Energy Prices (Strictly NO referrals!)

scaryhair said:
100%. you need to be in the house you are going to stay in to reap the benefits. solar has gone through the roof in price recently too, because of demand and raw material cost. The future seems to be (don't quote me on this, it's just me theory) an air source heat pump with smart cylinder paired with Solar PV and battery. But like you said, big outlay for small gains over a long period of time.
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Is the 'smart cylinder' the type of thing that Caldera do with their Heat batteries?
 
signs not a deep fake ?
petrolprices.com won't show me nationwide , definitely not cambridge and guessing at near fawley , not cheap there either.
 
just got back from week holiday prices near me (15 miles from Cambridge) v odd. petrol has come down I think. 151.9. but diesel has gone ho to 181.9
(and 2 guesses which fuel both our cars use)
 
bigmike20vt said:
just got back from week holiday prices near me (15 miles from Cambridge) v odd. petrol has come down I think. 151.9. but diesel has gone ho to 181.9
(and 2 guesses which fuel both our cars use)
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Russian diesel ban comes in at the start of Feb so it’s already starting to push the prices up.
 
Curlyriff said:
Indeed slow to calculate this time. Provably get sorted Monday tbh.

As pet above the national grid power usage is lower than average. Sounds like yours is a local grid issue though if it consistent. Rural location possibly.
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Yeah its a local substation according to the local rag.

I am about a mile or even bit less from the city centre. :)
 
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scaryhair said:
Sadly it seems the only way to save money is to spend money on upgrades. I work in the sector and it's a nightmare at the minute. If you have money, you can save. Install PV Solar, heat pumps, smart cylinder (my area). But lets be honest that's for the few not the many.
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Indeed, utter nightmare situation for those who rent.

I have done some manual sealing of air leaks via windows though, seemed to give about a 0.5-1C boost (with no heating on).
 
this description will find the amazon link i paid £59.99 (seller curecure but despatched by amazon) but i am sure i have seen an identical one in the black Friday listings for £51, i think they were a lot cheaper before the energy crisis

Heated Throw Blanket Throw 130x180cm Flannel Blanket, 130x180cm Soft Flannel Warm with 6 Hours Auto Off & 4 Heat Settings, Home Office Use - Nevy Blue​

 
So I just gave a meter reading to Octopus and even after that I’m £213 in credit. My direct debit of £150 will come out in a couple of days time. I know it’s been a bit milder recently but there’s also been days of low single figure temps. I’ve been going into the office very day to save on heating the house/sitting in the cold with my coat on and I’ve just changed the timing of the heating too to be on a bit longer than previously in the mornings and evenings but I still feel Octopus want too much. I guess we’ll see but if my credit goes up again after next months reading, and I’m aware of the £66 from the government helping out(I reset my DD to the same amount as I was paying before the scheme started) I’ll be looking to lower my DD to ~£100. Why should they sit on my cash?
 
I just got back from a week in Majorca today. other than 1 rainy day (and it was rubbish - Monday) it was shorts and t shirt all week like late spring weather all week, and my flight from Stansted to Palma was £26 return. (admittedly suitcase in the hold was £63). I wonder if it would be worth just going abroad for a month if you are retired. (only half serious)
 
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MissChief said:
So I just gave a meter reading to Octopus and even after that I’m £213 in credit. My direct debit of £150 will come out in a couple of days time. I know it’s been a bit milder recently but there’s also been days of low single figure temps. I’ve been going into the office very day to save on heating the house/sitting in the cold with my coat on and I’ve just changed the timing of the heating too to be on a bit longer than previously in the mornings and evenings but I still feel Octopus want too much. I guess we’ll see but if my credit goes up again after next months reading, and I’m aware of the £66 from the government helping out(I reset my DD to the same amount as I was paying before the scheme started) I’ll be looking to lower my DD to ~£100. Why should they sit on my cash?
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They really easy to change with anyways as you want. Just ask if for any reason online doesn't show. I've just moved to variable direct debit so only pay what I use and they will take the £67 out before they take my DD amount.
 
Close to £50 a week in energy now despite scaling heating back to 30 mins in the morning at 18 degrees and 18.5 in the evening until 21:30.

Insulated the loft, got an air fryer and replaced a drafty patio door. Not much else I can do....
 
MissChief said:
So I just gave a meter reading to Octopus and even after that I’m £213 in credit. My direct debit of £150 will come out in a couple of days time. I know it’s been a bit milder recently but there’s also been days of low single figure temps. I’ve been going into the office very day to save on heating the house/sitting in the cold with my coat on and I’ve just changed the timing of the heating too to be on a bit longer than previously in the mornings and evenings but I still feel Octopus want too much. I guess we’ll see but if my credit goes up again after next months reading, and I’m aware of the £66 from the government helping out(I reset my DD to the same amount as I was paying before the scheme started) I’ll be looking to lower my DD to ~£100. Why should they sit on my cash?
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I had a massive argument with Bulb last week on exactly the same issue. I was massively in credit but they wanted to double my DD. I asked to speak to a senior manager and threatened to report them to ofgem (each report costs them £500 for ofgem to open a complaint file) and they immediately agreed to put me on a variable DD so now I will only be charged for what I use, which is £80 a month minus the £66 from the government, so going forward I will pay £14 a month instead of the £160 they were wanting to take from my account !
 
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@MissChief, £213 credit isn't a a lot all for a ~£100/month direct debit payment (assuming that is in the right ball park), if anything I'd say it's below where it needed to be going into winter. Remember, its still autumn the 3 coldest months are yet to come.
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
@MissChief, £213 credit isn't a a lot all for a ~£100/month direct debit payment (assuming that is in the right ball park), if anything I'd say it's below where it needed to be going into winter. Remember, its still autumn the 3 coldest months are yet to come.
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When my DD goes on in a couple of days time it’ll be £363. As I said I’ll wait and see what happens with my readings and bill next month as I’ve only just changed some of my timings on the heating.
 
I really wish Octopus gave me a running tally of cost for electricity, as it's hard to work out being on GO and having the split tariff.

I've used 271.65kWh so far this month in electricity, of which 54.8kWh went into the car, around 3kWh per day running an electric radiator, and a couple of clothes washes overnight are all in the cheap hours so probably about 135kWh cheap and 137kWh expensive, meaning I've got an average unit cost of about 25p/kWh as long as I've got the maths right, or about £80.36 so far in electricity inc. standing charge. Gas is much easier - 573kWh of gas used so far, so about £66.23 with standing charge.

Direct debit of £190/month which I've worked out as the average for the year - really, really hoping that's enough. :(
 
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