I didnt know that

mikew

mikew

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I was told we were being moved from Npower to Eon , i must have missed the bit about having to move from quarterly bills to monthly

Here at E.ON Next we choose to bill our customers monthly. Therefore we will give you a little nudge by email, to remind you to send us a meter reading when your bill is due. If you have a Smart Meter, you can sit back and relax knowing this has automatically been done for you. By billing you at this frequency it allows you to keep an eye on your account, ensuring you’re only being billed for what you use, and that the payments you’re making are keeping your account looking healthy.

NOT THAT BOTHERED BUT IME SURE IT WASNT MADE CLEAR
 
I pay monthly anyway, just send a reading in when asked, it's good to keep up to date on things
Like you I don't remember seeing anything about it when I was moved but makes no difference to me
 
Marc said:
As far as I can recall, we went to monthly payments as soon as we went to direct debit and that was literally decades ago. Didn't realise any energy companies still did quarterly billing.
Click to expand...

Npower used to ask for meter readings quarterly and you got an account statement showing whether you were
in credit or debit and whether your monthly payments were ok
Eon seem to want monthly readings for some reason
 
Slightly off topic, but can anyone with a smart meter please explain the advantages of having one ?
I'm a little cynical about the idea of something being given free that is meant to save me money, and is not actually a benefit to the providers...
 
stevewestern said:
Slightly off topic, but can anyone with a smart meter please explain the advantages of having one ?
I'm a little cynical about the idea of something being given free that is meant to save me money, and is not actually a benefit to the providers...
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The meter won't save you money, but the energy monitor that you also get may help make you aware of where you waste energy, and therefore make you more energy conscious and stop leaving lights on etc and therefore help save some money.
The reason the provider wants you to have one is it allows them to provide more accurate billing, and they don't need to have as many meter readers....and they've been set targets by the government for the replacement of dumb meters with smart meters.
 
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Bobsyeruncle said:
The meter won't save you money, but the energy monitor that you also get may help make you aware of where you waste energy, and therefore make you more energy conscious and stop leaving lights on etc and therefore help save some money.
The reason the provider wants you to have one is it allows them to provide more accurate billing, and they don't need to have as many meter readers....and they've been set targets by the government for the replacement of dumb meters with smart meters.
Click to expand...
Much as I thought then. Of benefit to them rather than the user.
We, like many, use led bulbs, adjust the heating to suit our needs etc. Not had a meter reader come round for many years, and send in a reading every time it's requested (6 - 12 monthly) and don't seem to over or under pay by more than a few pounds each time. I do know that meter fitters were, and maybe still are, earning a very good income for fitting them..!
 
Marc said:
As far as I can recall, we went to monthly payments as soon as we went to direct debit and that was literally decades ago. Didn't realise any energy companies still did quarterly billing.
Click to expand...


SSE still do quarterly billing. 6 monthly meter readings but I can tell them the true reading if the estimated one's way out.
 
The biggest advantage is no estimated readings. and no metre readers or meter readings to take. they and you can see the energy usage in real time and at any frequency you wish or set up. I do not believe that it directly saves you or anyone else money, but in the long term a meter must be lest costly than meter readings as it is all automated.

I pay BG quarterly by direct debit based on the actual readings. no estimates.
 
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Bobsyeruncle said:
The meter won't save you money, but the energy monitor that you also get may help make you aware of where you waste energy, and therefore make you more energy conscious and stop leaving lights on etc and therefore help save some money.
The reason the provider wants you to have one is it allows them to provide more accurate billing, and they don't need to have as many meter readers....and they've been set targets by the government for the replacement of dumb meters with smart meters.
Click to expand...
I don't need smart meters, I can see when we have left lights on (all our lights are 'low energy' anyway). My heating is controlled by timers & thermostats. I have reduced my energy bills over the last 10 years by 40% by investing in more efficient appliances.......

I am also not keen on the idea that the Government is considering legislation to allow energy suppliers to interrupt domestic supply without warning or compensation, for example turning off supply to households charging EVs or using electric heating

www.thisismoney.co.uk

Emergency measures could allow networks to switch off household power

A series of backdoor 'modifications' to the Smart Energy Code have been proposed by officials and look set to pass into law by next spring.
www.thisismoney.co.uk www.thisismoney.co.uk
 
broc said:
I am also not keen on the idea that the Government is considering legislation to allow energy suppliers to interrupt domestic supply without warning or compensation, for example turning off supply to households charging EVs or using electric heating
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So people like myself that have electric storage heaters could end up cold in the winter so cars can be charged,
sounds like a well thought out plan
End up with more house fires as people buy calor gas heaters to keep warm if the have no other option
Who comes up with these stupid ideas
 
Gremlin said:
So people like myself that have electric storage heaters could end up cold in the winter so cars can be charged,
sounds like a well thought out plan
End up with more house fires as people buy calor gas heaters to keep warm if the have no other option
Who comes up with these stupid ideas
Click to expand...
I think the thinking is more along the lines of 'managing' a major increase in power demand to charge all these EVs we are going to be using in the future. It's probably coming from energy companies who don't want to invest in expensive generation capacity. Sadly I think the move towards renewables such as wind & solar power is partly to blame, as there could be a shortfall in grid capacity if there is insufficient wind & it's dark.....

The idea of switching domestic heating away from burning gas to 'heat pumps' will increase demand for electricity too, as the 'pumps' use electricity to circulate the fluids they use.
 
broc said:
I think the thinking is more along the lines of 'managing' a major increase in power demand to charge all these EVs we are going to be using in the future. It's probably coming from energy companies who don't want to invest in expensive generation capacity. Sadly I think the move towards renewables such as wind & solar power is partly to blame, as there could be a shortfall in grid capacity if there is insufficient wind & it's dark.....

The idea of switching domestic heating away from burning gas to 'heat pumps' will increase demand for electricity too, as the 'pumps' use electricity to circulate the fluids they use.
Click to expand...

I think I recall reading that some years back we had 20% headroom in the electricity supply. However the article said that by 2030 it would be 5% headroom that at exceptional peak demand could/would result in outages :(

Why, because of the shift away from coal and poor infrastructure forward planning.

PS this website may be of interest.... moment to moment UK electricity usage based on the various power generation types.

GB Fuel type power generation production

GridWatch | Live statistic of UK National Electricity grid by type of generation | Solar PV power Generation | Coal Stations output in Gigawatts | Wind Output Gigawatts | Nuclear energy output |Biomass power generation Output
gridwatch.co.uk gridwatch.co.uk
 
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Smart meters can not be used to cut off your power. They have no switching mechanism.
 
Terrywoodenpic said:
Smart meters can not be used to cut off your power. They have no switching mechanism.
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Current generations of smart meters may not be able to, but the link I posted above suggests legislation is being considered that would allow the switching technology to be incorporated (and used) in new smart meters.
 
broc said:
Current generations of smart meters may not be able to, but the link I posted above suggests legislation is being considered that would allow the switching technology to be incorporated (and used) in new smart meters.
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The cost of changing over millions of smart meters and the necessary mains wiring and switch gear would be prohibitive.
It would then not be able to control the gas feed as the smart meter is only connected by wireless, Andrew the gas meter has no power connection.
 
My wife told me that we've changed from EDF to Octopus. It's a Which? - recommended company and my wife said that several of her forum friends are signed up. In the first three months we saved £60 a month. It's decreased because of autumn/winter use. Now £30 a month.
 
broc said:
I think the thinking is more along the lines of 'managing' a major increase in power demand to charge all these EVs we are going to be using in the future. It's probably coming from energy companies who don't want to invest in expensive generation capacity. Sadly I think the move towards renewables such as wind & solar power is partly to blame, as there could be a shortfall in grid capacity if there is insufficient wind & it's dark.....
Click to expand...

The lack of wind or sunlight really isn't a problem even now. It is routine for renewable power to be connected to storage batteries - yes, they are VERY LARGE - to be fed into the grid when direct power isn't available.

Renewable energy generation is the only sustainable solution for our future power needs. The only alternative is to see another 5 or 6 nuclear power stations being built, with all the problems that gives the human race for thousands of years dealing with the waste materials. The cost or generating renewable energy is falling all the time despite Government subsidies having been completely scrapped and is currently in the £30/MWh region. Compare that to the minimum guaranteed price that we will be paying the EDF/Chinese consortium building Hinckley Point C for 35 years of £92.50/MWh plus inflation from 2012. The UK Government refused to disclose what that figure had reached already and the station isn't even close to completion yet.
 
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