Gas & Electric costs - Cheaper than £25 per qtr - UK Energy June 2008?

Question

A colleague at work told me today that he pays only £25 a quarter for his energy. He lives alone and likes a cool house and does not use much lighting. That works out at around £2 per week. I cannot believe it is possible? We have a 3-bed 1930's end of terrace and with our 8month old son have just changed supplier to Southern who have estimated our lower pricing to be £42pcm (previously £48 with British Gas) for Gas and £22pcm (previously £27 with British Gas) for electricity. I am convienced when we move to our new home in December that British Gas had sold me their dual fuel package based on a £250 rebate at the end of the year. When checking last month they advised that it was in fact on a £15 saving. So how cheap is it for you and who do you trust! Oh & our first water meter bill for 118 days (usage 186litres per day) came in from Three Valleys @ £86

Answer 1

Your colleague is talking from the point of view of living alone, the bachelor life style - which seldom includes more than one tiny light bulb at a time.

Our energy bills are quite high, around £270-ish a quarter.  There's only the two of us.  We live in a 1930s detached house here in SE London.  We've got 8watt bulbs everywhere, the heating is off until late October - the loft has been insulated last month.  There are no cavity walls.

Car wise we've got a massive V6 Mondeo 2008 model - but we both come from high powered car backgrounds, Jags, that sort of thing, so riding in a small car will never suit.

Talking of fuel economy, I found this next clip on youtube a while back - Ferrari - eat your heart out. . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZVWfqf5NP...

On a recent edition of Top-Gear, Clarkson, May and Hamster, were showing us an advanced version of what amounts to the Vauxhall Vectra driven by a hydrogen engine.  Not going to be avilable for 20 years yet.  We don't have 20 years - least I don't, I'm 67.

Anyway, even with our gas guzzler, we've managed to keep our milage to 800 last year and are gonna hack that back to about 650-700 this year.

It's quicker and cheaper by train anway and if you get one of them pensioner's ticket saver things for about £15 boy you can hack nearly a third off the price of tickets on most journeys - well, London to Brighton and back anyway - only place we ever go, really - talk about square.

The V6 Mondeo is a sports saloon - don't buy one.  We've had the d**n thing up around the 145 mph mark - great fun, but now an expensive hobby.

Answer 2

perhaps your friend is getting quarters and months mixed up!

energy cost of £25 per month is possible if you don't heat water for baths doesn't wash clothes but use a launderette or heat the house and only use low energy lights.

basically I think someone is pulling your leg !