Skyrocketing electric bill-more than double similar homes - what can we do?

Hello @BKS not a strange question at all…we consumers are always interested in energy costs!

Interesting that you’ve been told that your costs are twice as much as similar homes…I suppose we have to assume that “similar” here means all-electric homes?  If not, of course, there’s a missing gas calculation, a major part of winter energy costs.

But assuming we are talking about all electric similar homes, there may be quite a lot you can do to monitor what’s going on here.  Do NOT worry about cutting down further on your daytime heating, but you don’t have it running all night I don’t suppose?
 

Many of the appliances you mention are very high consumers of electricity: electric shower, tumble drier and electric hob and oven and immersion heater, especially.  I would t worry too much for the moment about computer, TV or BB, and it sounds like you’ve got your lighting well organised.  
 

If you were willing to share some idea of how frequently (i.e. roughly, in general terms, the average duration in minutes per week, say) that you use those heavy items, there are a quite a few willing hands on here to offer good advice, and there are loads of good tips on the forum.  I understand that nobody wants to divulge their personal circumstances explicitly, but just totting up your usage in general terms per week average, or per day on average.

Do let us know and we’ll see if we can offer any advice as to whether any of us think it’s reasonably practicable to reduce your electricity consumption.   Winter months are always difficult, of course…just make sure you continue to stay warm and to eat properly…and you haven’t mentioned electric kettle?
 

Is this your first winter in this place, or has your fixed tariff ended? If you were in the same place on a similar tariff, living as before, if anything it should be cheaper, as the price cap is lower now.

If you are new to all electric, it can be expensive. I estimate I spent £150/month on a single storage heater, and a few hours of electric blanket. Real shock after gas and before the Ukraine war. 

I'd suggest getting a smart meter if you haven't. I've learnt a lot this winter about what is costing me money. Just check the IHD, then turn something on or off and see the change. I'm on target for halving my usage this winter, while being more comfortable. 

@BKS I suspect that I may know what is happening here.

Are you on Standard (not fixed) tariff?

I have a suspicion that by ‘year end balance’ they are meaning by 31st March, which is what OVO are trying to get all DD accounts (apart from fixed rate/term ones) to align with.

If my suspicion is right then the DD calculation that came up with the figure of £431 is trying to get the whole of that £812 repaid in just 3 months, your Jan, Feb, and March DD’s.

That would be £271 above your expected usage on each of those three DD’s.
And that is more than half of the £431 they are now requesting.
Is that what you mean when you say that it has ‘skyrocketed’ to double what was expected?

I would ring OVO support and talk to them about reducing the DD amount and spreading the repayment over a longer time.
(Personally I’d be a bit cheeky and ask for 15 months - point out that it would then be nicely aligned with 31st March 2025).

Another option would be to switch to a 12 month fixed tariff, that way the debit balance repayment would be spread over the 12 months fixed term.
Of course fixed tariffs aren’t everybodys cup of tea.

PS. I wouldn’t worry too much about that “103% more than other similar properties “ , if my suspicion is correct then that’s probably just a side effect and you aren’t actually using that much more if any more at all.

I’d like to clear something up here. Your electricity bill is the statement you get soon after the end of each month (or whatever your billing period might be, if it’s not the calendar month). Are you saying that your December bill is inexplicably high? Perhaps you could post screenshots of it (and the previous month’s, for comparison) so we could see whether there’s anything odd about it. 

Some people confuse the term ‘bill’ with the amount they are asked to pay each month by Direct Debit (DD), and it sounds as if this may be what you’re referring to. There is sadly no direct correlation between these two figures; the DD is worked out by estimating the cost of fuel for the next year (or until the end of a fixed-price contract), then calculating how much you have to pay each month for the balance on your account to be zero at the end of the winter semester (31 March). This will not only depend on your monthly usage, but also on the current account balance and the date on which your DD is paid. 

For too many customers, the prediction of next year’s consumption is not at all accurate and often wildly over-estimated. You can see your own projection on the Plan page; does it look reasonable? If it isn’t, Support can help.

Meanwhile, us old folks are also eligible for a bit more help. Please have a look at Priority Services Register: How We Can Give You the Help You Need (ovoenergy.com) 

If your partner is mostly seated, have you considered a heated throw? My electric blanket uses less than 8p/hour (well, total when I turned it on was 10p/h). 

I am glad your house is warm. Last winter, despite spending around £10/day, I could not make the place warm. The most my storage heater could get the living room to was around 13°C. If I had been poorly, I would have been quite unwell. As it was, I just spent the winter in thermals and a furry onesie, so I just looked unwell 🤭