Since I moved here about three and a half years ago, I have been with three energy companies. It always ends badly when they keep putting up the DD and I end up miles in credit. They only ever allow the DD amount to be increased. I can only get my money back by leaving. My latest energy provider is the Co-Op, who I thought (naively, but they are owned by the members, rather than a foreign company sucking money out for their shareholders) would be more even handed. It started badly when I set up everything so that I could access my account on-line. Put in the first lot of meter readings but they were rejected. The web site came back with a message along the lines of, 'we don't believe you and you must be using much more power'. I had to phone up and say, 'if you don't believe me then come and read the meter!'. So they changed my account so that my meter reading were accepted and so all good. I submitted readings a few weeks ago at their request and thought no more about it. Today, I get an email to tell me that my DD needs to increase over £40 per month. I know that I am using more power because of the time of year and so I check my account and I am about £50 in credit. I ring up to complain that whilst I accept that it can go up because we are in Winter but not by that much. The story that I get is that they are now government bound to prevent users going into debt and so the DD must be increased to stop this irresponsible behaviour. I point out that I am in credit but I am not disputing that the DD cannot be increased but not by the amount that they want. I submitted readings today and the Co-Op are thinking about it. Looks like time to leave as soon as i can ..... I would happily submit monthly readings and they could DD an amount that reflects my use. Why do energy energy companies not do this instead of going on and on about f*$king smart meters?
Mmmm, if you are only £50 in credit after the summer I think you will be well in arrears by spring - they might be correct in this instance I used to pay more prior to smart meter and use it as a saving scheme, then phone up once a year to get the credit back.
It’s all Bollox. They just steal From People That actually pay their bills to pay for All the Ditritus that doesn’t. I’m drunk Again sorry for Blunt Reply but it pisses me off when decent people have to pay for Shit that should be euthanised
I pay my bill quartely by DD so I only ever pay for what have used. Fitting Smart Meters is a government initiative that required the power suppliers to committ to fitting one for any customer who wanted one and are not compulsory. In recent months it has been shown and supply companies have admitted that the savings claimed at launch are not achievable mainly because the figures used were based on average consumption for a family when there are far more properties with fewer occupants. Deregulation of power supplier market to open the market has achieved only one thing as far as I can see and that is new small suppliers making big promises and going bust when they can’t deliver. Wholesale power supply market is corrupt just like OPEC. Andy
Andy you have as dim a view of the modern world as I do. I salute you! It’s full of chancers and charlatans
Don’t see the point on smart meters. Not unless you what to sit looking at the amount of energy being used. Ours went from £72 to £101 for the winter, and will go down again with a large amount in credit in April. Happens every year
I was told that I can't have a smart meter and neither can my mother when I had to contact her energy company. We both have in common a crap mobile phone signal. Apparently, smart meters use the mobile network, so I am told. Never understood the claim that a smart meter can save energy. It can't switch anything off and cannot tell you which device is using the most power. As far as I can see, it is a useless piece of kit that is ending up increasing everyone's bills, whether they have one or not. The energy companies are happy enough with first generation meters that won't work with a competitor.
If I were a conspiracy guy, I’d say it’s part of the track and trace strategy that is being deployed by stealth. At least the Chinese are upfront about it
Tried To Get us to have a smart metre and I told em to piss off. They got quite grumpy about it. I have air source heat pumps, pv’s 6 fireplaces and oil fired Heating. Explained This and the stupid sales tit still Didn’t get it. They are Just after stitching people Up after the fact.
We have had ‘can we confirm your time please’ calls and texts when we haven’t agreed on one. Mrs B is harassed at least once a month.
I keep getting offered smart meters for gas and electric. For free. As they are offered for free, I decline every time. You always end up paying bigly for free stuff. Always.
at their request (insistence) i got a smart meter put in 5-6 years ago at work. i dont see the problem. no more arrears or credit sitting their account, billed monthly. piece o piss. but my bills a v,small, in the summer around £30 a month, the winter around £110-120.
They do make you think more about usage, my house is well insulated, but I've even taken to closing the sliding door from the living room where I have the remote thermostat - the poor Ducati's have to suffer 15 degrees now in winter instead of 20
Fook that!!! When Mrs Ex comes from Czech she has it on 24 then opens the fekkin' windows 20 feels cold when she fly's back
simples .. wind thermo back to your liking, shut the windows and when she flys back she won't be able to get in. result
Sorted it, I'm going to hers this winter - it will be covered in snow so 30 degrees should thaw me out nicely
This has little to do with helping the individual but more the companies to plan their peaks and troughs but also in the future I suspect, will see multi platform charging rates. I'm trying to remember where I saw it yesterday but I'm sure I saw the government was bringing in a law that said all new electric car charging points at peoples homes from 2019, will have to have a smart meter fitted at the same time so a through the back door given the promise for electric.
Ah, so all the petrol tax can be taken from the electric - cool but what stops people running an extension lead out there
