Gas/Electricity Price Increases

[elsiegee40]

Just seen this

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63483668

 

Seems like a good idea - but my first thought was that 'some people' could fiddle it my switching everything off and going to the pub for dinner and to watch 'the match' (other TV programmes are available)

 

not sure how they will work out whether or not you have switched energy usage - what if you wait until the test hour is over then stick the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer on just after.

 

sounds eminently fiddleable

 

or is that just be being cynical about how people will behave??

 

again

 

It’s not fiddling the system. It’s using less energy. The energy you use down the pub would have been used regardless. They’ll be happy if you do it

[mavhc]

So - a pint and steak and chip it is then

 

Probably not a good way to save money

[Ditto]

Probably not a good way to save money

 

I dunno - just the one chip must be a saving on a whole portion.

[LeMarchand]

Put my meter readings in last night - one day I'll get "smart" ones - and decided to check usage against last year, which we had been doing well on. Almost had a heart attack when I saw usage had skyrocketed. Then I realised that I was looking at £s, not kWh.

[JATSO]

Put ours in the other day and noticed that the Electric meter had not moved from its previous reading.

Which seems odd considering we use Electric for cooking as well.

 

They also sent us a bill that shows completely different readings from what's on the meter or maybe I am reading it wrong.

 

October's and November's reading.

Edited November 9, 2022 by JATSO

[mavhc]

As a person who uses computers a lot, I advise: Press the buttons, see what happens

[JATSO]

As a person who uses computers a lot, I advise: Press the buttons, see what happens

 

My other half always says just don't touch anything.

I even tried turning it off and on again but those buttons don't do anything.

[jmak]

You should probably tell them, but AFAIK the reading in the meter has legal standing, so that's all they're entitled to charge you for. Once you've notified them, it's their responsibility to fix the meter.

 

The only exception I'm aware of is where a landlord has subdivided the supply so that they can split the charges from the meter owned by the supply company into charges for multiple tenants.

 

IANAL, but I'd definitely challenge it.

 

Years ago our supplier installed a new meter, but configured it so that we got the economy 7 rate between 7am and midnight and standard rate between midnight and 7am. I and they had submitted several readings before anyone noticed it was wrong and they completely accepted responsibility and took the hit of several hundred pounds.

[Koldov]

Just seen this

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-63483668

 

Seems like a good idea - but my first thought was that 'some people' could fiddle it my switching everything off and going to the pub for dinner and to watch 'the match' (other TV programmes are available)

 

not sure how they will work out whether or not you have switched energy usage - what if you wait until the test hour is over then stick the dishwasher, washing machine and dryer on just after.

 

sounds eminently fiddleable

 

or is that just be being cynical about how people will behave??

 

again

 

We don't have a V2 'smart' meter (despite asking for one numerous times)...

 

I know there are people with life saving equipment in their homes that cannot be turned off and many other reasons for higher than average energy usage.... but still...

 

My issue with it is that those who might benefit as usual, are people who have higher usage in the first place (due to their lifestyle - although some people in the '1st World' don't see these things as luxuries - and I do get the point about living your life how you want - not many people enjoy sitting in the cold and dark to 'save the planet'). They might benefit from turning off their hot tub with full garden lighting/crypto mining server farm/cannabis factory/60 inch TVs in every room etc... and get paid for doing it (although they would probably be more likely to make more money from keeping 1 or 2 of those things going - or maybe not with energy prices as they are - unless they've tapped into a neighbour's supply).

 

I've always been a minimal energy user, honestly apart from one clothes wash a week, one TV on in the evening, one dishwasher load a week, saving water from the (quick) shower, LED bulbs in every room, heating on the lowest setting and so on that has been even further reduced lately... I don't know what I could do to reduce it much more...

[LeMarchand]

They might benefit from turning off their hot tub with full garden lighting/crypto mining server farm/cannabis factory/60 inch TVs in every room etc... and get paid for doing it (although they would probably be more likely to make more money from keeping 1 or 2 of those things going - or maybe not with energy prices as they are - unless they've tapped into a neighbour's supply).

 

It may be an urban myth, but allegedly there was a local case where someone got done and assumed he'd been "grassed up" (no pun intended). He didn't seem to think that the wire leading from the street lamp outside leading to his house may have tipped the police off.

[mavhc]

Disguise the wire as a charger for your car.

 

Also 25 million houses have a smart meter installed, because the SMETS 1 meters have been software upgraded to use DCC

[LeMarchand]

Disguise the wire as a charger for your car.

 

Parking a car inside, let alone upstairs, in a terraced street would be an impressive feat!

[Koldov]

Also 25 million houses have a smart meter installed, because the SMETS 1 meters have been software upgraded to use DCC

 

Not really looked into it, but I don't think mine has, unfortunately... either that or Scottish Power can't read it as it was installed by another energy supplier...?

 

[mavhc]

The upgrade to DCC should fix the change in supplier problem.

 

https://smartmetercheck.citizensadvice.org.uk/

[6Foot2]

Disguise the wire as a charger for your car...

 

Or disguise it as part of a pavement-mounted hookah:

 

 

[mikeprice]

Put ours in the other day and noticed that the Electric meter had not moved from its previous reading.

Which seems odd considering we use Electric for cooking as well.

 

They also sent us a bill that shows completely different readings from what's on the meter or maybe I am reading it wrong.

 

October's and November's reading.[ATTACH]67019[/ATTACH][ATTACH]67020[/ATTACH]

 

Mine does different things if I press the green button and hold it down for a few seconds

At that point the display lights up and it shows the time - then pressing the button again cycles through several displays - some of which can only be accessed this way

 

e.g. this is the only way I can get the export reading to find out how much it thinks we have exported to the grid from the solar panels

 

other displays show the different modes - e.g. credit mode - or presumably debit mode to pre-payment

 

might be worth a try to see what it says

[JATSO]

Mine does different things if I press the green button and hold it down for a few seconds

At that point the display lights up and it shows the time - then pressing the button again cycles through several displays - some of which can only be accessed this way

 

e.g. this is the only way I can get the export reading to find out how much it thinks we have exported to the grid from the solar panels

 

other displays show the different modes - e.g. credit mode - or presumably debit mode to pre-payment

 

might be worth a try to see what it says

 

I will try them again but from what I see is nothing is giving me anything different.

Mind you we are with EDF probably the worst company to deal with in respect of issues with the meter.

[southhamster]

This is a bit of a worry. Do you trust your electricity co. not to mess up?

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/09/british-energy-suppliers-criticised-over-disconnection-by-the-back-door?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

[foofighterjim]

This is a bit of a worry. Do you trust your electricity co. not to mess up?

 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/nov/09/british-energy-suppliers-criticised-over-disconnection-by-the-back-door?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

 

What that article doesn't make clear is that if you have a smart meter, they can change you over remotely without your approval. I never got around to doing the whole smart meter thing but I'm glad I didn't, I really don't mind submitting readings once a month and I don't think a live readout is going to provide many insights to my usage.

[FN-GM]

Put ours in the other day and noticed that the Electric meter had not moved from its previous reading.

Which seems odd considering we use Electric for cooking as well.

 

They also sent us a bill that shows completely different readings from what's on the meter or maybe I am reading it wrong.

 

October's and November's reading.[ATTACH]67019[/ATTACH][ATTACH]67020[/ATTACH]

 

Probably a broken meter. My mate had this with his gas meter. He had a nightmare with the gas company as they provided an estimated reading that was way out. I would get it replaced ASAP.

[JATSO]

Our gas meter was faulty last year had been for over 12 months EDF decided to chased it after we them for 6 months.

 

Yes we think the electric meter is faulty as they also gave us an estimated the reading on the electric that's why I take the photos now as evidence they still come back saying our numbers don't look right.

 

Must remember to take that magnet off the meter to stop it clocking up so quickly before they come and change it, maybe 12 months time.

[mavhc]

"Based on current trends it expects 10,000 meters to be switched over to prepayment each month" -- err, you have 2 data points, that's not enough to predict anything, let alone the future

[elsiegee40]

A miracle has occurred. EDF has returned the money it owes us.

 

By cheque. And the sum involved is way over the £1000 pay in limit on our banking app. And our local bank branch has closed. We are in London on Monday have identified a branch there near where we’re going, so it’ll be paid in there.

 

Once that’s done we are free of EDF for good

[southhamster]

A miracle has occurred. EDF has returned the money it owes us.

 

By cheque. And the sum involved is way over the £1000 pay in limit on our banking app. And our local bank branch has closed. We are in London on Monday have identified a branch there near where we’re going, so it’ll be paid in there.

 

Once that’s done we are free of EDF for good

You HOPE you are free of EDF for good!

[elsiegee40]

You HOPE you are free of EDF for good!

 

Very true!