UK Energy Costs

[Anpanman]

People will have different experiences of products...
Moved into the house twenty years ago we brought the Vax with us from the flat, the wife soon destroyed it
Bought a no name supermarket one, within a year destroyed.
Bought a Samsung, probably lasted a year, she managed to wear away the metal on the brush head!
Bought a Panny, same thing as the Samsung she managed to wear right through the metal on the brush head. Bought a spare brush head from Panasonic and you know what's coming, she destroyed that too.
Bought a Dyson DC22 fifteen years ago, and it's proven wife-proof, still going A1 with no need to buy any new parts.
Five years ago got a cordless Vax, it lasted until this year, head had its wheels ripped off, brush bar action broken, attach point to the main unit broken, battery life poor.
We binned the Vax and got a Dyson V15 Detect cordless in March, bloody brilliant, more power on economy mode than the Vax had on boost, on full power it sounds like an aero engine and the torque on the brush bar has to be seen to be believed, you can make lines in the carpet if you do opposite ways like the grass on a footy field, battery lasts ages too. So far so good, by the sound of it she did a full blown drop test with it today but it's still alive.

I used a Henry when I was in retail forty years ago it it was ****e, utter ****e. Wife uses one at work and she says the same thing - I don't know if it is still alive though. Had the bathroom done in the summer and the builders used one, it took them ages clearing up with the thing every day, I went round with the Dyson after they had gone home to finish off the job properly.

Miele look good though, we almost got one but plumped for the Dyson.

[endo]

I'll admit I'm just playing devil's avocado, as I have no horse in the vaccuum cleaner race. We did have a period about 12 years ago of going through the ****ing things, as they just wouldn't last. Got a big Dyson and a cordless one since then and both are great.

All the tradesmen we've had here over the last couple of years have all used Henries though. Got knows why. They always use them just with the farting little thing on the end of the tube too. No proper attachments or anything. It's madness.

[Cassius_Smoke]

I miss the miele. The motor burned out in the end. I bought it with Store discount and because it had the highest suction power. The only downside was it was quite chunky and it was too powerful to use on rugs and doormats without standing on one end; they'd just either get eaten or flung out of the other end. That was about 15 years ago now. Probably don't make em like that anymore.

[charlesr]

Well that went sucky quickly.

[fallenangle]

This is a bit embarrassing but with the government's benefit help (roughly £66/month now being applied all our accounts until March) I'm pretty sure I'm now in significant credit on my dual fuel bill. I submitted meter readings yesterday so the actual amount the direct debit that will be taken this month is uncertain but it is likely it'll still leave me in good credit.

Even with the other cost of living rises, particularly food/weekly supermarket prices - some of which have gone up 40% in last six months, the money left in my pocket with my energy bill effectively being paid for by the state it will probably cover those rises too.

My feelings are that the bad times will actually come to a head in April next year. I hate that month; It is always the worst one for finances as everyone puts up their prices then, the yearly horror of increased Council Tax bills in particular.

So I'm certainly not going to squander the £400 fuel benefit and maintain my existing financial belt tightening regime. But it has undoubtedly taken a lot of pressure off, even if just temporarily.

[Cassius_Smoke]

Our bill has been increased by £100. Scottish Power are taking the piss now.

[CMcK]

I’m now £400 in credit with Octopus. At this rate Westminster will have subsidized me buying a PSVR2 by the time it launches!

[fallenangle]

I am with Bulb and have been enjoying the benefits of state ownership for the last few months but will be joining you as an Octopus customer at the end of this month apparently.

Barely noticed any difference TBH, not surprising as essentially the government has 'just' been underwriting Bulb to keep them afloat, The people running and operating the business didn't change so its not really true, old school, state ownership.

One does wonder how much it cost the exchequer and whether they'll do it it again in the future if other energy firms go bust.

[Neon Ignition]

Yep, first month done of the new rates and we've managed to go without using the heating still and kept the leccy in check so Octobers bill came in at £108, we're currently about £270 in credit

[BearBoy]

I'm currently £686 in credit with Octopus (and they put my DD up by another £87pm two weeks ago).

Their balance forecast widget on their website is predicting I am going to be using over £600 of gas/electricity per month in December and January though 😲

[Neon Ignition]

For any account that is in credit, energy companies should be banned from amending DD's.

[Colin]

That'll probably be a whole lot of them. Scottish Power tried to put my mum's (a disabled pensioner) gas DD up to £160 a month, which sent her in to a panic, so I made them put her on to quarterly billing. She's using a fraction of their estimate a month. Imagine all the old aged who don't have family around them to keep these people in check, who just believe they have no choice but to agree to whatever **** these companies tell them. It makes my piss boil.

[CMcK]

What is the point of installing smart meters and still having customers on direct debits that bear no relation to their actual consumption? You should only have to pay exactly what you owe. In fairness to Octopus they make very easy to move any credit back to your bank account.

[BearBoy]

They do and I could easily have declined the increase in my DD if I had wanted to. I'll see how my actual consumption compares to what they're predicting over the next couple of months because, if their predictions are accurate, my balance won't be remaining in credit for very long.

[fishbowlhead]

That'll probably be a whole lot of them. Scottish Power tried to put my mum's (a disabled pensioner) gas DD up to £160 a month, which sent her in to a panic, so I made them put her on to quarterly billing. She's using a fraction of their estimate a month. Imagine all the old aged who don't have family around them to keep these people in check, who just believe they have no choice but to agree to whatever **** these companies tell them. It makes my piss boil.

That’s exactly what the energy firms count on.