Not wanting to wish my life away here but my birthday is just 15 days after 5th January to qualify this year. Something to look forward next year, will definately come in handy. Thanks for that link.
Rena darlin’ - the heating allowance is age related - those over 60 and up to (I think) 75 get £200.00, those over 75 get £300.00.
However, last year and in previous years the allowance was more generous - those thieving b***ards, the Tories have stolen some of this allowance back from us!!!
Ooohh!! the fiddling swines.
Thank you Uncle Joe
Sorry Mollie I know so many Mollys with a Y 
Its beyond belief that you could so nearly have been blown up with a gas leak 
Did you know that you can ring up your energy supplier and give them a reading yourself so that you are not constantly being estimated.
The higher rate is actually for the over 80’s and don’t for one minute think that under a Labour Government things would have been any different.
Now about your next book deal Mr Bliar:twisted:
Perhaps the “thieving b***ard” of the lot of them
That’s okay. Yes, I was lucky about the gas leak but since I changed over to Scottish Power I give them a reading online once a month.
Ooops! I’ve just realised. I’ve not sent a reading for October yet!
Am glad I reminded you then! I’m also with Scottish Power and am always forgetting and they keep having to chase me!!
As well as the lump sum ‘Winter fuel payment’ for which all people over 60 qualify , I understand a number of people in recept of certain benefits can also receive the ‘Cold weather payment’ too ,
… and this year there is a new payment again for some people on benefits called the ‘Energy bill discount’ payed by the fuel companies themselves on a first come first serve basis…
http://www.digitalhen.co.uk/news/uk-15225686
Don’t forget, peeps… after receiving this allowance we still have another one to come … wait for it… the princely sum of a whole £10 from the Government for our Christmas Bonus!;-)
Yeee-haaww! Can’t wait.