My electricity bill has just tripled: how about yours? Alternative suppliers?

[cupid_stunt]

Because it allows them to switch tariffs or apply debt to your meter without seeking a court order.
This has been detailed a lot over the energy cost crisis, that for people with smart meters they no longer need a warrant or a court order.
It's a matter of principle.

You are already on a pre-payment meter, they can already switch tariffs or apply debt to your meter without seeking a court order.

They are required by law to advise their intention to switch a customer to pre-payment, not that that applies to you as you are already on pre-payment, sometimes this goes wrong. Sometimes they get a court order to replace a normal dumb meter with a smart meter that requires pre-payment, again this does not apply to you as you are already on pre-payment, and for whatever reason the paperwork isn't delivered.

As, I've said before, if there's some cock-up that result in me being switched to pre-payment, I would rather that happens remotely, than coming home and finding they have forced entry into my home to physically change the meter.

But, then I like to be in control of my life, whereas you seem happy in not knowing what the hell you are being charged and paying for, and don't want to change that, I guess each to their own.

 

[MickiQ]

British Gas has sent me an email advising me to raise my Gas DD from £95 to £163 pm (they've recently cut my leccie one from £115 to £95) Unlike last time when they just unilaterally raised it from £95 to £198 and I had to spend a couple of hours on the phone getting arsey before they lowered it again this is a suggestion not a demand. I probably could do with raising my gas DD a bit (to £120 maybe) but I'm not sticking it to £163 that's too big of a jump.

 

[two sheds]

With electricity you can get a fair idea of your usage by measuring the kWh of the fridge etc with a plug-in meter. Not sure how you'd estimate gas usage if there are different appliances though.

 

[Epona]

You are already on a pre-payment meter, they can already switch tariffs or apply debt to your meter without seeking a court order.

They are required by law to advise their intention to switch a customer to pre-payment, not that that applies to you as you are already on pre-payment, sometimes this goes wrong. Sometimes they get a court order to replace a normal dumb meter with a smart meter that requires pre-payment, again this does not apply to you as you are already on pre-payment, and for whatever reason the paperwork isn't delivered.

As, I've said before, if there's some cock-up that result in me being switched to pre-payment, I would rather that happens remotely, than coming home and finding they have forced entry into my home to physically change the meter.

But, then I like to be in control of my life, whereas you seem happy in not knowing what the hell you are being charged and paying for, and don't want to change that, I guess each to their own.

They wouldn't be able to force their way into my home without getting a court order, which would require me knowing about it - they can't do that behind someone's back.

So I wouldn't ever come home and find they'd forced entry to my home to physically change the meter.

And I am fairly sure I do know what is going on in that they have ballsed up.

 

[Epona]

Pretty much the only thing we pay for is the standing charge, if it wasn't for the very occasional need for hot water, I'd just have the fucking gas disconnected.

There isn't any usage that I am not in control of, or have somehow forgotten how much it costs, because we're skint and don't use hot water or heating, and our cooker is electric.

So it is pretty much only standing charge that we should be paying for.

And yes that means a lot of the time we wash in cold water, so what, this is what life is like for hundreds of thousands of people on the bottom rung of society here in the UK these days, it's not even newsworthy any more. I don't need a smart meter to tell me that I am not using any gas.

 

[Epona]

Sorry for the rant, when I am and have been for years monitoring every penny of expenditure due to poverty, it rankles a bit when someone tries to tell me I don't know what I am using.

I know what I am using. Trust me on that.

 

[two sheds]

Apologies - I was meaning it as an alternative to smart meters so they're not essential.

 

[Epona]

Apologies - I was meaning it as an alternative to smart meters so they're not essential.

No worries - and they certainly aren't essential or even welcome if you literally have no way to reduce your usage.

I'm still fucked off about the removal of low usage tariffs where there was no daily standing charge but a much higher rate per Kw/h, it was much better for people like me. Even before the current energy price crisis, that increased my annual gas costs by about 300% overnight - that was many years ago now. As I don't cook with gas and don't use a lot of heating (typically have it on for about 2 to 4 hours each winter to take the chill off) or hot water, if it was up to me I'd have it disconnected and have a small electric immersion heater for hot water put back in, but OH panics at the suggestion of not having hot water without a couple of hours of planning.

 

[existentialist]

Why?

If you think there's something wrong with your meter, why wouldn't you want it replaced?

Smart meters are great, they show exactly what your charges are day-by-day, whereas you don't seem to have a clue about what you're being charged & paying, why wouldn't you want to take control of what you're paying out?

I am genuinely confused by your recent posts on this thread.

No idea of Epona's motives, but I don't want a smart meter, either. More for reasons of general unco-operative arsiness than anything else. I have a Raspberry Pi-based power monitoring system which is web-based and integrates with my home automation setup; smart meters generally don't integrate.

 

[two sheds]

I'm avoiding having a smart meter but that's not particularly difficult because there's no mobile reception in the valley.

 

[muscovyduck]

British Gas has sent me an email advising me to raise my Gas DD from £95 to £163 pm (they've recently cut my leccie one from £115 to £95) Unlike last time when they just unilaterally raised it from £95 to £198 and I had to spend a couple of hours on the phone getting arsey before they lowered it again this is a suggestion not a demand. I probably could do with raising my gas DD a bit (to £120 maybe) but I'm not sticking it to £163 that's too big of a jump.

Yep this is what they've done with me. They'd put me on a DD without my consent the beginning of last winter so I argued that I was in arrears because of this, was happy to remain in arrears as it would average out over the course of 12 months and they should have considered what time of year it was before putting me on a DD without my consent. Basically quoted their own shit back at them. Same as you at the moment, they've suggested the raise but not done it without my permission - although I assume that's coming next

 

[Epona]

Our utilities need to be renationalised, there are CEOs and board members and shareholders making good coin at the moment.

(or you know, better for revolution where we take back the means of production, but in the meantime renationalisation to cut out the money-grabbing shits at the top profiting from this would be a decent start).

 

[Epona]

Yep this is what they've done with me. They'd put me on a DD without my consent the beginning of last winter so I argued that I was in arrears because of this, was happy to remain in arrears as it would average out over the course of 12 months and they should have considered what time of year it was before putting me on a DD without my consent. Basically quoted their own shit back at them. Same as you at the moment, they've suggested the raise but not done it without my permission - although I assume that's coming next

How did they put you on a DD without your consent?

I don't doubt you btw in case it looks like that was why I was asking, just curious to know what to be on the lookout for with these money grabbing arsewipes.

What has happened with our leccy which is not on prepay is that they now "debit" our leccy account monthly with a mystery estimate sum of their own choosing, which is inevitably higher than what we have actually used, then get arsey with us if we don't pay it right away, even though we're supposed to be on 3 monthly billing.

 

[cupid_stunt]

They wouldn't be able to force their way into my home without getting a court order, which would require me knowing about it - they can't do that behind someone's back.

People have come home to find a energy company has forced entry, because they had a court order, but the customer never received the paperwork, or at least that's what they claim.

So I wouldn't ever come home and find they'd forced entry to my home to physically change the meter.

Again, it wouldn't happen to you, as you're already on a pre-payment meter.

And I am fairly sure I do know what is going on in that they have ballsed up.

So why are you posting that you don't understand why your pre-payment credits are not clearing off your off emergency credit ?

 

[weepiper]

No, I don't think I will, thank you.

 

[iona]

I'm avoiding having a smart meter but that's not particularly difficult because there's no mobile reception in the valley.

Just got some kind of monitoring thing set up here but it didn't work at first because the farmhouse walls are too thick for the signal to get through Two big wind turbines so shouldn't be drawing any electric from the grid a lot of the time, but one of them keeps tripping when it's too windy which may or may not be solely or partly to blame for the £600/month bills they've been getting.

The turbine people are meant to be coming out to look at it at some point and the monitoring thing should be useful to compare against future bills now that it's working, but not my problem to sort thankfully.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Which fuckwit of a company has come up with that, weepiper?

 

[two sheds]

one of them keeps tripping when it's too windy which may or may not be solely or partly to blame for the £600/month bills they've been getting.

how come that high?

 

[Epona]

People have come home to find a energy company has forced entry, because they had a court order, but the customer never received the paperwork, or at least that's what they claim.



Again, it wouldn't happen to you, as you're already on a pre-payment meter.



So why are you posting that you don't understand why your pre-payment credits are not clearing off your off emergency credit ?

Why does it matter to you so much?

I've had problems in the past with being illegally signed up to contracts for utilities (for which Scottish Power were prosecuted as their salespeople did it to multiple people illegally and it resulted in a big court case), it's no real wonder that I don't want too much automation of these things.

I am very wary of utility companies as a result.

I have been in a position where BG threatened to get a warrant and come round to change the meter against my will in a previous residence, but they had to physically leave red tape across my front door and the court order taped to the door.

Seriously why does it bother you if I don't want a smart meter?

 

[weepiper]

Which fuckwit of a company has come up with that, weepiper?

British Gas. They've overestimated my electricity by a couple of hundred quid so I've sent correct readings, but I will still have a debit balance of about £800 which I don't quite understand how it's built up to that point without them suggesting I up the DD until now (I was paying £120 a month)

 

[cupid_stunt]

Why does it matter to you so much?

I've had problems in the past with being illegally signed up to contracts for utilities (for which Scottish Power were prosecuted as their salespeople did it to multiple people illegally and it resulted in a big court case), it's no real wonder that I don't want too much automation of these things.

I am very wary of utility companies as a result.

I have been in a position where BG threatened to get a warrant and come round to change the meter against my will in a previous residence, but they had to physically leave red tape across my front door and the court order taped to the door.

Seriously why does it bother you if I don't want a smart meter?

I am just offering advice, because you're moaning about a little problem with BG, which you don't seem to want to take control off, I apologise for offering some helpful advice, I'll leave you to carry on moaning.

 

[Epona]

I am just offering advice, because you're moaning about a little problem with BG, which you don't seem to want to take control off, I apologise for offering some helpful advice, I'll leave you to carry on moaning.

This is the internet, it's here for having a moan

Sometimes unsolicited "advice" comes across more like a bit of a judgement or talking down, and I have long had an issue with this - unless I actually request advice or for help, it means I am just moaning and don't actually need or appreciate anyone trying to "fix" it for me. (This goes as much for IRL interactions as online btw!)

Thank you for your concern, but help really isn't required

 

[cupid_stunt]

British Gas. They've overestimated my electricity by a couple of hundred quid so I've sent correct readings, but I will still have a debit balance of about £800 which I don't quite understand how it's built up to that point without them suggesting I up the DD until now (I was paying £120 a month)

If you want to PM me photos of recent bills and your meter readings, I'll be happy to see if I can solve the mystery, as I did for danny la rouge back in Dec last year.

 

[iona]

how come that high?

Fuck knows.

Tbf there's the main farmhouse, my rooms and then all the campsite - showers (they're looking at getting solar set up for heating that water in future), kitchen, a holiday cottage and loft, plus electric hookups on some of the tent and van pitches. But there's also two massive wind turbines and Orkney does tend to be quite windy...

Basically need to find out if the turbine that's tripping - at which point we stop getting any power from it and have to start drawing from the grid if the other one isn't producing enough to cover all of what's being used right then - is the cause first, now that they have the monitoring thing set up.

 

[weepiper]

If you want to PM me photos of recent bills and your meter readings, I'll be happy to see if I can solve the mystery, as I did for danny la rouge back in Dec last year.

That's kind, I can't get to it this evening but if I can get my act together over the next couple of days I'll do that. I looked at the bills and found the way they applied the cost of living energy discount really confusing.

 

[danny la rouge]

That's kind, I can't get to it this evening but if I can get my act together over the next couple of days I'll do that. I looked at the bills and found the way they applied the cost of living energy discount really confusing.

He was incredibly helpful to me.

 

[cupid_stunt]

That's kind, I can't get to it this evening but if I can get my act together over the next couple of days I'll do that. I looked at the bills and found the way they applied the cost of living energy discount really confusing.

I've become an accidental expert on energy bills, so I am more than happy to help you, and indeed any other urbs.

 

[cupid_stunt]

He was incredibly helpful to me.

I was happy to help. mate.

 

[farmerbarleymow]

I've become an accidental expert on energy bills, so I am more than happy to help you, and indeed any other urbs.

Except with sharing octopus referral codes. That's my job.

 

[emanymton]

People have come home to find a energy company has forced entry, because they had a court order, but the customer never received the paperwork, or at least that's what they claim.

I had an issue with British Gad trying to bill me twice for the same period. Every time I spoke to them they would agree with me, then do nothing, and a few weeks latter a new threatening letter would arrive. It finally got to point where they sent me a letter telling me they had taken me to court and obtained a court order to force entry, all without me being aware of it.

I finally went to the ombudsman at that point and they sorted it out in a couple of days.

Given I also once had a letter from them take 3 months to arrive, yep quite possible for them to have a court order without you knowing about it.