Energy Prices (Strictly NO referrals!)

Since i switched to octopus, they put my monthly direct debit @ £113 per my usage figures, this might be on the low side by a bit.

Recently they auto recommended £134, so i logged in and put it to £120, which i think is fine.

My plan is to pay what i will 100% use, then in winter, i would do a one off payment so my account goes into positive by £1 or so, if the monthly bill exceeds the direct debit amount.

I read there is variable direct debit but there is no option to change to this, will it show up after my smart meter is installed next month or do i need to call/email them?

Basically i dont want to build up credit, i was paying quarterly bill amount until i've switched as EDF/British gas switched me to monthly, and octopus is much better website/interface etc, if im going to be paying monthly etc.
 
Since i switched to octopus, they put my monthly direct debit @ £113 per my usage figures, this might be on the low side by a bit.

Recently they auto recommended £134, so i logged in and put it to £120, which i think is fine.

My plan is to pay what i will 100% use, then in winter, i would do a one off payment so my account goes into positive by £1 or so, if the monthly bill exceeds the direct debit amount.

I read there is variable direct debit but there is no option to change to this, will it show up after my smart meter is installed next month or do i need to call/email them?

Basically i dont want to build up credit, i was paying quarterly bill amount until i've switched as EDF/British gas switched me to monthly, and octopus is much better website/interface etc, if im going to be paying monthly etc.

I contacted them via Twitter and asked that my direct debit be set to £1 (you need a DD to participate in the Savings Sessions) and then I pay the balance every month via a debit card.

Since you don’t want to build up a credit balance, this is probably the best way to avoid doing so.
 
I read there is variable direct debit but there is no option to change to this, will it show up after my smart meter is installed next month or do i need to call/email them?

You can get onto it but you need to contact them, I'm on a billing method where I pay a variable DD depending on what I use.

I contacted them via Twitter and asked that my direct debit be set to £1 (you need a DD to participate in the Savings Sessions) and then I pay the balance every month via a debit card.

Since you don’t want to build up a credit balance, this is probably the best way to avoid doing so.

If you do this, even better to get a cashback debit or credit card and earn some free cashback :)

You can also do a hybrid of the two, I am on variable DD but if I know I have a bill coming and roughly what it will be for, I can just add some cash and it will be a top-up of sorts, anything my balance doesn't cover goes into DD.
 
I'm currently on a flexible tariff (Octopus) but they have now suggested I up my payment from £100.70 per month to £180.16 to position the balance in a good place over the next 12 months. :/

To be fair, when I joined I estimated my use as low, hence starting off with only around £100 per month. Bit of a frightening jump to £180, though!

I dread to think what it costs people with a high-end computer or lots of electrical devices!
 
I contacted them via Twitter and asked that my direct debit be set to £1 (you need a DD to participate in the Savings Sessions) and then I pay the balance every month via a debit card.

Since you don’t want to build up a credit balance, this is probably the best way to avoid doing so.
you can also pay by Credit Card/Amex if you have any cards that give points/miles/vouchers. This is what I do now.

ETA: I do still have a DD setup for a minimal amount.
 
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Switched to tracker. I will see how it goes.

Also called them up about the estimated jump in price, but that's also been sorted. Feeling better now. :)
 
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