Meter readings

[antongould]

We have an electricity supply on smart meter with Bulb and it works fine - prices apart. As the supply is in a building that is not our house and we use little electricity there normally, the standing charge is sometimes larger than the consumption charge.

Thank you …. If you don’t mind me asking do you have a gas supply …. ????

[Frances_iom]

Do people not make use of the electricity consumption meters that were widely issued free of charge a couple of years ago - these are the ones that clip onto one of the supply leads to the electric meter - these are independent of the supply company and give near instant indication of the actual electric consumption - gas monitoring is more difficult tho.

[Andrew]

EDF almost appeared to have my converting to a "smart meter" as a condition of contract. They sent a man round to check for suitability and I received a subsequent email stating it would not be practicable for several incomprehensible reasons. Last week they again urged me to apply to have one installed. Speaking to a neighbour she told me she has been told similar.

....except that most meters worked of only the company who'd installed them; change energy suppliers and the system stops working. This would be analogous to buying a car, to find it only runs on (say) Shell petrol and no other-ridiculous!

+1!

[gradus]

Thank you …. If you don’t mind me asking do you have a gas supply …. ????

No we're gas only and up to now its been a disadvantage!

[antongould]

I don't pay by direct debit so it should simply be a straightforward monthly deduction of £66 or £67 coming off the bill. For those paying by DD surely it needs to do exactly the same?

It would seem not Petrushka I have today received an email from my supplier - EDF - stating that for the six months October to March they will pay £66.67 into my bank account …. therefore my bills, monthly payments and thus debt to my supplier will not be impacted by the £400 …. I wonder if every MDD customer realises this. Lady Gould will no doubt, like the Wagners, spend our windfall on velvet curtains ….

[Petrushka]

It would seem not Petrushka I have today received an email from my supplier - EDF - stating that for the six months October to March they will pay £66.67 into my bank account …. therefore my bills, monthly payments and thus debt to my supplier will not be impacted by the £400 …. I wonder if every MDD customer realises this. Lady Gould will no doubt, like the Wagners, spend our windfall on velvet curtains ….

I'm sure I've read that different suppliers are using different methods of refunding the monthly £66. My own supplier - EON Next - will choose the option of reducing the bill. If they refund into my bank account there's a danger it will go towards CD boxed sets!

This from the EON website: You'll see a discount of £66 applied to your energy bills in October and November, and £67 a month from December to March 2023.

[muzzer]

I can’t take a meter reading at the moment. In the course of fixing a burst water main, the old meter (inside the house) was allegedly replaced by one in the street. Which isn’t there. Thames Water are of course none the wiser. Weak regulation by successive governments that simply don’t care about this sort of stuff means we have an expensive and poor service. I’m afraid that’s Britain all over now.

[Pulcinella]

I can’t take a meter reading at the moment. In the course of fixing a burst water main, the old meter (inside the house) was allegedly replaced by one in the street. Which isn’t there. Thames Water are of course none the wiser. Weak regulation by successive governments that simply don’t care about this sort of stuff means we have an expensive and poor service. I’m afraid that’s Britain all over now.

Yes: not so much heartbroken Britain (as is currently being reported) but completely broken Britain.

[teamsaint]

Yes: not so much heartbroken Britain (as is currently being reported) but completely broken Britain.

Broadly in line with much of the Western world, IMHO. For all the calamities that tory rule and truly feeble political opposition have brought us, Canada, France, Germany , Austria, Spain , Australia, NZ, and others have political leadership that makes me shudder. The causes of this are what needs looking at.

[Pulcinella]

Broadly in line with much of the Western world, IMHO. For all the calamities that tory rule and truly feeble political opposition have brought us, Canada, France, Germany , Austria, Spain , Australia, NZ, and others have political leadership that makes me shudder. The causes of this are what needs looking at.

You may be right about leadership, but do those other countries have such appalling problems as we do with their health services, obtaining passports and driving licences, contacting the tax office.....?

[smittims]

I've only lived in England, so I claim no knowledge , but I supect there are countries where there is no health service, where you can't get a passport except an expensive illegal one, and where you wouldn't dare approach the tax office at all...

[teamsaint]

You may be right about leadership, but do those other countries have such appalling problems as we do with their health services, obtaining passports and driving licences, contacting the tax office.....?

A mixed bag I would imagine. Bureaucracy in both Germany and France can be very slow moving, just as one example.
Problems here are deep and manifold, but there is a wider context (s) and again, just as an example the centre of economic gravity is inexorably moving east and south, and being driven more quickly in that direction by the Ukraine war and its fallout. And there are all sorts of supra national pressures and pressure groups that are part of the developing problems and the authoritarian direction of travel in western govts.
Just IMHO of course….

[Dave2002]

It would seem not Petrushka I have today received an email from my supplier - EDF - stating that for the six months October to March they will pay £66.67 into my bank account …. therefore my bills, monthly payments and thus debt to my supplier will not be impacted by the £400 …. I wonder if every MDD customer realises this. Lady Gould will no doubt, like the Wagners, spend our windfall on velvet curtains ….

I've heard all the bluster about the £400 "rebates", but no idea how it is to be implemented, or if it affects (benefits?) every household in the UK. Currently I live in Scotland and we have an electricity provider, but no gas as there is no network piped connection, so we rely on oil - or if we can get a system installed soon enough - heat pumps.

Is the intention that electricity bills will get an offset or only "obvious" heat fuel providers - such as gas suppliers? Also, is this supposed to be a UK wide refund - or just England, or England and Wales?

[french frank]

IIs the intention that electricity bills will get an offset or only "obvious" heat fuel providers - such as gas suppliers? Also, is this supposed to be a UK wide refund - or just England, or England and Wales?

The discount is only off electricity bills. Interesting situation as my electricity bill is usually under £50 and I can't see it going up much more over the winter. The gas, however

[oddoneout]

I've heard all the bluster about the £400 "rebates", but no idea how it is to be implemented, or if it affects (benefits?) every household in the UK. Currently I live in Scotland and we have an electricity provider, but no gas as there is no network piped connection, so we rely on oil - or if we can get a system installed soon enough - heat pumps.

Is the intention that electricity bills will get an offset or only "obvious" heat fuel providers - such as gas suppliers? Also, is this supposed to be a UK wide refund - or just England, or England and Wales?

This is the official blurb https://www.gov.uk/government/news/4...ds-this-winter and more recent info from Martin Lewis https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/ne...ng-support-pa/
From the latter I note that the issue of park homes and the like has yet to be addressed - unfortunate as many of the occupants of such accommodation are pensioners, and not necessarily the much envied well off kind either. Given the problems that have arisen in the past with voucher schemes I also wonder how many who will need to use them (prepayment customers) are going to find themselves in difficulties trying to get what they are due.