Funny how we have slightly different ways of trying to get to the same destination. I too track although I do things daily.
My methodology is as follows:
- When I get up in the morning, I look at my IHD 6 (Chameleon so essentially the ivie bud), hit the history button and record the previous day's kWh usage for both utilities in my 'Energy Reads' Open Office spreadsheet.
- I work out the total kWh since last bill and average kWh/day . On the rare times that the IHD has not recorded the previous daily total I go to Bright and enter the daily kWh. I do use Bright from time to time as an additional sanity check that the IHD has not gone off piste.
- I work out an anticipated bill for the period using the average worked out in step 2. Obviously in only starts firming up from the middle of the month onwards.
- Once I get to the end of the billing period I then start looking at the actual meter reads (via the IHD) although I'm lazy and look at them only on the final billing day for an additional sanity check. Never had them out of whack to what I've been recording over the month.
- Go to bed and record at about 11.45pm what the meter readings are (again via the IHD) and await the smart read update to appear later on the next day in my Eon Next account. Whenever I've read the actual meters they have always corresponded to what I see on my IHD so I'm reluctant to fire up the gas meter unnecessarily.
- Once I see that the smart reads are uploaded to my account I can them firm up my anticipated statement awaiting just the gas CV from the actual statement issue for reconciliation between the two.
Never been out by more than a few pence (either way). Here is progress so far this month anticipating the next statement circa £100
Green (on electricity) means better than last year (and red for gas the other way). Both within 10% of 2022 so that will do me.
To date I've had no surprises since joining Eon Next just over 2 years ago.
