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'My energy direct debit is being increased by more than £300 per month, is it right?'
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Dear Which?,
I've been an Octopus customer for about four years, and we were on a very affordable fixed tariff for our electricity and gas. Late last year we moved into a new house with no gas supply, so everything is electric.
We've only submitted two meter readings since we moved in and Octopus has reviewed our monthly payments. Increasing them from £39.44 to £333.16.
There's only two of us in the house, it's extraordinary we could have to pay this much. I'm now really worried about the price cap rising in April and October - it will be impossible to sustain that kind of amount per month.
What can I do?
Alan, Northamptonshire
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Put to Rights
Adam French, Which? Consumer rights expert saysu2026
Electricity is more expensive per unit than gas, so I would prepare for the fact your bills will go up, but the amount you've been quoted sounds very high.
At the time of writing none of Octopus' current fixed rate tariffs are more than £250 a month, which is for the highest-demand uses.
When we contacted Octopus it told us that due to an unusual meter error it has only been charging you for the gas you've been using, and not the electricity. It meant that on average your Direct Debit was less than half of what it was supposed to be.
The error only came to light when you moved house and submitted your final readings.
An Octopus spokesperson said 'We have made sure to not bill the electricity which he used in his previous home but did not pay for from 2019-2021.
'One of our operations managers has explained this to him and suggested to always get in touch with us if he is not paying as much as he expects.
'We are now getting accurate readings of his electricity usage and have given him some advice on how to check his appliances aren't unnecessarily wasting energy.
'We are also in the process of installing a smart meter to help him get a better understanding of his usage and keep an eye on his bills in the coming months.
Octopus also credited Alan with a goodwill payment and has put in place a more manageable monthly payment plan.
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