Not better off .......

[e_nviable]

but it could have been worse !

Having been made redundant on New Year's Eve I took it as an opportunity to retire, but hadn't counted on my expenses going UP ! lol

I signed up with eOn last October (their Age Concern plan) and they were adamant that I leave the monthly payments at a lower amount than I'd been paying my previous supplier, even though I wasn't very happy about that.

So.......... since October I've been paying them £32.08 (haven't a clue where they got the odd 8p from )

I knew I was in for a bit of a 'sting' this quarter - especially with the weather being so bliddy cold and my being at home all day. However, I WASN'T prepared for the bill and letter I got on Saturday morning. Dual Fuel bill £339.27 and the letter informed me my Direct Debit monthly payment will increase to .......... wait for it .......... £97 !!! Three times the amount I'd been paying.

I was on the phone like a shot and was amazed when their Customer Service agent said she'd look around and see if there was a cheaper tariff for me ???? I thought they'd put me on the cheapest when I joined them

The upshot of a very pleasant conversation with a very pleasant young lady named Kate is that it was mutually agreed that I'd pay the outstanding lump sum and my new monthly payments will be £55.

I was also given a useful (free) telephone number for "Caring (or Care in, I'm not sure which) Energy - if I ring them they're supposed to help me by discussing ways of reducing my energy consumption. A bit difficult, when I've already got the bells and whistles I can afford in that particular department and my room thermostat for the central heating is down to 16 degrees.

Anyone else have more suggestions ...... not more woolly pullies please 'cos I'm already wearing three !

e

[PATRIOT73]

go round to ur neighbours more often

[bluefincircle]

Anyone else have more suggestions ...... not more woolly pullies please 'cos I'm already wearing three !

I see a lot of retired people using the local library and other community facilities; apparently the trick is not to be at home all day if you can avoid it so that you can turn down the thermostat even further for a few hours. The social contact is a bonus for those on their own.

The library provides free newspapers and is a mine of useful information about local events, talks etc. If you are lucky enough to have this sort of facility near you and are able to get out and about then take advantage.

Don't forget the value of eating foods that give you warmth from the inside. The old stalwarts of porridge, home-made soups and stews are far better at that then a lot of the ready-made stuff and are cheaper too. Little things can make a big difference so boil the kettle once and make a big flask of tea/coffee that will last through the morning.

As for the three layers of woollies, one of the local supermarkets provided neckscarves/cravats for the staff working nearest the doors because the scarves stop the draughts that make you feel cold. A lightweight silk is ideal for indoor wear and natural fibres seem to keep you warmer than man-made offerings. Charity shops are excellent hunting grounds for these items. Socks and warm slippers will also help keep you snug.

Charities like Age Concern may be able to suggest other solutions so it would be worth checking their websites.

Finally, those who are not very mobile and/or elderly may be at risk from hypothermia if their home is not warm enough and they should definitely seek advice from the charities if they are having trouble with fuel bills.

Hope this helps.

[redmerlin777]

How about good old fashioned sharing bodily warmth?? Could be quite interesting too

[kengillam]

And don't forget the "Positive mental attitude bit"

[booksforsale]

How about nationalising the flippin lot into two 'companies'

British Gas and

The Electricity Board

and send the freakin shareholders packing (no offence to those who get their £15 - £20 divvy every few months).

Then we might not have bonus cowboys banging on your door asking you to change your company - then surreptitiously and illegally signing yu up anyway so they get their bonus.

Then we might not have any confusion with meter readings

Then we might not have as many cases of bogus meter readers calling on old-folk who have lost track of which flippin company they are with.

How about we get a bill through the post that says "you owe £xx.xx this quarter" and you toddle off to the post office to pay that (yes, remember post offices, coming to your area soon - oh maybe not), sorry, yes you go and pay £xx.xx exactly, then everyone knows where they stand

How about... oh I give up

No I am not a raving lefty folks, this is common sense - it worked perfectly before privatisation well more perfectly than it does now.

Someone will be along to say what a drain on state resources this would be. Not if it is run properly.

[somersethedge]

If you have enough items to list sit at the comuter listing more, it's amazing how much heat they chuck out....

We have no Gas supply in our village so we have oil central heating and since I have been listing we use about half the oil we use to.... and our electric is still less than yours.

We have the problem the other way around.... with cavity wall filling, and the computer going from 9am til around 1am, in the summer (even last summer) we had to have all the doors and windows open and Maple and I wore just robes and we were still hot.

[DanTheMan3]

Anyone else have more suggestions ...... not more woolly pullies please 'cos I'm already wearing three !

e

Move in with somersethedge.
They seem warm enough.
.

[somersethedge]

well I do have to admit we did ware an extra jumper during the recent weather.... but we didn't have any extra heating going

[astral276]

How about nationalising the flippin lot into two 'companies'

Yeah! Then maybe you could afford to switch on that lava lamp.