Huge Gas Bill-How can people cope.

I

IsleOfMan

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Got my December to February gas bill this morning and it came in at €440.
Included in that a standing charge of €10, Carbon Tax €24 and VAT €52. I wouldn't mind but during the cold spell I wore a couple of fleeces on around the house to keep warm.
I will have to balance this out by cutting my spend elsewhere. Nobody wins.
 
My apologies. I didn't realise that you had to ask a question. I read the thread as consumer issues and rights. I didn't realise it was consumer rights issues?
 
Thats very expensive alright, especially since you tried to reduce the amount of time the heating was on by putting on the jumpers. Can you imagine how much extra you would have had to pay if you did not have those jumpers on.

They should really give people the option for free to install gas prepaid meters. At least then you know exactly how much it is costing you and you can have more control over it.
 
There is an option to have a prepaid meter installed for free - if you are having problems paying your bills you can have one installed for free under Financial Hardship.
 
alexandra12 said:
Thats very expensive alright, especially since you tried to reduce the amount of time the heating was on by putting on the jumpers. Can you imagine how much extra you would have had to pay if you did not have those jumpers on.

They should really give people the option for free to install gas prepaid meters. At least then you know exactly how much it is costing you and you can have more control over it.
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It's very easy to read your own meter and estimate the bill.
Have you looked at changing providers?
My last 5 or 6 months of gas was around €250, and I haven't been sparing the heat with the weather we had - albeit out at work all day.
 
MANTO said:
There is an option to have a prepaid meter installed for free - if you are having problems paying your bills you can have one installed for free under Financial Hardship.
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- Yes and you then end up pay a higher Cost for your Gas than anybody else.

I would recommend flogas if not with them already.
 
theresa1 said:
- Yes and you then end up pay a higher Cost for your Gas than anybody else.

I would recommend flogas if not with them already.
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No you dont, the rate is the same as the Standard Rate on a regular bill unless you are paying off a debt through the meter.
 
IsleOfMan said:
I wore a couple of fleeces on around the house to keep warm.
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The heating system in a property works on the temperature in the property and not the temperature of the persons in it. Next year turn down the termostat, dress up in the fleeces and the pipes will probably burst. Then you will incur some real expense.
 
Why would paying off a debt effect the cost per kwh? You mention standard rate but can you have winter tariff?
Flogas currently is up to 15% cheaper. I understand the direct debit could be a problem for some but you would still save without a direct debit set up.
 
IsleOfMan said:
Got my December to February gas bill this morning and it came in at €440.
Included in that a standing charge of €10, Carbon Tax €24 and VAT €52. I wouldn't mind but during the cold spell I wore a couple of fleeces on around the house to keep warm.
I will have to balance this out by cutting my spend elsewhere. Nobody wins.
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That's a horrendously large bill, I use oil and I wouldn't spend that much in 6 months to heat the house and its a fairly large house at that.
 
Theresa, Sorry I was mixing the Flogas LPG with the Flogas Natural Gas.
 
cashier said:
That's a horrendously large bill, I use oil and I wouldn't spend that much in 6 months to heat the house and its a fairly large house at that.
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My house is circa 2500 sq ft. Fairly modern build. We had the heating on for about 2 hours in the morning, an hour at lunchtime and two hours in the evening. We also use gas for our cooking.
Our ESB bill is coming in at about €90 for two months. So I suppose between gas and electricity it was about €540 for two months.

I wonder how much others spent on Oil, Gas, and Electricity over the past two months? Would it all add up to a similar amount?
 
My bill came in too, 106 for Gas (heating and water) for same period as OP.

OP - did you check if your bill is an estimate or an actual reading? That's the first thing I checked to make sure there is no shocker with the next one.

If it is an actual reading, 440 is a lot! Check how insulated your house is e.g. the attic, floor etc. I have lino in mine but with a blue insulation cover underneath. My floor is usually warm without shoes on. Also my attic is well insulated which keeps a lot of the cold air out AND I have curtains (instead of only blinds) in all rooms which in my opinion keeps the rooms warmer too.

Plus in the sitting room, I have an open fire every night while heating for the rest of the house is off (i.e. until we go to bed, we switch it on half an hour before).
 
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theresa1 said:
Why would paying off a debt effect the cost per kwh? You mention standard rate but can you have winter tariff?
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Because you may not be able to pay your bills and have a prepaid meter installed to manage your costs. The balance due from your last bill is then retrieved through the meter at a higher rate.

When paid off you return to the standard rate.

There is no difference in the cost of the winter saver tariff it is marely structured to balance out your costs through the year, i.e. you pay more for the summer period so your bills are cheaper through the winter period..
 
Manto - you are wrong - winter saver tariff works out a few euro cheaper over the year. However if you leave to move to flogas for example you can get stung by Bord Gais as you are paying a higher standing charge and they wont re-calculate it.
So best to move after the winter period and you have got your credit back from Bord Gais.
 
You are correct - but only about €10 for the whole year - the tariff itself is designed to manage costs.

Yes you do get 'stung' if you change supplier - buts thats your own fault - you commit to being on that tariff for a Year which is clearly in the terms and conditions.

Yes you can change supplier to avail of cheaper rates, but the whole point is the OP asked how can people cope. The reality is, even with switching supplier - people still cannot cope with home energy bills and Bord Gais are the only supplier offering Prepayment Metering at the moment.
 
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