Smartly metering

[oddoneout]

As I’ve said many times before I am stupid - all those years and I never knew gas meters had a battery in ……. !!!!! I have now read up on it …. the battery seems to be to power the display and should last 10 years ….. I have just checked the display and it is clear and well lit ….. as to the stopping and starting Andrew …..
Stop 19/01/21
Start 12/03/21
Stop 16/03/21
Start 21/03/21
Stop 12/11/21
Start 23/11/21
Stop 24/11/21

….. reading more on the, ever reliable, internet it seems that if the battery fails it should be sending messages to EDF …. ?????

It might be - but that doesn't mean any notice is being taken!

[oddoneout]

Bloomin' cold outside. I'm not going out again to look You're probably right - but if the reading is being transferred directly to the supplier, do I need to know? The IHD has the cost and the kilowatts (and lots of other things).

Closing the back door last night does seem to be resulting in a much lower reading.

Depends how much faith/trust you have in your supplier and the transfer of information being correct. I would want to make periodic checks between what the company is charging you for and what the meter reading says.

[Frances_iom]

...so there could be a cold-related problem with the meter. .

many years ago I had a small house where the gas meter was on the outside wall and the meter froze in a very cold spell over Xmas - it remained in some position in which sufficient gas would pass thru the meter but it didn't record any consumption - as in the previous year I'd been away in Australia for a considerable time over Xmas, this lack of consumption did not trigger any query by the company until a couple of months into spring when the gas supplier realised the problem.

[antongould]

It might be - but that doesn't mean any notice is being taken!

Good point well made ……

[antongould]

If the display is showing during a 'stopped' period it suggests that the battery is probably OK. The 'stopped' periods do seem to correlate with cold weather months, so there could be a cold-related problem with the meter. Presumably your bills correlate with the stopped periods, and it isn't just a communication problem with your remote display?

Yes my bills tie in with the actual readings on the meter and I regularly check theses actual readings on the meter to make sure they agree with those on the display unit …..

[Petrushka]

Depends how much faith/trust you have in your supplier and the transfer of information being correct. I would want to make periodic checks between what the company is charging you for and what the meter reading says.

And also the smart meter display unit may suffer technical issues (as mine did in the early weeks of installation) and your supplier may request you to send meter readings to them online. It's also a useful fallback if you suddenly find your bill gives an estimated reading for no reason whatsoever (I've had that as well).

I'm also against quarterly bills and tried to get EON to send them monthly. A monthly bill makes more sense from a budgeting perspective and also is handy for showing up any problems that may arise quickly before matters get out of control. EON wouldn't do as requested but now that customers have been moved to EON Next I'm pleased that they now do.

About four years ago (before smart meter days) I had a major issue with EON when they persistently sent estimated quarterly bills which quickly spiralled out of control. I used to work in debt recovery so knew how to apply pressure on them to get it resolved in my favour. They ended up writing most of it off because it was clear they hadn't got a leg to stand on.

After this experience, I got the smart meter arranged and kept EON on a tight leash by double checking all readings, refusing to pay by DD and not taking them up on the blandishments to go for a fixed price deal. I would much rather pay for exactly what I use each month and it gets checked and double checked before I do it.

[oddoneout]

And also the smart meter display unit may suffer technical issues (as mine did in the early weeks of installation) and your supplier may request you to send meter readings to them online. It's also a useful fallback if you suddenly find your bill gives an estimated reading for no reason whatsoever (I've had that as well).

I'm also against quarterly bills and tried to get EON to send them monthly. A monthly bill makes more sense from a budgeting perspective and also is handy for showing up any problems that may arise quickly before matters get out of control. EON wouldn't do as requested but now that customers have been moved to EON Next I'm pleased that they now do.

About four years ago (before smart meter days) I had a major issue with EON when they persistently sent estimated quarterly bills which quickly spiralled out of control. I used to work in debt recovery so knew how to apply pressure on them to get it resolved in my favour. They ended up writing most of it off because it was clear they hadn't got a leg to stand on.

After this experience, I got the smart meter arranged and kept EON on a tight leash by double checking all readings, refusing to pay by DD and not taking them up on the blandishments to go for a fixed price deal. I would much rather pay for exactly what I use each month and it gets checked and double checked before I do it.

This has me puzzled - why would a fixed price deal prevent you paying for what you use? Or do you mean having a fixed amount DD?

[Petrushka]

This has me puzzled - why would a fixed price deal prevent you paying for what you use? Or do you mean having a fixed amount DD?

As I think has already been said, there is no such thing as a fixed price DD so I don't want unnecessary complications making it more difficult to spot any errors. I have my monthly bill, it gets checked, then paid immediately with my debit card, that's the end of that month.

[Dave2002]

As I think has already been said, there is no such thing as a fixed price DD so I don't want unnecessary complications making it more difficult to spot any errors. I have my monthly bill, it gets checked, then paid immediately with my debit card, that's the end of that month.

While DDs are generally not fixed price, over recent years companies have claimed that their charges are fixed. In other words that the price per measured unit of gas or electrcity has been fixed - rather like fixed price mortgages guaranteeing a fixed interest rate even if interest rates elsewhere fluctuate. I see no strong reason to doubt that, and savings can be made by choosing a fixed rate tariff. Anyone who doesn't believe this can of course opt to pay in other ways and on a tariff which may vary monthly or at some other whim of the company and consequently possibly pay rather more.

[oddoneout]

As I think has already been said, there is no such thing as a fixed price DD so I don't want unnecessary complications making it more difficult to spot any errors. I have my monthly bill, it gets checked, then paid immediately with my debit card, that's the end of that month.

So have you always been on a standard variable tariff, rather than taking a 1,2 or 3 year fix?

[Petrushka]

So have you always been on a standard variable tariff, rather than taking a 1,2 or 3 year fix?

Yes I have. I'm sceptical about claims that these 1, 2 or 3 year fixes are much of a saving. No-one can know how things will be three years hence and the assumption that prices only go up is wrong as mine have come down twice in the past couple of years, though, obviously, not now. It's a gamble either way and it would be madness to take one out now.

[jayne lee wilson]

Yes I have. I'm sceptical about claims that these 1, 2 or 3 year fixes are much of a saving. No-one can know how things will be three years hence and the assumption that prices only go up is wrong as mine have come down twice in the past couple of years, though, obviously, not now. It's a gamble either way and it would be madness to take one out now.

...but it might be a very good idea to do it, if you can find a fixed deal with low or zero exit fees...... then you come out when you want.
Exit fees tend to be less punitive now anyway even if charged, ca £10 - £30 per energy type. My own 3-year SP deal is.... exit-fee-free....one reason I chose it.

[oddoneout]

Yes I have. I'm sceptical about claims that these 1, 2 or 3 year fixes are much of a saving. No-one can know how things will be three years hence and the assumption that prices only go up is wrong as mine have come down twice in the past couple of years, though, obviously, not now. It's a gamble either way and it would be madness to take one out now.

It is a gamble as you say, but as any price drops always seemed to be pretty quickly wiped out - by increased standing charges if nothing else - it seemed an acceptable one. The 3 year fix that finished a couple of months ago was worth doing overall but the waters were muddied by SSE being swallowed by OVO who offered a dual fuel (which was what I had) deal which was better for gas, although only about £4 annual saving for electricity. It would have been a penalty free switch but came with T&Cs ( compulsory smart meter and monthly DD) I didn't want.
Regardless of the fuel price, the standing charges have shot up an extra 4p and 6p per day, a bugbear at the best of times but when the last quarter gas used charge was half the standing charge... I used to be with a company that didn't have standing charges, the unit price was slightly higher instead, although I still saved a significant amount compared with the previous supplier's best offer. There is a psychological element to seeing a bill where the results of reduced usage are obvious and aren't overshadowed by the presence of standing charges that rack up regardless. The powers that be didn't like that business model and it was forced to end.

[Petrushka]

It is a gamble as you say, but as any price drops always seemed to be pretty quickly wiped out - by increased standing charges if nothing else - it seemed an acceptable one. The 3 year fix that finished a couple of months ago was worth doing overall but the waters were muddied by SSE being swallowed by OVO who offered a dual fuel (which was what I had) deal which was better for gas, although only about £4 annual saving for electricity. It would have been a penalty free switch but came with T&Cs ( compulsory smart meter and monthly DD) I didn't want.
Regardless of the fuel price, the standing charges have shot up an extra 4p and 6p per day, a bugbear at the best of times but when the last quarter gas used charge was half the standing charge... I used to be with a company that didn't have standing charges, the unit price was slightly higher instead, although I still saved a significant amount compared with the previous supplier's best offer. There is a psychological element to seeing a bill where the results of reduced usage are obvious and aren't overshadowed by the presence of standing charges that rack up regardless. The powers that be didn't like that business model and it was forced to end.

Yes, the standing charges are a bit of a bugbear for me too and are a rip-off. My gas usage in the summer months is usually less than the standing charge which makes no sense. However, the standing charges are incorporated into my smart meter display so I do see exactly what I am being charged. Another bugbear is the 5% VAT which is hard to justify and doesn't appear on the smart meter display. On a morning as cold as today, with the temperature around freezing, my smart meter display at the time I get up, will be showing near to the same amount of total usage of that on a day in July!

[oddoneout]

Yes, the standing charges are a bit of a bugbear for me too and are a rip-off. My gas usage in the summer months is usually less than the standing charge which makes no sense. However, the standing charges are incorporated into my smart meter display so I do see exactly what I am being charged. Another bugbear is the 5% VAT which is hard to justify and doesn't appear on the smart meter display. On a morning as cold as today, with the temperature around freezing, my smart meter display at the time I get up, will be showing near to the same amount of total usage of that on a day in July!

At least it isn't the standard rate of 20%! As I understand it in theory the post-Brexit UK could now reduce or eliminate that rate (and others), but that ain't going to happen methinks. VAT is a useful source of revenue.