Thank you again Angela. I've not found that, sorry it wasn't so for you. The one's I've replaced are going well at the moment, and deff MUCH brighter ! thank you again though
Utility bills - I'm new to this forum
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Thank you again Angela. I've not found that, sorry it wasn't so for you. The one's I've replaced are going well at the moment, and deff MUCH brighter ! thank you again though
Thank you Stanley.
I don't think so no, I'm becoming pretty vigilant ! It was just such a shock to get a bill of £600 for 6 months, compared to the £342 that was paid when Mum was alive. Nothing else has changed in the house, apart from Mum's no longer there to go around turning the lights off. The telly was on pretty much all the time before and fridges and freezer the same as prior to Mums death, so no I can't think of any other changes..... thank you though,
Thank you ! There is no council tax being paid as Jim is living alone in the house, and that is REALLY helpful ! I'd probably have had a break down by now if I'd got that to find too. He also gets the lower amount of AA, £50 something per week, he doesn't qualify for the larger amount apparently as he lives alone. Thank you for your help, this really is very nice to know others are out there and do have the time to give to others to try and help ! Very uplifting.
If the house is all electric I don't think £100 a month is unreasonable even if it was less when your mum was alive. If its gas and electric maybe so.
If your dad gets attendance allowance, I'm sure economy bulbs could be purchased with the allowance . The idea of using fewer light bulbs in any room where a person with dementia is living is unadvisable. WE are always being told they need well lit rooms.
If your dad gets attendance allowance, I'm sure economy bulbs could be purchased with the allowance . The idea of using fewer light bulbs in any room where a person with dementia is living is unadvisable. WE are always being told they need well lit rooms.
Thank you, but it'll be £1,200 pa as it's £100/month. The heating is oil heating so that's a different bill. What is a PWD please ? Argh person with dementia... but it's £25/week on just electricity, hence my delay in getting signed up to any company for a year until I'd really looked to see if anyone else knew of companies who were supplying elec at a cheaper rate per kw/h. Thank you
Argh ha ! Thank you !!!! I know Mum and Jim got that, so I'll check when the next payment is due. Thank you
Thank you Grannie G. I feel like you, I don't want to ask him to turn lights off as that's when more problems will develop. The heating is oil heating, so the elec is for lights, fridge, freezer, kettle, etc, you know the usual stuff. I've just got to suck it all up but am keen to explore thoughts of others before I sign up to a firm for a yr. Then it'll drop a little I know, but I didn't want to be hasty and then regret it.... thank you
I’m really NOT an expert, but I don’t think living alone means no higher rate AA is paid. Anyone know any different?
Agreed, it's the need for supervision that counts, not whether any care is actually being provided.
A person may struggle for 4 hours to get dressed, this is a need for help, however the person may chose to just keep on struggling.
Welcome to Talking point, I know it may be pricey, but what about something like Hive? Where you can control everything by your phone, heating and lights etc. It may work out cheaper in the long run, maybe get a camera so you can see he is in bed before you turn all the lights out and maybe a couple of night lights in the hall way so he doesn't need to switch on the lights if he gets up during the night? Just a thought
Late to the party, but…
I agree that this is at least twice what your stepdad should be paying, since he doesn't use electricity for heating. It's always a good idea to try and get a cheaper deal, but it would be even better to track down why the bills have gone up so much.
If your billing system is like mine, the power company sets a semi-fixed monthly bill that will only vary when the company changes its tariff or your stepdad changes the amount of electricity he uses over a period of several months. I think he was indeed using the extra power, they started to bill him for it, and now they haven't yet caught up with the fact that thanks to the LED lamps he's now using less.
My wife and I use about 3000 kWh a year, including all cooking, and that costs us about £46 a month. 3000 kWh a year is equivalent to a load of about 350 W running 24/7. So if your stepdad had just half a dozen old-style bulbs – 60W or 100W each – switched on day and night that could certainly double his consumption and push his bill up to £100 a month.
You've replaced most of the bulbs with LEDs, so that will have cut the "waste" consumption by about 85%. But depending on how often the meter is read, the power company's billing system may not have caught up.
I suggest you try to get some actual meter readings (not estimated ones) from his bills, or just read the meter yourself. With the LEDs fitted you should see perhaps 8 kWh per day, and the same when your mum was alive. In between those times, you'd expect to see almost twice that, so say 15 kWh per day.
Once you're sure that he's back to using, say, 8 kWh per day, call the company and ask them to reduce the monthly payment. They might insist on waiting for the next meter reading, but it has to be worth a try.
@Slugsta suggested a smart meter, and I can certainly recommend that. My dad's just had one fitted, and I can log on to a web dashboard to see not only how much electricity he uses per day but also when he uses it, in half-hour slots. At home we have a geo Minim+ energy monitor that also works very well. If your stepdad is still using more power than seems reasonable, monitoring hourly usage can help you track it down.
Since it's been a couple of months since you posted, I hope perhaps the situation has fixed itself.
I agree that this is at least twice what your stepdad should be paying, since he doesn't use electricity for heating. It's always a good idea to try and get a cheaper deal, but it would be even better to track down why the bills have gone up so much.
If your billing system is like mine, the power company sets a semi-fixed monthly bill that will only vary when the company changes its tariff or your stepdad changes the amount of electricity he uses over a period of several months. I think he was indeed using the extra power, they started to bill him for it, and now they haven't yet caught up with the fact that thanks to the LED lamps he's now using less.
My wife and I use about 3000 kWh a year, including all cooking, and that costs us about £46 a month. 3000 kWh a year is equivalent to a load of about 350 W running 24/7. So if your stepdad had just half a dozen old-style bulbs – 60W or 100W each – switched on day and night that could certainly double his consumption and push his bill up to £100 a month.
You've replaced most of the bulbs with LEDs, so that will have cut the "waste" consumption by about 85%. But depending on how often the meter is read, the power company's billing system may not have caught up.
I suggest you try to get some actual meter readings (not estimated ones) from his bills, or just read the meter yourself. With the LEDs fitted you should see perhaps 8 kWh per day, and the same when your mum was alive. In between those times, you'd expect to see almost twice that, so say 15 kWh per day.
Once you're sure that he's back to using, say, 8 kWh per day, call the company and ask them to reduce the monthly payment. They might insist on waiting for the next meter reading, but it has to be worth a try.
@Slugsta suggested a smart meter, and I can certainly recommend that. My dad's just had one fitted, and I can log on to a web dashboard to see not only how much electricity he uses per day but also when he uses it, in half-hour slots. At home we have a geo Minim+ energy monitor that also works very well. If your stepdad is still using more power than seems reasonable, monitoring hourly usage can help you track it down.
Since it's been a couple of months since you posted, I hope perhaps the situation has fixed itself.
Actually it was back in 2018, so you probably wont get a reply, but it was good of you to offer help
Hi trying giving Eon a ring they were doing discounts to help people living with dementia not sure if they still do but worth a call!
https://www.eonenergy.com/blog/2016/September/Alzheimers-society
https://www.eonenergy.com/blog/2016/September/Alzheimers-society
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