Your Guide to Student Bills in Glasgow

Quick links:

• The first steps
• Agree how you’ll pay bills
• Student energy bills in Glasgow: Gas and electricity
• Glasgow Council Tax & TV Licence
• Glasgow students’ water bills
• Broadband & TV for Glasgow student houses
• The ultimate Glasgow bills and budgeting cheatsheet
• Glasgow student bills made simple

Glasgow is one of the most affordable student cities in the UK, but that doesn’t mean it’s lacking. 

From historic streets and buzzing music venues to world-class art galleries, there’s plenty to spend your weekends (and spare cash) on.

Whether you’re studying at the University of Glasgow, Strathclyde, Glasgow Caledonian, the Glasgow School of Art, or the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, you’ll already have your eye on a few areas to live in. 

Just make sure your dream spot fits your budget before you sign on the dotted line. Making a student budget is your best bet: here’s how to get started:

• Choose your student housing: From the West End to Merchant City and the City Centre, there’s accommodation all over. Choose a place that’s convenient for you, and you and your housemates can definitely afford.

• Create a budget: Work out how much you can afford to spend on rent, then add bills and other costs. This is the start of a budget. Get more info in our student finance guide. 

• Bills: No idea how much bills will cost? Don’t panic, we’ll cover costs of gas, electricity and broadband in this guide. 

Let’s get started with sorting your Glasgow student bills.

The first steps 📃

Just signed for your student house in Glasgow? Let’s break down what your bills might look like and how much it’ll cost to live your best Scottish student life.

Don’t wait until Freshers’ Week to get everything sorted., tTick these off now and you’ll save yourself a heap of stress later. 

Here’s what to do as soon as you’ve signed:

• Find out what’s included in the rent:
  • Ask your landlord which bills are included in your rent. Everything else you’ll need to cover yourself.  Whatever the setup, make sure it’s in writing.
• Ask who currently supplies your utilities
  • The landlord will tell you who supplies your gas, electricity, and broadband.– wWater is free for students in Scotland! 🙌
  • You’re responsible for bills from the day your tenancy agreement starts, so you’ll need to tell them ASAP if you want to switch.

• Sort your broadband setup: 
  • Broadband can take the longest to sort if it’s not included in your rent. Installation can take a couple of weeks, so the sooner you get it booked, the better… no one wants to start term with dodgy Wi-Fi!
  • Find out who covers your area using Ofcom’s broadband availability checker.
• TV Licence: 
  • You need a TV Licence if you plan to watch TV as its broadcast or anything on BBC iPlayer. Set it up online or include it in your bills package with Fused.
• Council tax: 
  • Full-time students are exempt from council tax, but you still need to declare this to Glasgow City Council. 

Agree how you’ll pay bills 🤝

Chat with housemates early on, so you’re all on the same page about how you’ll pay your bills. Once you’ve got the boring stuff done, you can relax and enjoy your Glasgow student experience.

If you’re the one reading this, you’re clearly on it, but that doesn’t mean it’s all on you! Pick a payment setup that works for everyone and keeps things fair.

Here are some options:

• Split the bills manually: 
  • Calculate how much each person owes and ask them to send it to you (or whoever takes control) each month. This means one person is paying all the bills, which could get messy if people fail to pay on time. 
• Split bills in a banking app: 
  • Some banking apps let you split the bills or send housemates a link to pay. 
  • One person is still responsible for all the direct debits, and you’ll need to trust your housemates to pay on time.
• A joint house bank account: 
  • You could get a joint bank account, although these aren’t specifically for students.
  • Everyone has access to the funds and they have to send their share on time.
• Create a bills package with Fused: 
  • Roll gas, electricity, broadband, and TV Licence into one monthly payment with Fused. 
  • Pay your fair share with individual direct debits

Once everything’s sorted, you can relax knowing you’re all set for the new academic year and you can start living your best Glasgow student life.

It’s time to move in! 📦

Moving in your student house is so exciting. But before you head down to the SU or go explore the lush parks, make sure you follow this quick checklist to get your bills in order:

• Find your energy meters and snap a photo

Your landlord or inventory should tell you where to find your meters. Take dated photos, as they may come in handy if there are any disputes later.

• Send off your first meter readings

Submit your readings to your energy supplier as soon as you move in. Then shop around. Your first tariff is usually the most expensive, and switching can save you some cash.

• Let the council know you’re a student

If everyone in your house is a full-time student, you don’t need to pay council tax. Head to the Glasgow City Council website and fill out the exemption form to get it sorted.

• Check your Wi-Fi works

Your broadband should be ready for move-in day, but it’s always worth testing it. If not, scroll down to the broadband section for a quick setup guide.

Bills can feel like a lot at first, but once these basics are done, you’re sorted. 

Keep reading to find out what you’ll be paying for.

Student energy bills in Glasgow: Gas and electricity 💡

There are a few different types of energy setups:

1. Energy bills included in your tenancy: This means you can’t choose your supplier, contract type or tariff, but you also don’t need to sort it out yourself. 
2. Electricity only: More common in apartment blocks
3. Gas and electricity: The most common situation is that you have both gas and electricity to pay. You’ll need to find a supplier and tariff that works for your budget.

Not sure? Ask your landlord or check your tenancy agreement so you’re clear on what’s your responsibility.

How to set up your gas and electricity

1. Set up an online account with your current supplier
2. Take a photo of your meters and upload them to your supplier’s website, and send them to your landlord in case of disputes about energy later.
3. Find the right energy tariff: Use this Ofgem tool to find out who covers your area, or set up a bills package. 
4. Set up a direct debit with your chosen supplier, or get a quote for a bills package with Fused. 
5. Settle up with the original supplier (if you’re switching) to cover the short time between moving in and switching. 

You might get quarterly or monthly bills, but you can always still pay monthly by direct debit (the cheapest option!).

How to read your energy bill

You just need to know the basics so you can make sense of what you’re being charged. All gas and electricity bills are made up of these factors:

1. Cost per kWh (kilowatt hour): Price per unit (kilowatt hour) of gas and electricity.
2. Daily standing charges: A fixed daily fee to cover the supplier’s costs

What’s The Energy Price Cap?

The Energy Price Cap sets a limit on how much suppliers can charge per unit (kWh) of gas and electricity, as well as on the daily standing charge. 

It doesn’t cap your total bill,  just the rate you pay for each unit. The more energy you use, the higher your bill will be.

Visit our Energy Price Gap page to get the latest costs.

Read our guide to saving energy and keep your costs down.

The average gas and electric bill for a student house in Glasgow

Everyone’s bill will be different, because bills are quoted and charged by your usage, how energy efficient your home is and other factors. But having an average figure in mind will help you budget. 

Here are some average Direct Debit utility bill costs:

Low usage (flat or 1-bedroom house / 1–2 people)

• Gas: 8,000 kWh
• Electricity: 1,800 kWh
• Average cost: £102.88 per month

Medium usage (3-bedroom house / 2–3 people)

• Gas: 12,000 kWh
• Electricity: 2,700 kWh
• Average cost: £143.29 per month

High usage (5-bedroom house / 4–5 people)

• Gas: 17,000 kWh
• Electricity: 4,100 kWh
• Average cost: £202.33 per month

Glasgow Council Tax & TV Licence 🏡 

Let’s dig into council tax and TV licence bills, why you might be exempt and how to pay.

Council tax for students

Full time students are exempt from council tax (on a course that’s at least 1 year and over 21+ hours/week). You do still need to tell Glasgow City Council you’re exempt.

If one of your housemates is a part-time student or not studying, they’ll need to pay council tax. If they’re the only one in the house who has to pay, it counts as a single occupancy, meaning they’ll get a 25% discount on the total bill.

TV Licence

You need a TV Licence if you watch live TV (i.e. TV as it’s broadcast) on any service or you stream anything on BBC iPlayer, then you need a TV Licence. 

If you only watch other streaming services (not including BBC iPlayer), you don’t need one, but you do need to tell them for an exemption. 

TV Licence is £174.50 per year, you can also pay quarterly (£44.89) or monthly, which is £29.10 for the first 6 months, then £14.54 monthly.

You can roll TV Licence into your monthly bills package with Fused.  To pay all your bills in one easy monthly payment. 

Glasgow students’ water bills 💧

Good news for full-time students in Scotland! You don’t pay for water or wastewater services.

Basically, if you qualify for council tax exemption, then your water is free too. 

If you’ve got a non-student housemate, the exemption doesn’t apply… so you’d still need to pay for water. 

Broadband & TV for Glasgow student houses 🛜

If broadband’s included in your rent, it should be up and running when you move in.

If not, you’ll need to sort it yourself. Once your router arrives, plug it in and follow the setup instructions. Try to order it early as broadband installation can take anywhere from 7 to 14 days (sometimes longer) if you need an engineer.

Need to find a provider? Check the Ofcom website to see who covers your area, then use comparison sites to find the best deal for your budget.

Don’t get stuck with a long contract by mistake! Look for 12-month or student broadband deals so you’re not hit with exit fees later.

Read our student broadband guide for more info.

The ultimate Glasgow bills and budgeting cheatsheet 👈

✨ Bills to expect as a Glasgow student:

Download your free cheatsheet for student bills and budgeting. 

Glasgow student bills made simple ✅

Before you head out to student night, sort your bills first. Then you’ll know exactly how much you’ve got to spend!

Getting bills sorted early doesn’t just help with budgeting, it saves you from those awkward chats later on.

With Fused’s student bills packages, you can bundle your energy, broadband, and TV Licence into one simple monthly payment, split evenly between everyone in the house.

Get a quote with Fused.