Spec me gas & electric tariffs for an 80 year old pensioner

RetiredGreyFox

RetiredGreyFox

RetiredGreyFox

Man of Honour
Joined
29 Mar 2003
Posts
58,017
Location
Blurton
My Mum has paid around £1800 over the last year and she lives on her own :eek:
I'm presuming there must be kids on here who have done it for their parents so please give me some tips for finding a decent tariff for her.

Thanks
 
Whilst there are probably cheaper tariffs, it would be helpful to find out why the bill is so expensive.

Is it the gas or electric that is super expensive?

Is there an immersion heater left on, etc.
 
Consumption depends on property size and the types of appliances used just as much as the number of occupants. Also the energy efficiency of different homes can play a big role too.

Who is her current supplier and what tariff is she on?
 
Right, got a bit more time this time.


As others have said, find out why she's paying so much first of all, that's a ridiculous amount and an 80 year old lady might be missing some switches or something, it's easily done.

Secondly, OVO are fantastic, I've used them for a few years now and their site is very easy and intuitive, so submitting meter readings and viewing your usage is very easy. You can even compare your usage to the same period the year before, similar demographics in your area, etc. It's really good and I still haven't managed to find a cheaper supplier.

Here are some screenshots to give you an idea.

http://i.imgur.com/e9SYheL.png
http://i.imgur.com/lyROZpK.png
http://i.imgur.com/TiZhGaf.png
 
The difficulty with asking people for this is that different parts of the country have different costs, if that is purely what you are looking for help with.

Companies listed above which people say have been the cheapest for them have consistently had price 20-30% higher than what I currently pay, with British Gas, who for me were the cheapest this year, e-on last year (but for some e-on are VERY expensive).

So the best way is to look at the usage, look at what this could be reduced to, then start to look at comparisons of tariffs for that usage in her area.

The energy saving helpline is usually a good start, as they are independent.

Also I think MSE are about to start another collective swtich, so might be a good idea to pre-register for that. There is no commitment so can't hurt.
 
She is using quite of gas and particularly electric considering she is own her own (I assume from your post). For comparison there are 2 people in our house and we use half as much electric and about 20% less gas.

You may have more joy working out why she seems to be using that much more - does she have a lot of halogen spotlights she is leaving on? Leaving lights on after leaving rooms? Is her hot water tank properly insulated?
 
SexyGreyFox said:
Two quick pictures -

http://www.disturbinthepeace.co.uk/pics3/eon2.jpg
http://www.disturbinthepeace.co.uk/pics3/eon1.jpg

Putting the yearly figures in OVO only saves £97.
She does heat up 3 bedrooms that she doesn't need to so I'll have to talk her into turning the radiators off, that could cut her gas bill by a huge amount.
She never has the gas fire on because she is on 24/7 oxygen.
Click to expand...

3 bedroom house and she's at home 24/7?

spend around £50 on LED lighting for every single light in her home (screwfix) that can drop the amount of leccy used on lighting by up to 95%.

secondly spend £249 and get a NEST smart thermostat installed. this will save her gas usage by up to 20% as it's a "smart" system. it has eco settings etc tell her to make sure the green leaf is on the screen. for example if it's 26 degrees outside it will know not to switch the heating on, etc. whereas currently it may automatically go on due to timer, etc.

thirdly remove any stupidly high wattage electrical appliances from her home that she can use cheaper gas substitutes. for example an electric heater, electric kitchen equipment; i binned a 1500w food warmer and an electric steamer, etc. also if she has heating on get rid of electric shower and get a power shower.

fourthly she should be able to get a more efficient boiler for free and insulation, etc using government grants for old/disabled/single mothers, etc. look on money saving expert dot com.
 
She doesn't leave lights on and she's the type that doesn't leave anything in standby.
She recently had a brand new boiler so no water tank.
LED lights are a good call.
I don't know how much her oxygen tank thing uses but that is on 24/7.
 
darael said:
I was referring to your address. :p
Click to expand...

Meh. Come visit. Beer's cold, there's food and a lovely spare room with dedicated bathroom with own bath, power shower (a proper one, not one of those rubbish electric things) and a nice skylight. Double bed, wifi, 40" telly, the lot.

I don't mind, people can know where I live :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom