The Dogmother Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Claire, I'm on Eon for leccy and gas, so would be interested to hear which tariff/supplier they recommend for you. Sorry to hear about your finance problems Snowy and Ginette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Haven't dipped into this thread for ages, so sorry to hear about your situations Snowy, Ginette and KateA. Ginette is right....something will be around the corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 Claire, I'm on Eon for leccy and gas, so would be interested to hear which tariff/supplier they recommend for you. Clare, I will pm you when I find out, if that is OK. I will need my bill and a calculator and probably a lie down in a darkened room for a month after doing some workings out My winter gas and electric bills just rolled in and totalled £279 Must be all the cold wind we've had, and I really need a more efficient boiler Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I did all the calculations when I switched to Powegen/Eon about 3 years ago; they weren't the cheapest unless you brought into account the fact that i get Tesco points from them. That made them more worthwhile. I pay £72/month for both gas and leccy. My old house is draughty, but I don't have the heating on during weekdays when I am at work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
One Man Banned Posted February 18, 2008 Share Posted February 18, 2008 I did all the calculations when I switched to Powegen/Eon about 3 years ago; they weren't the cheapest unless you brought into account the fact that i get Tesco points from them. That made them more worthwhile. I pay £72/month for both gas and leccy. My old house is draughty, but I don't have the heating on during weekdays when I am at work. We had our bill from Eon come through at the weekend and it was a bit of a We have the heating on through the day as Molly is at home all day but cut down to only having the hot water on timed morning and evenings. If we want to run a bath for a treat (water metered here too ) we can turn on the hot water for a few hours. Be interested to hear if they can do anything with our tariff - let us know how you get on. A xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I pay £72/month for both gas and leccy. My old house is draughty, but I don't have the heating on during weekdays when I am at work. I was paying £71 per month Clare (we must have similar sized old Victorian houses!) but then they asked me to supply monthly readings to them and reduced my direct debit to £55. My winter bills are covered by the overpayments I had already unknowingly given them, thank goodness! Like you I don't have the heating on during the day, just an hour in the morning and then it comes on at 6pm till 10pm. My mum is home all day and her heating is on 24/7 but low, and her winter bill was £121 for gas (she cooks on electric) but she has a good boiler, a Worcester I think. Off the top of my head I think the tariff is online 5 or something like that. I understand it may not be suitable for those with low consumption of gas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 a We have the heating on through the day as Molly is at home all day We used to have our heating turned off during some parts of the day & night,but have found that its far more economicla to have it on all day & all night. If its switched off,when it comes on it has to work harder to get the temperature up,whereas if the rads are on thermostats & the ambient temperature is alreaday there,it evens itself out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 We used to have our heating turned off during some parts of the day & night,but have found that its far more economicla to have it on all day & all night.If its switched off,when it comes on it has to work harder to get the temperature up,whereas if the rads are on thermostats & the ambient temperature is alreaday there,it evens itself out [/color] I couldn't bear it on all night....even in this weather. I have re set it to stay on all day at the mo. We had altered it to come on twice a day and be off for about 4 hours in the middle of the day. Our ancient cast iron radiators stay hot for hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CatsCube Posted February 19, 2008 Author Share Posted February 19, 2008 I have a budget spread sheet and all my bills are paid on a set amount on monthly DD, which all come out over the first 5 days after OH gets paid. We both have standing orders into a joint account where all the bills and food come from which covers it all, so once the bills have come out the left overs is our food, and the rest goes into our own personal accounts so we have our own money to spend. I use quidco too. Which is a cash back site. This year I shiopped around move all our gas/elec supplier, car insurance, house and life insurance etc and Made over £500 in cash back. Hope thing spick up soon Snowy and Ginette. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinnamon Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I couldn't bear it on all night....even in this weather. Forgot to dd that the bedrooms are on really,really low - I think they are on 1 at the moment The rads aren't hot at all....just body temperature. The wood burner throws heat upstairs too,so they don't need to be any higher than that. Another brilliant thing is the underfloor heating in the bathroom. Next house we get ,we are doing that all through the kitchen too - its fab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louise Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 My heating is set low all the time and is now on all day with my parents there You don't want to know what my last gas bill was like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dogmother Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I can imagine Louise! I just wrap up warm and bung another log on the stove rather than turning the heat up - the room stat is set at 20deg. I am sure that it's be warmer if I had carpets, but I hate them and they make me sneeze. My folks house is like a sauna, and they always find it chilly when they come to see us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 My home averages 17c, I don't like it too warm The bathroom is 20c. I like a warm bathroom, it cuts down on mould as there is less condensation. I think I have actually cut down on gas consumption in the last few weeks as I have put that draught excluder glazing sheet over the windows (which are double glazed so now I have triple glazing ) It only cost about a tenner to do most of the house and I believe it has made a difference to the front room which has a big bay window. I certainly haven't had to put the portable convector heater on since I put the glazing sheets up I think this will be the year of the money saver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I think I have actually cut down on gas consumption in the last few weeks as I have put that draught excluder glazing sheet over the windows (which are double glazed so now I have triple glazing ) Someone I know triple glazed his entire house He says he can't believe the difference it has made to his heating bills. We have our heating set at 20c, if I had my way it would be set at 23c as I feel the cold terribly We leave it on 24 hours a day, as we all get up and go to bed at peculiar times Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairy&cake Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 where do you get those glazing sheets from Charlotte??? They sound good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 where do you get those glazing sheets from Charlotte??? They sound good. F&C, they sell it in B&Q, but you can also buy it in Wilkinsons and there are a few sellers on ebay too. It is a thin plastic sheet which you stick to the window frame with the double sided tape provided, then the fun bit, you heat the film with a hairdryer and it shrinks to provide quite a good seal. I think it is called Draught Excluder Double Glazing Film, and costs approx £4 in B&Q for a 1.5 x 4metre sheet with tape. You have to go into the shop too, it isn't on their website, and ask for it as it may be tucked away in a corner somewhere. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 let us know how you get on. I have just checked on the comparison sites, with all my figures for the last year, and it seems I am getting quite a good deal anyway The best I could hope to gain was less than £35 so I am sticking where I am for now. I am still in credit after these huge winter bills, so the amount I currently pay will hopefully give me more credit for the coming Spring, Summer and Autumn bills, in time for next winter. After that I am hoping to get a new boiler, but it will be combined with other work needed on the house and I am now saving hard for that (I don't do loans ) Not very exciting news! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I feel the same as Cinnamon - it is cheaper to leave the heating on all the time, with thermostat control, then to let the house get cold and then heat it up again. However I don't do this at night, it is off then. I don't heat the upstairs at all, ever! Downstairs is set at 18 degrees and on from 6:30am till 9pm. I think we spend £70 a month on Gas and Electricity. We live in a semi-detached 1970s house with 5 bedrooms. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairy&cake Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thanks Hun, ive seen it on ebay just now. Is it easy to do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charlottechicken Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Thanks Hun, ive seen it on ebay just now. Is it easy to do? If you can stick tape down onto the window frames and hold a plastic sheet up to it, you will be fine Just don't hold the hairdryer too close, it can burn a hole through You'll need a sharp pair of scissors too, to cut the sheet, best to do this when it is on the window as you never cut it too small then. Good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 Now I'm feeling all motivated to sort out our bills! Money's not particularly tight, but we'd like some work done on our kitchen, there's a fence post needs mending, etc, etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I'm also watching this thread with interest. We are frittering away too much money and although this is very nice and we have enjoyed the things we have done, there are things we would like to start saving for Must get a very large piggy bank and lots of time to do the sorting out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eyren Posted February 19, 2008 Share Posted February 19, 2008 I just made a honking great spreadsheet and put in all the relevant amounts from my online bank statements for 2007 - phew! I'm actually surprised at how little we spent last year on groceries and other supermarket shopping - for two adults, a teenager, three cats and two chickens, we averaged about 300 quid a month (I can't really separate out the pets as I buy some of their food at the supermarket as well). That's including buying mostly organic fruit'n'veg and some organic/free range meat, and rather more wine than I care to admit to Admittedly we tend to cook a lot of meals from scratch, except on Friday nights when we generally have ready-made pizza or a Sainsbury's curry, and it doesn't include my weekday lunches (which I often bought at work before I started this diet) but I wasn't being at all careful about using everything up. Anyway, it's opened my eyes to where we can make savings - and where we can afford to splash out a bit more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
