Do You Expect To Dip Into Your Savings To Pay Off Fuel Bills This Winter?
| Related: | Personal Finance•Utilities•Energy Saving |
As the cold weather finally catches up with us and the nights slowly arrive earlier and earlier, no matter how much shopping around online and via telephone calls for the best fuel tariff for your household, do you expect to rely on your savings eventually?
I just wonder for my own household as I recently read that it is expected that seven in ten consumers will need to turn to their savings, credit cards or overdraft to fund rising energy bills according to a new consumer survey. Quite shocking when you consider how many elderly people comprise of the UK population and many more do not have an above average salary.
Responses (9)
I am keeping an eye on how much we are using now that the
evenings are becoming colder but keep the heat at a reasonable
temperature. I hopefully will not be going into the savings this
year for heat but who knows what the future will bring.
I still haven't put my heating on yet in a bid to keep costs down - if anyone complains they get told to put another jumper on. When we all start to look like the michelin man I'll give in and put it on, but not all day, tend to do hour in the morning and three hours at night. Luckily my neighbour converted to LPG and gave me their left over oil!
I haven't consciously put the heating on yet, but the thermostat is much more intelligent than I am!
I certainly hope not, CS but, from what I gather, some people might have to and I feel for them.
I am with BG and am struggling to pay bills at the moment. Electric is fine - it's the gas bill that is ridiculous. I have recently found out that I could be on a different tariff with BG where I will save £100 a year and if I sign up to energy smart I can save a further £160 a year (apparently) so as soon as I can afford to pay my gas bill I will be switching to these to see if it makes a difference and then I will be looking at other energy suppliers. The thing is I have been with several energy suppliers and still find BG to have the best customer service and I am still paying less with BG than I was with other suppliers.
Being disabled and unemployed I dip into my savings to pay most of my bills having paid into the system for the last 40 yrs and contributed to a pension scheme my reward in ill health is for the government to cut my sickness benefit because I planned for my future.
Yep, its just not fair is it?? Feels like punishment for being careful.
Sorry to hear that Noddy. Being disabled is very hard
and people with disability problems should be given
priority help not have cuts in their benefits. The
Government seems to have got all it's priorities in the
wrong order. Yes like you say you planned for your
future like me. I've never had a penny in benefits up
to press but carefully planned for the future yet I see
other people going out spending money all the time,
smoking, drinking have posh cars and are either on the
dole or on benefits. You wonder why you bothered
to save, pay into a private pension and do without when
such a lot of people are scroungers. I suppose it's self
respect again.
That's awful and unfortunately typical of today's government
Oh I do think that is unfair and de motivating, surely there is something you can do about that. can you get some sort of special consideration if you inform them etc?
Yes indeed I am doing that already.
I did not think I would have to do this, but now it is looking more and more likely that I will have to use savings to pay my energy bills. Instead, I am thinking of just telling BG they will have to wait a little while longer for their money.
you may well not have to if you were being supplied by the company that guarantees to supply you with the cheapest!! look here......
You on commission............?
You more interested in getting to the top of the leaderboard?
I am not sure you remember this site is called money.co.uk, everything you need for financial happiness reading some of your comments !!
I used to be with them but found their customer service so abysmal that I had to leave for EDF. If you cannot treat a customer with respect the chances are they will leave as I did.
I think the needle got stuck in the record, Jazz ......
Ouch, that's rather uncalled for. It gets very tedious reading you promoting the same thing time after time
You more interested in getting to the top of the leaderboard?
I am not sure you remember this site is called money.co.uk, everything you need for financial happiness reading some of your comments !!
you dont have to read and respond to everything your choice but most readers are sure you just keep making comments to increase your usage to try and get to the top of the leaderboard, it is quite simple if you have got nothing polite and relivant to the subject dont bother to make any comment at all !! Not being touchy I am just typing what a lot of members are thinking, so please, please, just stop it for all of us ok !! I will continue to promote to help members save money as that is what they have joined money.co.uk not to read your sarky comments ok !!
Sorry, highburyhouse, but I'm fed up with you promoting your products too. That's not what this Forum is about.
Neither is it about getting to the top of the leaderboard as there's no reward involved in that other than knowing that you're making a contribution and helping people.
You don't seem to be entering into the spirit of our friendly community, so could i politely suggest that you go away.
Thanks feline, I really can't be bothered to reply to someone who uses the first two paragraphs in two separate postings and can't put a grammatically correct sentence together. Interesting that s/he deems him/herself fit to comment on 'what a lot of members are thinking' don't you think..........?
you are as bad as each other, Have you nothing beter to do?
Firstly, highburyhouse, perhaps you could tell us who these 'lots of members' are who are thinking the same as you are. I have had no such feedback.
Those of us who are long-standing and regular members of this Forum are only here to try to give genuine help and advice to genuine people who need it, and to have a bit of social interaction along the way with our friends. That is our reward for participating, not getting to the top of the leaderboard!
As you are a 'junior' who has only been here for a short time, I would kindly suggest that you take a little time to learn how the Forum works. This categorically does NOT include promoting products.
I'm revisiting this after the extremely cold weather in the last few weeks - thankfully a bit warmer now - which coincided with my being laid low with a bad cold followed by a chest infection.
I have practically been able to see the level in the oil tank dropping quite alarmingly, and I can now say that I would definitely dip into my savings or go without something if it meant keeping warm.
Fortunately for me I have that option, but I really feel for people who have to choose between food and heating. Thankfully, at least those who qualify for cold weather payments (as opposed to Winter fuel allowance) should get several days' payout for the last few weeks.
It goes down at an alarming rate doesn't it?? Think I might have to top up again before the summer price dip which is annoying
Posts within the money.co.uk community represent the views, experiences and opinions of members only. They should not be taken as financial advice and should not be followed without further research.
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