Living Wage

[maggiebee]

“The government minimum wage (for over 25s) so that people can live reasonably is £8.72 an hour x 36hrs equals £314.00 x 4 weeks equals £1,256.00 per month x 12 months equals £15070.00 per year.

Why is it that pensioners who have paid half a century’s worth of tax and N.I. are given £8840.00 to live on “comfortably”. What a disgrace it makes me sick pensioners are getting nearly half of the minimum wage.”

[Buenchico]

Goodgoalie:
If you've got a bit of credit built up in your energy account (either by having paid a bit too much each month or through the Warm Home Discount paid into your account) you can have it refunded to you at any time:
https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/check-if-you-are-owed-money-your-energy-bill

[goodgoalie]

Yes Chris, but it irks me that the energy companies always err on the side of taking too much from us each month - look how many of those whose energy companies have recently gone bust were in significant credit, and worried what would happen to that money. I know it's protected, but the energy companies must make a lot from all that cash sitting in their accounts.

It was oh so much easier when I could phone in my readings every 90 days (as I did, religiously) and generate a bill that I would then be paid by direct debit, so I was always up-to-date. With the horrible monthly system you're always behind or ahead. I like to know that I've paid what I owe!

[Mamyalynne]

I pay my bills quarterly, do all companies not allow that now?

[Buenchico]

>>> the energy companies always err on the side of taking too much from us each month

Surely that's far better than taking too little, leaving people to settle big accounts at the end of the account year? My electricity supplier needs to take about £120 per month from me for electricity to get things to balance out across a normal year. However (because I had a lot of heating on during my chemo treatment last year, as it left me feeling very cold) I was about £300 short when my annual account period ended back in April. Since then they've been taking £229 per month. The shortfall has long since been paid off but I'm letting them keep taking those payments so that I can build up a really healthy balance for the winter.

Remember too that you don't have to stick to the payments that your energy supplier has calculated as being best for you. You can go online at any time and amend them either up or down yourself.

[goodgoalie]

Blimey Chris, that's a huge amount - I hope you're 'all-electric' and not having to pay for gas as well!
I'd still rather pay for what I've used.

[davebro]

Shell has been taking too little from me - £31pm - so I've come to winter with only a small credit. They have upped it to £61 which should mean I'll still be in balance next Spring.

[rowanwitch]

At that level they should be able to access additional benefits.

[calmck]

2018 we had an incorrect meter reading applied to our account. Despite having an engineer come to address the problem as soon as it was discovered and sending photos of the readings in we have an obscene credit amount. They are refunding 75% of the credit