graceava
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Also if im looking for a new house is it a good idea to put pre payment meters in here? Will they change them back to normal meters for free if i say moved in 2 months? Am i better off telling them that im looking for a new house and i am happy to have them fitted in my new house?
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Yes i think the old cottage would turn out to be expensive and probably freezing. The newish house is about early 90's i would say. It does have an energy efficiency rating of 'c'. It also has a breakdown of expected fuel bills that was done in september 2009. Heating: 377 per yr lighting: 50 per yr hot water: 115 per yr. This seems unbelievable cheap, i know fuel prices have gone up since 2009 but it would still be really cheap. Do you think those prices are correct for a year?
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ok, well i at the moment i am looking for another smaller house. as far as fuel prices go there are 2 im looking at, one is a 2 bed modern house with newish boiler. the other is an older 3 bed cottage with a multi fuel burner (installed in 2012) in the living room and storage heaters in some of the house. 2 beds don't have the heaters. or i can look in to all you have advised above and try and make this house cheaper to run. my ex could fit a fuel burner. i will aplpy for the 130 on my electric account tomorrow.
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also what do you think of the last bill for 42 days, does it seem a lot. half of the last 42 days has been very mild so the heating hasn't been on.
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well the account was in both of our names and i just asked to have his name taken off. as far as i know he has never been chased for it. my house is and 1950's semi detached ex council house with an old baxi back boiler. 3 bedrooms but we only use 2, kitchen, dining, living rooms. all the rooms are quite large. im not sure about insulation. i rent it of a private landlord. i am looking for a small 2 bed house as this house is to big and i do think the back boiler doesn't help with the costs of heating. do you think that 115 for gas and elec a month is a lot? its just me and the 2 kids. i have a bath every day and the kids have one together. we are home a lot as it never stops raining so heating probably on 5hrs a day altogether. hot water 3hrs a day. but i am cold a lot of the time and the kids room is freezing and has damp on the outside wall. the living room is the warmest as its only got 2 small outside walls at either end and has the boiler in the cupboard. we also have an old gas fire but rarely use it, i did a bit last yr as my baby was born in december and i used to give her a bath in front of it! yes there dad does pay csa but is in the building trade so work is very unreliable and when it rains he can't work much. he is also self employed so doesn't get sick pay or payed when they get sent home due to the weather so he's not that reliable but does help out.
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ok i have just looked into all my history on BG website and i have made a huge mistake. i moved into this house in august 2011, my ex left in feb 2012. i rang up BG to change name on bill and the account had some arrears. the bloke on the phone said he would start me a new account and to 'he would sort the old bills out'. i didn't really know what he meant but it looks like he has cleared all the debit from 1st august to 25th feb 2011. maybe he felt sorry for me as he knew i was on my own with a newborn and 15month old or maybe it was a mistake? so this changes everything, i have now worked out my monthly usage as 115 for gas and elec. the house is always bloody freezing so this seems a lot. this still makes the latest bill over the average. climate, is it possible that he just wiped the debt?
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ok, so how much is the standing charge? and it literally means you are being charged even if there is nothing being used? i have now registered with BG gas online and have just checked my latest bill. it is for 42 days. 117.27 gas 66.17 electric. considering i have never used anything near this in the whole time i have lived in this house how can it be so much? it is actual as they came to read my meter. i havn't even had the heating on that much because it's been quite mild. have they made a mistake? i have just looked on my history and between 1st august 2011 and 28th of august 2012 i used a total of 783 of gas and electric so how could i have used that much in 42 days?
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Sorry meant 'pennies more expensive'
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Ok just looked at link, so pre payment meters are literally pennies cheaper? Why is the unit rate different? I don't understand that bit. Thanks for all the help people!!
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westfiel, they have taken 80 out so far and BG have said they have not recieved it yet. also another thing i need to check is money i have paid on payment plan cards which is not showing on my bills as poid. the only proof i have of this is bank statements. also does anyone know if BG does a social tarriff or something similar?
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CLIMATE, i know you say it is not possible for the arrears to be higher than 3.55 a week but the fact is my usage is no where near the weekly payments. so do i have a choice about having a meter or not if i am offering a to pay? do i have to pay to have them fitted? when i leave this property will they change them back to the meters that are here now? (or similar) will the payment towards the debt definatley be 3.55 a week and not half of every 5 i put into the meter? (i have heard of these kind of charges on meters) is it possible to get british gas to tell me the exact cost of the gas and elec in units compared to what i pay now? im just going to read the link now climate so sorry if the answers are in there!
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Ok we have progress! Income support have canceled the payments and british gas are willing to work out a paymant plan with me. They are pressuring me to have meters but im really not sure. I don't want to be paying a penny more than i do now! Any advice on how to sort out a reasonable payment plan with bg? Last time i spoke to them we came to an agreement of 100 by direct debit a month,20 of that was towards the debt. But they were trying to get me to agree to sums of 200-250 a month. With a direct debit can they take more out of my account without any notice? Is a stasnding order better? Thanks for all the help!
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im still trying to get anyone from either BG or income support to give me straight answer as to what is paying debt and usage. they are both saying that its the others ones resposibility! BG are saying its nothing to do with them and its an agreement between me and IS and IS are saying the exact opposite! it says on the warm front scheme that it is only available in england? i am on council/housing association lists but there is a severe shortage of housing in my area.
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Thanks for replies, im 99% sure the landlord said insulation was done just before we moved in but ill ask. I am actually looking for a smaller house, the kids do share a room so the 3rd room isn't used. Its one of those 50's double fronted council houses so we have a dining room and all the rooms are large. Im looking for a smalll 2 bed which will help with the bills.
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ok, do you know if the gas meters are overpriced. i do know some one who has meters for both and has her tumble dryer on 24/7 so can't be that expensive! there seems to be alot of posts on here about problems with meters.
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Yeah ive heard that storage heaters are expensive. and the flat was boiling at night and freezing during the day! how did you end up getting the meter? did they make you get it? i don't mind having a meter if there not more expensive but im worried about my landlord and if they would mind. i don't really want to tell them im in any trouble with bills as they are freinds with my ex's family and i know they will all end up gossiping about it (small town!) do ypu have a newish boiler or an old one?
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I have asked both BG and IS how much of the payments are for debt and how much are for usage but no one will tell me. I have worked out my last 12 months of bills for gas and electric and it averages out at £67 a month. i am very careful with my gas and electric. So i can't see how only 3.55 is for the debt as i am not usage doesn't cover the rest. Is it possible someone has made a mistake somewhere when working it out? Or just put my usage as the average for a 3 bed house? Arn't the pay as you go meters notoriously expensive? I have lived in a flat with one about 7 yrs ago and we were putting at least a £5 in a day. That was on electric with storage heaters.
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ok asked them about 25% and they said that is from all the benefits i get including council tax housing benefit.
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no i have at no time been asked or given consent. i have applied for grant and income support are ringing me back in next 3 hrs as BG have agreed to cancel this until grant application has gone through. am i in my right to ask for the 100 income support have taken out of my money back as they didn't have consent? thanks for any advice and the link!
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To be honest i am thinking of ending my claim for income support today and starting it again tomorrow as it will take a while for the deductions to start again and by then my application to the fund would have gone through. It is the only thing i can think of doing if they won't lower the weekly amount.
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Yesterday someone at bg told me that the direct debit had been cancelled by them, but they didn't know why. Climate, i have seen on another post that you used to work for bg debt department. Are they allowed to make an arrangement to take money out of my benefits without asking me? Income support told me that i must have agreed to this at some point but i know for a fact i didn't, i agreed to a dd. And if my usage is 80 a month for both, i am paying well over 3.55 on the debt. I am paying 20 a week towards the debt. Ive just double checked and i only have 1 customer reference number. Will bg consider lowering the weekly amount?
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Well my kids don't 'need' a tv but the reason it is wall mounted is because my oldest pulled the last one of the table on top of herself. My ex and there dad offered to buy me a tv, i didn't ask him for a big one he just chose that one. And im not changing my story there was just no need to explain the whole background of who actually paid for the tv in my last post. Climate i really hope that you never have any life problems that result in you having to claim benefits as surely you would be to proud and starve instead?!! My usage is 80 for gas and electric a month. I have seperate bills for each. I might not have explained properly, they are taking 80 every 2 weeks out of my payments. I get paid 42 every 2 weeks now. 20 gas 20 electric 10 water every week. Laughing girl, i know i should ignore these comments but they really get to me! I have applied for grant today. I have also tried to get this amount lowered but neither bg or income support will help, both are saying its the others ones responsibility. Really stressed out!!
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anyone else know what to do, i really need to sort htis today as i can't sleep worrying about it. thanks.
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just re read your posts re the amount. wheni spoke to BG about a payment plan they told me that my usage is 80 pounds a month (which is low for a 3 bedroomed hpuse i think). that is how we came to the agreement of 100 pounds, 80 for usage, 20 for debt. so they are now taking 160 a month, 80 usage, 80 debt. surely this is to much for me to be paying from the debt?
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thanks for replies. climate: i cannot lower the amount i use anymore than i do, i really only use the bare minimum. i have 2 kids under the age of 2, they cannot be cold or they will get ill. what am i meant to do? also it doesn't help that i have an old back boiler system that are more expensive to run. can i ask why you are assuming i am on benefits as a way of life? i am on benefits due to a relationship breakdown, if i went to work the childcare costs would be more than my wages. if it because you have read previous post about a samsung tv that i want you to know that my kids dad paid for it because it is for them. also i would love to know anyone who has ' a way of life' on 60 quid a week!! i will aply to BG fund today.
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