AGL Bill Shock! Looking to move to some other company.. Please suggest

L[Deactivated] on 17/10/2014 - 13:58
Last edited 17/10/2014 - 15:56

Hi All,

I received a shock in the form of an electricity bill from AGL. They have sent a bill for $400 for a quarter.

We are two of us who consume normal energy (TV, fridge, electric stove, electric water heater, lights).

After receiving the bill I investigated the cause of high bill and found that the electric water heater was consuming way too much of electricity. I am not too sure about its capacity in terms of litres but it is almost 4-4.5 feet in size.

When I turned the electric water heater off, the meter was moving at the slowest speed possible but when it is on it would move very fast. We are now turning on the heater only before 30 minutes of going to shower and turn it off straight away after that (hope that saves us from receiving another shock in 3 months time).

I am now planning to move from AGL to some other provider as I believe that their rates are too high.

Please suggest a cheap electricity provider in NSW. Dodo looks good with 15% discount (compared to AGL's mere 3%) if you pay the bill in time and that too without any contract.
Any idea of any other cheap rate provider?
Is Dodo good to go with?

Thanks.

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Comments

  • one man clan on 17/10/2014 - 14:04
    +1

    If it was a shock, maybe you need to investigate whether your water heater is functioning properly? Sounds like there could be an issue if this is the first time it's happened.

    • [Deactivated] on 17/10/2014 - 15:58

      This was my first quarterly bill since I have moved to this place.
      Water heater works perfectly fine. Just that it is huge and I believe that it consumes a lot of energy.

      • Smulder on 17/10/2014 - 16:18

        Make sure you aren't under a contract if you have just moved in? You might have difficulty changing provider and / or negotiating a better discount if you are. I also doubt they offer a very high discount without a contract either.

        • [Deactivated] on 17/10/2014 - 16:38

          Oh no.. not in a contract.. dont prefer contracts at all

  • Smulder on 17/10/2014 - 14:18

    We received a quarterly bill from AGL for $1,200 earlier this year. Now THAT was a shock!

    Before you leave AGL ring them and tell them you are planning too leave because you have been offered a bigger discount elsewhere. I did this and my discount was increased from 7% to 17% with barely any effort. I ended up staying with them.

    • Amaris on 17/10/2014 - 14:24

      My discount was also increased with just a phone call and a few months later I found out they had increased the energy rates that I was charged. The increase was only for customers on the higher discount. I was effectively paying the same as the guys getting a lower discount. So beware.

    • [Deactivated] on 17/10/2014 - 16:08

      Sounds good.. might try that and see if it works with me or not..

  • eatwell365 on 17/10/2014 - 16:32
    +1

    Many heaters run on off peak with a set timer. Ie cheaper rate. If you only switch on 30 mins before shower, it may run on peak rate. Sometime when the tank is >5 years, leakage can cause the need of boil water more often than it should. Also winter month.

  • c64 on 17/10/2014 - 16:43
    +2

    turning it briefly on and then off it not going to be most economical. you might as well just leave it off it you are concerned about the cost of hot water.

  • yoonibear on 17/10/2014 - 17:58
    +1

    See if AGL is able to give you consumption for the same time last year - see if there's a pattern to the usage.

    If you have the time, try making a spreadsheet with all the retailers rates for your area and try and come up with a mock up bill.
    eg.
    Say you used -
    1000kw per quarter @ 25c per kw. ($250.00)
    plus service to propety @ 90c per day over a 90 day billing period ($81.00)
    equates to $331.00 // including GST (10%) $364.10

    substitue those figures with other retailers and you'll find how much each bill (at the market rate) would be exclusive of any discounts/offers.

    after that, factor in any discounts and voila - you'll work out which retailer benefits you the most.
    That's provided that you have time for that - if not try those energy comparison websites/contact centres. Personally I like finding out which is better for me than having someone tell me that they're the cheapest.

    Hope this helps!

  • mskeggs on 17/10/2014 - 18:18
    +3

    Look in your meter box and see if there is an off-peak meter, and look at your bill and see if there is a charge for it. If there is a meter but no charge you need to get that sorted out, as you will be paying 25c kWh instead of 7c.
    It is possible (stupid, but possible) that your water heater does run on peak power. If it does, you need to check the thermostat is working correctly. To do this, turn on the power to the heater, then leave it alone for the rest of the day. Note how fast the meter is spinning if there is no on/off light on the heater.
    Check again later on before you use any hot water. The heater should have risen up to operating temperature then turned off, coming on only briefly every now and again if you aren't using the water.
    If it is still on, you need to get it serviced as the thermostat may be broken.
    Note also you might be ok just running it for 30mins a day now, but after the previously hot water has cooled down, you might find 30mins doesn't do enough.
    Know also that it is normal for a storage hot water system to remain hot for several days with no power at all, so you might not be able to judge it yet.

    Finally, I don't have electric hot water, but a friend who does with a 2 person house that are careful about their hot water use advises it take 4 or 5 kWh per day to power it.
    If you are paying peak rates, that is $1.20 - $1.50 per day in power costs!
    Finally, the average Aussie house uses 21kWh per day, so about $6. Add in the approx $1 a day service charge and the average bill is around $600 per quarter under the new prices.
    So maybe your bill shock is coinciding with the steep power rate increases and perhaps a move from a place with gas or solar hot water?

  • jojo13 on 18/10/2014 - 07:21

    Click Energy are good…I moved from Origin to them…very happy :)

  • carmarriner on 18/10/2014 - 10:02

    We are with Dodo for gas and elec and very happy. You are correct - no contract. And we pay monthly instalments of an amount we decide and then just pay the diff when we get the bill. No problems, very happy (we are in Vic). Any time I have had to call them the customer service was great.

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