Why is my electric bill so high? Don’t worry, it can be fixed!

Questioning why is my electric bill so high all of a sudden or why are my gas bills so high? There are simple fixes to get the costs under control.

Aargh! I can feel the panic that your electric or gas bill is creeping up each month!

You’ve asked a friend, and they’re paying a lot less! Your bill is getting out of hand, and you’ve tried all the usual ways to save money on energy.

Try not to worry, though, as there are ways to fix the issue and make your bills more affordable.

Here are seven reasons why your electricty bill could be so high.

Estimated bill

When was the last time you took an energy reading?

If you don’t submit regular readings, your energy provider can guess and estimate how much they think you’ve used.

It could be that your energy provider estimated your last gas or electricity reading and got it very wrong, making your energy costs climb.

Your energy bills might say “estimated” or have “E” next to the readings.

Even with a smart meter, it doesn’t hurt to occasionally check and submit a reading to make sure your energy usage matches up.

Do you owe money to your energy provider or do they owe you a refund? Check what does in debit mean or credit mean on your enegy bills

Wrong meter reading

There’s a chance that when you last took an energy reading, you accidentally put the wrong figures in.

Perhaps you put the gas figure in the electric box?

It would have a massive impact on what you get billed!

Check with your energy provider for the last few submitted reading and match them against what you currently see on your meters.

Faulty meter

Could your actual energy meter be at fault? It’s pretty easy to check, and you don’t need to call it an electrician.

Turn off all the circuits on your electric fuse box. This will turn off all appliances in your home (don’t worry, your freezer contents will be fine for this test).

Take note of your current meter reading and wait five minutes.

Now, recheck the meter reading.

Has it gone up though everything is off? If so, then there’s something wrong, and you need to contact your energy company who’ll send someone to investigate.

If they find a fault, you can look to appeal your bill with your energy company.

Vampire appliances

One way to get your electric bills and usage down is by simply turning off your appliances or anything electric when you’re not using it.

In the same way, you’ll turn out the lights when you leave the room, and turn off an appliance – at the plug – when it’s not needed.

Even when you turn your TV off with a remote control, it’s still drawing wasted electricity that you’re paying for.

Look around your house for offending plugged in items: microwave, phone charger, laptop charger, toothbrush charger, electric shaver, games console, lamps. If you’re not using them, turn them off at the actual plug.

You can take a look at what appliances use the most electricity in a home which has more tips on how to save your cash.

Remind teenagers of the importance of keeping things switched off, too (as I know all too well how many things they have plugged in).

It can be a bit of a pain getting to the plugs for some items if you need to access them behind bookcases or other units. You could try connecting multiple devices using a power strip and disconnecting them all simultaneously.

You might have even left an appliance on without realising it. Maybe something plugged in somewhere in the garden that you don’t use as much? Have a look around to check.

New appliances

If you have recently added a new addition to your home, it could be using a lot more energy than you’d first realise.

A gas fire may look great and make you feel warmed, but it can increase your gas usage each minute you’re using it.

Maybe you’ve got a new hot tub? They can cost a lot to run, particularly when it gets colder outside, as they need to work harder to keep the water warm.

When you’re buying something new, make sure to check the energy efficiency rating. You can check out the cheapest electric heater to run here.

Faulty appliances

Things like dishwashers, washing machines and tumble dryers use a lot of energy. We already know to use full loads and wash at lower temperatures.

However, if you’re already doing that and your costs are still going up, it could be that you have a fault with one of your white goods.

You could schedule a service to check the electrics are ok, and the machines are working as they should.

If they are really old, they are likely not as energy-efficient as newer models. A new appliance can help reduce your energy use.

If you’re struggling to afford new appliances, look to see if you’re eligible for a white goods grant.

Your contract came to an end

When your fixed deal comes to an end, your energy company writes to remind you that you need to consider switching.

You can change to a new tariff with your current provider or find a deal with a new one.

If you don’t do anything, your deal will end, and they’ll move you to a Standard Variable Tariff, which is generally a LOT higher than a fixed deal.

Why are my electric bills so high?

Hopefully, this helps to answer why your electric bill has gone up.

Have you found any other reasons for an increase in energy consumption?