We have an electricity meter with British gas where there is an electronic key that we have to take to a shop and top it up with cash before plugging it into our meter to top up the electricity.
This was thought to be the best idea, as in a house of 3 tenants it forces us to pay for the electricity without our landlord being responsible, and it forces us to take turns.
However it seems ridiculously expensive - we take turns putting £20 on at a time, which tends to only last 7-10 days.
Would it be cheaper if we had the pay-as-you-go removed and had a continuous supply with regular bills instead?
What are our options?
2006-10-30 02:48:00 · 18 answers · asked by reddragon105 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
It would be much cheaper to pay by direct debit arranged online. Top up cards are an expensive option
2006-10-30 02:51:41 · answer #1 · answered by Scotty 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Pre-pay meters are more expensive per unit/KWh, but this is mainly due to a charge levied on the supplier by Paypoint. There are still discounts available though, and some suppliers do not add a standing charge on top (British Gas) of the unit cost. Npower, Scottish Power and EON do however levy a standing charge for prepayment. Ebico, are a not for profit energy supplier who do not charge extra for pre-payment meters. There have been changes to relevant legislation that will mean suppliers cannot charge extra, but not sure if this has come into force yet.
2016-03-28 01:38:58 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Meters are more expensive than quarterly bills or direct debit plans. You're effectively being penalised for being a poor credit risk...
"people with prepayment meters (ppms) are paying up to £173 a year more for gas and up to £113 more for electricity than quarterly billed (standard credit) consumers."
£20 a WEEK seems excessive for a house of 4. I lived in a houseshare of 4 until a couple of years ago, and our metered bill was £12 a month BETWEEN FOUR. Admittedly prices have gone up a lot in the last few years, but not THAT much, you must be burning power! ;-)
2006-10-30 03:09:04 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes the pre-payment metres are more expensive. The cheapest way to pay electricity is by direct debit, but receiving a quarterly bill is cheaper than pre-payment.
If your property is all electric, this will bump up your electricity costs too. Electric heating and hot water is extremely expensive, in my all electric house we top up £25 per week during winter and only £7 per week during summer when we have no heaters on.
Otherwise your eletric costs do seem to be over the top, you can get british gas to come and check that your metre is working properly. They should do this free of charge!
2006-10-30 03:00:14 · answer #4 · answered by libbyft 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I've lived with both, found meter better. Monthly bills were unpredictable and at least with a meter you can see if you're overusing electricity, whereas with bills you have no idea til they come in the post.
Although with monthly bills, there's no going to the newsagents in your pjamas in the middle of the night lol
£20 is a reasonable amount to be putting on per week.
2006-10-30 03:02:16 · answer #5 · answered by Fairy Jo 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
paying bills IS much cheaper, as you are charged a daily fee (11p - 25p) as well as your usage and any debt that may be on your account. If it could be arranged with your landlord to pay by direct debit or something instead this will be much cheaper, otherwise check if there is debt on the meter which you are paying off, call your energy supplier and they will be able to help.
2006-10-30 04:26:24 · answer #6 · answered by ...o(_insert witty comment_) 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
yes they are more expensive. but then british gas is expensive aswell maybe shop around for a supplier also i use a card and put so much on a week but i get a continuous supply.So i dont have a big bill to pay
2006-10-30 03:00:00 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You are paying much more for using the top up cards. You would get a much cheaper deal if you paid by direct debit - there is a discount for paying this way. Also, you can shop around more with your supplier.
2006-10-30 03:11:35 · answer #8 · answered by Ally 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I think it is and its also a pain in the *** to keep topping it up. If you can trust the other tennants to pay their share then regular bills should work out cheaper. Try to be more energy efficient too if you can.
2006-10-30 02:55:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
The cheapest electricity is Direct Debit. But in you scenario who is going to be responsible, as DD can only come out of one account.
You are going to have to figure out another way, i,e, Hobsons choice
2006-10-30 08:52:38 · answer #10 · answered by xenon 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋