Chesterfield Online Forum
General Category => General Discussion => Topic started by: Old Cruser on August 24, 2015, 03:59:16 PM
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We did apply to have one installed after having another email. This time the link worked and they are coming tomorrow to install it.
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Its mainly for your supplier,saves them sending a man to read your meter, had one a couple of years.
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Or in the case of Ovo saves me sending a reading. Would advise taking photograph of final readings on old one because they cocked mine up and reckoned I owed hundreds
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I already send a monthly read in but thought I had read I still had to send them?
Thanks for the tip Andy, I'll tel hubby to get his camera out!
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Resurrecting an old thread, I find the current tv advertising incredulous that they can promise homeowners potentially big savings on their energy bills.
I had them fitted shortly before my cancer surgery so, should anything untoward have happened, it'd be one thing less (reading meters) for my wife to do. The fitters arrived and, as the meters are behind a kitchen cupboard, I was told that I'd need a piece cutting out of the bottom shelf to facilitate fitting of the gas meter.
On their second visit, both meters were fitted, but there was no need for the shelf to be cut up, as the gas meter fitted fine.
Anyway everything was eventually set up, (as the energy company couldn't get the in home display to show the correct tariffs).
All went well until I switched supplier and my meters reverted to being 'dumb', so I was back to providing my supplier with meter reads! Who in their right mind allowed such a huge project to take place with each supplier using their own version of smart meters. I now refuse the current badgering by my supplier to have replacement meters. Apparently there's a nationwide upgrade to all 1st generation meters due sometime in 2019/20, which will make them once again smart meters.
So, all in all, a huge c**k up! Now, they're promising fantastic savings - I for one don't need a visible display to tell me to switch the lights off or turn the heating off when I don't need them. Indeed my in home display was put in the pantry out of the way!
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What he said lol :)) >;
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Alsatian I am in exactly the same position as you.When I had both meters fitted I was unaware that they are not compatible with other suppliers.I have since changed suppliers and I am being pestered to have new meters fitted.I flatly refuse to budge until the second generation ones arrive(if ever).Until then I will continue on my handa and knees with torch in hand pressing the number 9 button so my usage figures appear.
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What he said lol :)) >;
Senior moment (again!) I pressed quote instead of modify and then couldn't get rid of the post! >;
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lol Alsatian ;)
Back on topic. I phoned Eon some months ago and told them we didn't want one fitting 'at this time'.
Apparently that's fine. No-one has to have one fitted. I also can't see how it would save you money ?
Just companies making the meters profit, and some jobs. I wonder if there made in the UK ::)
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Mine were made by Siemens in Germany and installed by them from their Nottingham office.
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I didn't know they were just for the company who had them put in - we are with OVO and well satisfied with them so not planning on changing suppliers for the foreseeable future.
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Using this thread..........
I changed my utility company a few weeks before Xmas, as whilst I was with Coop Energy my D/D was constantly going in the wrong direction. I finally called it a day with them when they asked for £140 per month.
I changed to Peoples Energy as, according to them, the savings would be in the region of £400 per year and judging by the difference in the D/D that seemed the case. They took the first months payment out the day I started with them, which I wasn't overly happy about but at least I was in credit.
I received an E mail from them about 10 days ago saying {due to the market prices} my D/D is to increase in February, so I've threatened to leave and go somewhere else, unfortunately having read that the best of the small utility companies IS actually Peoples Energy, I'm in a bit of a quandary.
I do realise that I'm obviously using more utilities than I used too as we are now both retired. before we used less as we were always at work and the house stood empty for long periods of time throughout the week.
I think I will try to get them to re consider, if not I have a list of companies that are around the mark I'm looking for.
I certainly wouldn't get anything off a "compare" website, as they obviously want their cut.
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I certainly wouldn't get anything off a "compare" website, as they obviously want their cut.
Don't ignore the 'Compare' websites. They only get a small commission per referral, they do(not have a 'cut' so to speak), it's the number of referrals they do that make them their profits.
Plus you might get a free Meerkat cuddly toy for the grandkids. Simples (y) ;)
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We chose OVO from compare site and have been happy with them.
We like the fact that any monies accrued in our account with them gets a teeny bit of interests and we have two choices. Either claim it back or roll it over for the coming winter which as we know we use more energy.
They don't keep putting monthly amount up or taking it down. It's been consistent for several years now
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We used a tool on the Martin Lewis site to compare the options and ended up changing to Bulb who seem to be pretty good although their prices have gone up recently. That said there is no fee\penalty if we choose to leave.
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We used a tool on the Martin Lewis site to compare the options and ended up changing to Bulb who seem to be pretty good although their prices have gone up recently. That said there is no fee\penalty if we choose to leave.
Never heard of that company
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https://bulb.co.uk/about/
No issues to date and switching was pretty simple. If you do switch you can do it via this link and i think we both get a discount of some sort...not 100% sure on the details.
bulb.co.uk/refer/jonb8184?utm_campaign=account-referral-share&utm_medium=copy-link&utm_source=copy-button
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We chose OVO from compare site and have been happy with them.
We like the fact that any monies accrued in our account with them gets a teeny bit of interests and we have two choices. Either claim it back or roll it over for the coming winter which as we know we use more energy.
They don't keep putting monthly amount up or taking it down. It's been consistent for several years now
Sounds o.k. that one O.C.
I did look on the compare website Fly, but that was just to see who they "voted" for so I wrote a few of them down and went onto the companies individual review sites on Truspilot to check them out, very mixed reviews on all. I can't remember what the outcome was as I threw the scrap of paper away I'd scribbled on, but basically I chose the first one over Peoples Energy but it turns out they are a totally paperless business. All meter reads are done on your i-phone {I don't possess one} and they only converse online and as I ALWAYS insist on a hard copy through the post as well it was a no brainer for me. The second one just didn't get back to me which I thought rude {I think that might have been Robin Hood Energy} so I went with Peoples Energy.
Apparently the top 5 for cheap deals are....... Peoples energy, Orbit energy, Utility point, Avro energy and Lumo.
Strangely enough NONE of those appear in the Which survey of top rated suppliers these are apparently {in order}:-
Octopus, Robin Hood, So, Ebico, Tonik, Ovo, Utility warehouse, Bristol, Bulb, Ecotricity.
I will spend a few days checking out these companies reviews then make a decision, you never know I might even end up staying with Peoples energy. The first one to look into will be OVO.
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Just spent a bit of time looking up 4 of these companies reviews on Trustpilot {only went down 2 pages for each for fairness}
Percentage wise this is how they panned out, out of the total for each {100%} these were the %'s for poor/bad reviews........
OVO.......... 36%
AVRO........ 12%
SO............ 6%
OCTOPUS... 2%
As I say I will see what my company is doing to my prices, but Octopus is looking good for a substitute.
Will check on more if I can.
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The only thing to consider when making a decision based on review sites, is the fact that more people are likely to leave a bad review than a good review, therefore results can be skewed towards a companys' bad results,and not be a fair and accurate representation.
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The only thing to consider when making a decision based on review sites, is the fact that more people are likely to leave a bad review than a good review, therefore results can be skewed towards a companys' bad results,and not be a fair and accurate representation.
Quite right Alsatian....then again many companies {like holiday hotels on Trip adviser for e.g.} have often been accused of inventing "fake" good reviews to counterbalance the negativity, so I take each review with a pinch of salt and the ultimate choice is mine and mine alone, sooner or later you have to have a leap of faith and go with your gut instinct.
Reminds me of that T. shirt I saw someone wearing abroad years ago.... "Eat sh*t 100 billion flies CAN'T be wrong"
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"Eat sh*t 100 billion flies CAN'T be wrong"
99,999,999,999 I don't C:-) ;) :)) (y)
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When it comes to reviews as mentioned more folk take the time to have a moan than give a good review but also try and see what they are actually complaining about. Number of times i've seen bad reviews for completely unrelated or irrelevant issues. Different subject but as an example i was looking at an app for my iPhone to do something and it was actually one from Apple themselves. There was one review and the guy hadnt even downloaded it but was just complaining that the app hadnt been updated in three years and why was this the case etc etc. I actually downloaded it and it worked fine doing exactly what it should do but plenty would just see it as having 1 out of 5 stars on its reviews and ignore it based on that.
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I can only say on our own personal experiences with OVO and we have had no problems. We have a paperless account and they send an email with mini statement each month a few days before the monthly monies are taken out.
I deal with my daughters energy account as well.
She uses EDF. Again no problems hers is also a paperless account. EDF have an online chat available once you log into your account.
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I can only say on our own personal experiences with OVO and we have had no problems. We have a paperless account and they send an email with mini statement each month a few days before the monthly monies are taken out.
I deal with my daughters energy account as well.
She uses EDF. Again no problems hers is als76o a paperless account. EDF have an online chat available once you log into your account.
As I say O.C. the final say is yours and yours alone, if your satisfied with the service you are receiving then good for you. I did not mean to infer that you were on a bad service, the figures I quoted were just a guideline. If everyone took notice and acted on bad comments the big 6 would no longer be in business, their bosses MUST realise by now just how much business they have lost to the smaller companies by being greedy and not treating their customers to good service, it must run into £billions a year.
As I stated I use reviews as a guide, I know there are people out there who complain just for the sake of it, they would give, say a hotel, a scathing review if they thought the toilet rolls were the wrong colour. I usually go back on some reviews that are pages long if the first page seems to have more negative than positive reviews, and again with hotels you can usually pick up on when the "rot" set in, change of management perhaps or good staff leaving being replaced by surly staff the usual stuff, in my case it's when hotels are all inclusive, great for families but not for me.
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So have we sorted the Energy out Sorastro?
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So have we sorted the Energy out Sorastro?
Not as yet O.C. will check on the new increase first to see what it is, if I can live with it then all's well, I'm more interested in how often these price hikes will occur.
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It would appear one of those companies I mentioned is in fear of going belly up.
It is alleged.......
Robin Hood energy, which is owned and controlled by the Labour run Nottingham council, appears to be in dire straights. According to the bean counters the council keeps "bailing out" the company with so called loans, so since it's inception in 2015 the tax payer has flushed approximately 27 million down the pan and it's losing more by the day. the council says it has a shortfall because there are that many new customers coming on board they are finding it hard to keep up and adapt, other people just think those in charge don't know what they're doing as no one on the council has any business back ground. I know which one I believe!!
Apparently a lot of these small energy firms were set up in readiness for the huge interest and usage of every ones favourite Shale gas. Until that time comes, if it ever does, they have to get there energy supplies from where everyone else does and so you see price hikes, because unlike the big 6 they haven't got the reserves to keep prices low enough, well not as long as the big 6.
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Give that one a miss then Sorastro :-?
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It would appear one of those companies I mentioned is in fear of going belly up.
It is alleged......
It would appear that the company mentioned is not the only Council run energy company, and most seem to be heading for the same abyss.
The Councils seem to be setting up "local" energy companies under the Council banner, but in reality all they are doing is drumming up trade for an established energy company {who remains in the background doing all the work} and basically being given a "bonus" for every new customer they sign up {yes a bit like chuggers}.
Over recent months at least 10 small energy companies have turned turtle, and there's every chance more will follow!
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Speaking of energy our monthly statement made me cough. Really pleased we had accrued some credit in our account
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Calor gas bottle heater. Lives under the stairs. Only use it when it's cold. Morning, dinner time etc. If were in.
Had the same bottle in it for 3 years now. Yes its about empty now.
Works out cheaper than putting the entire house heating on for an hour or 2 here and there.
Just move it from kitchen to room etc as needed.
Evening time, well, 4-10.30, heatings on.
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So have we sorted the Energy out Sorastro?
Just got the energy companies update... it's going up by £5 p/month, as I say I'm not overly bothered about how much, I'm more interested in how often!
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You won't know that until later in the year then?
I take it it isn't a fixed price
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You won't know that until later in the year then?
I take it it isn't a fixed price
No I never have one of those fixed tariff plans as I need to change companies without any strings attached, they have offered me such a deal but you have to put up 2 months payments up front and there doesn't seem to be a guarantee it won't alter.
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Pleased we have this Indian Winter - it will give the heating a break ;)
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I seem to have found the magic bullet as far as utility chuggers are concerned.
I was walking towards the precinct the other day and there were utility chuggers opposite Mcdonalds, I think they were 1st utility, one of them walked towards me asking who my utility company was, I said Peoples energy, he said "No sorry can't match that" and walked away.
Then just this morning I rounded Steeplegate to be met by utility chuggers opposite Waterstones one approached me and the same thing happened, he just said o.k. and turned on his heels. Eureka!!!!
Even if your not with them give it a try.
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Sounds like a good - is it one run by a local firm ?
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The smart meter roll out... according to the Government 53 million of these meters are to be installed by 2020.
It is alleged......
According to certain sources to date {baring in mind there is less than 8 months left to 2020} only 16 million have been installed so far.
So unprotected is the information used by these meters {customers sensitive information} that G.C.H.Q the governments intelligence headquarters has been drafted in to try and sort out the mess. Apparently sorting this mess will make breaking the German Enigma codes a walk in the park.
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We've swapped supplier and still not got one. Don't want, and not having one
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i was having repeated contacts regarding fitting a smart meter, i repeatedly told them no but they kept contacting me even going so far as to unilaterally arrange appointment for the fitting of the meters even though i had my name taken off the list of people who needed the meters fitting, eventually i had endured enough and contacted the head office threatening to contact the regulator and this did the trick including £50 credit as compensation.
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What's the basis of the TV adverts promoting smart meters that say you will save money? Utter tosh!
The only thing that smart meters do is to provide homeowners with an in-home display that shows how much energy you're using and how much its costing at any given time. We used to have something similar with the old electricity meters, remember how fast the wheel used to spin when you switched the immersion heater on?!
Now forgive me if I'm being thick, but, surely if you've got an ounce of common sense you know what appliances are going to cost you money (eg led light bulb vs electric fire), and you use them accordingly - no need for a digital read out to tell you (and by the way, that is also using electricity all the time it's powered up!).
I had smart meters a couple of years ago purely for my own convenience when I was undergoing prostate cancer treatment, the in home display was quickly consigned to the pantry and wasn't used. Unfortunately I lost the smart functionality when I changed supplier (that wasn't very well thought out by the government was it?) and they keep promising that all these type of meters will be upgraded to once again make them 'smart', although the timescale for this keeps slipping and is currently the end of 2020.
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It is alleged......
It would appear that the company mentioned is not the only Council run energy company, and most seem to be heading for the same abyss.
The Councils seem to be setting up "local" energy companies under the Council banner, but in reality all they are doing is drumming up trade for an established energy company {who remains in the background doing all the work} and basically being given a "bonus" for every new customer they sign up {yes a bit like chuggers}.
Over recent months at least 10 small energy companies have turned turtle, and there's every chance more will follow!
Interesting!
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So have we sorted the Energy out Sorastro?
It's almost a year {12th Nov 2018} since I changed utility companies and I've just sent off Novembers readings. I decided to stick with P/E to see how it compared to the previous year with Coop Energy. I send the readings online and got an instant bill to view, this is how the 2 years have panned out.......
2017 to 2018....
The Coop's projection in Nov last year for 2019 was almost £1300 with a D/D of approx £140 per month as I was in arrears, so when I left in Nov I had to pay £150 which was owing, total payment for 17/18 almost £1200.
2018 to 2019....
From Nov 18 to Nov 19 I have paid P/E just under £1100, total payments £1086, and I am £150 in credit!!
So until something better comes along I will stick with P/E.
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It would appear one of those companies I mentioned is in fear of going belly up.
It is alleged.......
Robin Hood energy, which is owned and controlled by the Labour run Nottingham council, appears to be in dire straights. According to the bean counters the council keeps "bailing out" the company with so called loans, so since it's inception in 2015 the tax payer has flushed approximately 27 million down the pan
Update.. apparently R.H.E. has been given the last rites. The cost of the "funeral" to Nottingham tax payers at the last count was approximately £33million, plus they will more than likely have to PAY an energy company to take over and clear the mess up.
The Councils reaction is on public record, go to..."Nottingham Council report in the public interest".... it's interesting reading.
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Never heard of this company TBH. but it sounds 'messy'
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Running an energy company obviously takes more organising than Notts council had.
Without knowing the in's and out's of it I can't see where the difficulty lay. The council sets it up, the utilities are set up and they just sit back and watch the dosh roll in.
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Update on my utility bill, I sent in Novembers readings to get my balance and as of today I'm in credit to the tune of £240 not bad eh!
I did a quick survey of the reviews of the companies from my earlier posts to see how they are coping service wise.
Top 5 are...Octopus...Ebico...Bulb...Peoples Energy...Avro energy.
Second place are...So...Utility warehouse...Ecotricity.
Worst are... Bristol...Ovo...Lumo...Orbit...Utility point.
Robin Hood and Tonik have allegedly gone bang. So I'm sticking with Peoples Energy for the foreseeable future.
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I'm with Bulb and am currently about £160 in credit, so I don't mind turning the heating on occasionally (y)
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I've just swapped from Eon to Shell Energy - who I believe used to be First Utility?
Interestingly enough, I had smart meters installed when I was with Scottish Power, but went back to being dumb meters when I swapped to Eon. Now I've swapped to Shell Energy, they're back to fully functioning smart meters!
It's farcical!
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We are still with OVO not had any problems so far.
Daughter is with EDF I am loath at changing even though they can't fit a smart metre in which would be easier for me as they offer the winter payment relief and it helps her enormously
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No I never have one of those fixed tariff plans as I need to change companies without any strings attached, they have offered me such a deal but you have to put up 2 months payments up front and there doesn't seem to be a guarantee it won't alter.
Had a E mail from Peoples energy saying on 1st April the price cap {Ofgem} will return to pre-pandemic levels, in short a price increase.
P.E. wanted me to transfer to a fixed loyalty tariff as this would "save me money" and sadly it looks like my only way, but unfortunately and as I feared, this means a monetary penalty should I wish to leave before the contract is up.
I still got one, I got a fixed tariff..........but not with Peoples energy, as of 26th February I'm with Octopus, their fixed tariff is for 12 months and I can leave at anytime without penalties, and they are in the same price range, so P.E.'s loss, plus at the moment I'm in credit with P.E. to the tune of £134.
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A relative of mine inherited a particular [electricity] company since moving into a house about 3 years ago. They are on a pre-payment meter which was already there and used by the previous tenant.
It is no exaggeration to say this company is a total farce, the heating system in the house absolutely eats money. Putting £50 + a week in the meter was not uncommon, and as they are on a budget it was a lot of money {it's a lot for anyone!}.
The companies app on her phone rarely works and when it does it's wrong, ringing them up is also a waste of time as they keep you on the phone for ages just putting you through to other departments then suddenly your cut off and you have to start all over again, she rang the company one day and said she had spent over 4 hours on the phone and was cut off at least twice.
Looking at the reviews for this company, and there's a couple of sites, I do not know how they stay in business, I read one site of reviews and each one sounded just like what my relative was going through.......I say WAS this was after, some persuasion, she went onto and joined look after my bills and she has just been switched to Bulb. According to Bulb she should {based on the info she provided} not have been paying more than £20--£25 tops per week for her electric.
The old companies reviews make grim reading, even the "good" reviews about the company look very suspect, so as lots of the reviews say AVOID this company like the plague........the company being Utilita.
If I had the choice of using this company or going without electric I would sit in the dark or buy candles....
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I've just swapped from Eon to Shell Energy - who I believe used to be First Utility?
Interestingly enough, I had smart meters installed when I was with Scottish Power, but went back to being dumb meters when I swapped to Eon. Now I've swapped to Shell Energy, they're back to fully functioning smart meters!
It's farcical!
And even more farcical, they've just told me that they've now 'stopped working' again - and I have to go back to manually submitting my energy readings again.......... unless I want to have new smart meters installed again.
And my answer to that was? A big fat NO! 😕
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Daughter still can't have one as her meter is outside. I have tried twice and twice they have been out and refused
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So the smaller energy companies are going to the wall....
So far to date:- Green, Avro, Utility point, P.F.P.energy. Money plus energy and the one I was with Peoples energy have all gone bang.
Bulb is struggling and that's one of the bigger ones, I'm with Octopus which I think is the biggest of the "little companies" so I'm hoping they can ride it out.
Offgem says they will automatically switch anyone who's company goes belly up so your not without power but you can bet your bottom dollar your bills won't make nice reading as it's now a sellers market.
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So the smaller energy companies are going to the wall....
So far to date:- Green, Avro, Utility point, P.F.P.energy. Money plus energy and the one I was with Peoples energy have all gone bang.
Bulb is struggling and that's one of the bigger ones, I'm with Octopus which I think is the biggest of the "little companies" so I'm hoping they can ride it out.
Offgem says they will automatically switch anyone who's company goes belly up so your not without power but you can bet your bottom dollar your bills won't make nice reading as it's now a sellers market.
So Bulb has ridden off into the sunset....
Apparently Boris has been [allegedly] quoted as saying, "We will be reliant on our own clean power generation by 2035".
Well I know nothing about the industry but I'm willing to bet we aren't! {remember HS2}
It seems he is under the impression that when this "miracle" arrives everyone will have fairly standardised LOW bills, so lets see:-
Nuclear......Sites for nuclear power stations in G.B. were on the drawing board as early as 2010, EDF {French company} were given the task to build them. Construction of the FIRST one {of 8} began in late 2018 and it's only half built to date, plus the fact very few people are in favour of having eight Chernobyl's on the doorstep, so don't hold your breath.
Wind power.... well that's self explanatory, only trouble is contrary to popular belief the wind doesn't blow ALL the time here, and storing power whilst it is blowing, to supply when it isn't just won't work.
It is my opinion it will be a hell of a long time before our reliance on gas fades.
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Bring back the 'dug out coal fired' range cooker.
It heated the house and cooked your dinner.
Folk were employed, and paid for getting the coal out if my memory serves me right.
(y) MD
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Bring back the 'dug out coal fired' range cooker.
It heated the house and cooked your dinner.
Folk were employed, and paid for getting the coal out if my memory serves me right.
(y) MD
There's a lot to be said for bringing back coal. Even if you just opened two pits, one in the far North and one in the midlands and just went back to say using steam trains {I still maintain steam is cleaner than diesel}
Firstly you wouldn't have to spend millions electrifying the lines and think of all the extra staff {firemen} on the footplate not to mention the colliers.
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Having been down 'T' Pit I think it must have been an horrendous place to work.
I know a living was made from it and people had warm fires ( if they could afford it) but it wasn't a healthy place for people to work in and dangerous at times.
I'm pleased they are gone
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According to the news tonight, average utility prices could be as high as 4 grand, for most households, by the start of next year.
FOUR GRAND!!!.... on average that's £330 per month.......or £82 per week.
We {unlike some in Europe} are not so reliant on Russian gas but our prices are going to rise because of the "global market".
It's the same with wheat....there's a shortage apparently because of the war in Ukraine, I was always told we got our wheat from Canada, which is a commonwealth country and they have vast wheat fields bigger than some of our counties, why aren't we getting it from there.
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According to the news tonight, average utility prices could be as high as 4 grand, for most households, by the start of next year.
FOUR GRAND!!!.... on average that's £330 per month.......or £82 per week.
We {unlike some in Europe} are not so reliant on Russian gas but our prices are going to rise because of the "global market".
It's the same with wheat....there's a shortage apparently because of the war in Ukraine, I was always told we got our wheat from Canada, which is a commonwealth country and they have vast wheat fields bigger than some of our counties, why aren't we getting it from there.
If the cmpanies can drag that ammount in - they will be luck!
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I have just sent my this months meter readings off and on checking my bill as of today I am £490 in credit.
That's o.k. I suppose but if many others like me are well in credit that means a heck of a lot of money sat in the utility companies bank accounts collecting interest making them even more money. I obviously won't ask for a refund, or drop my d/d payments, till I've seen the next two price hikes, but from what I can work out our utility bills won't be anywhere near what some others bills will be.
There's talk of some bills reaching £6 grand by the middle of next year, why will people struggle to pay it, if millions of people just STOP paying thier utility bills it would be farcical for any company to cut them off, that would mean up to a third of all households in the country would have no gas or electric and any utility company willing to cut off thousands of their customers would risk losing them business and possibly even put them out of business.
They would have to have a realistic payment plan for these people, even if it's only say £40 a month it's better than nothing at all and better than cutting them off.
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Sorastro you are more in credit than we are. Our last statement was about £217 I think. When we first joined OVO we could claim credit back but unsure if they still do that.
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Sorastro you are more in credit than we are. Our last statement was about £217 I think. When we first joined OVO we could claim credit back but unsure if they still do that.
Yes I'm in credit mainly because I set my monthly D/D artificially high, but I'm just wandering if that may be a mistake.
I have sent off this months readings and have looked at O/E's forecast for the next eight months and I've jiggled the figures and have now, since the March increase earlier in the year, reduced my D/D payments by almost a third. This is due to the fact I'm fed up of seeing my money sat in someone else's bank account. So hopefully their forecast is correct plus we get the Government help promised, my estimate says by March of next year, when my tariff is up for renewal, what I will have in credit {or debt} will be a matter of just a few pounds, certainly not enough to warrant a red letter.
I honestly don't see why, when everyone else WILL be struggling to pay their utility bills, why I should pay top whack and be no better thought of by the company. I know as a pensioner I will get help but by overpaying my D/D all these years it's come back to bite me on the bum.
I know that may come across as heartless but as I say I will keep hold of my purse strings from now on.
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Just sent off my meter readings today, they said I've no real need to but at least I know they've got it up to date.
My next d/d payment in October will be £48 and apparently for the next 6 months, so with that, plus the Winter fuel payment and I'm well in credit, if I don't go berserk with the utilities we should be fine, but it's still a lot.
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I oversee my daughters' utilities and had an email a couple of days ago advising that I didn't need to send a meter reading as she's on a fixed contract until March 2023. One of those times when you know you made a good choice! She needs a lot of warmth as many others do so it's taken a weight off my mind - for now!
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I oversee my daughters' utilities and had an email a couple of days ago advising that I didn't need to send a meter reading as she's on a fixed contract until March 2023. One of those times when you know you made a good choice! She needs a lot of warmth as many others do so it's taken a weight off my mind - for now!
Well now!! That was a load of cobblers from EDF!!
They contradicted themselves pretty soon after that email.
I've had a run in with them - they took £261 00 out of daughters account without my consent!
A phone call to the bank and I asked for it to be returned.
I eventually managed to speak to an assistant from EDF who admitted it shouldn't have been taken out - she couldn't explain why it had been! Offered to put it back in - Nooo I said don't do that I've instructed my bank to take it back and it's now back in my bank!
Lots of sighing from her as I questioned monies in the account accrued.
Warm Homes Discount, money from the government for the energy support scheme, and I paid in a top up of £400.00 which daughter had received.
All I wanted to know was - This money totals £599.30 credited in daughter's account where can I find it in the statements another sigh - off she went yet again - eventually she disconnected me!!
This seems to be the 'in' thing to do when these assistants can't answer questions - I've had it happen before.
No, I wasn't angry with her, in fact I was very polite - I reckon the energy companies have gone a bit bellies up!!!
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To be honest I'm not letting it worry me, I'm sat here with the heating on and thinking I'll worry about it when I have to.
Obviously I'm in a better position than most, although I don't abuse the electric and gas in our house I'm certainly not going to sit in the dark in the cold.
I've said it before don't struggle, keep yourself warm, I can't imagine the utility companies disconnecting millions of their customers and leaving them without heat and light. It's not like re possessing a washer because you've not kept up with the payments once used it's gone.
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It must cold! Our central heating has switched itself on!
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It must cold! Our central heating has switched itself on!
Quick! All over to Pams for some free heat (disguised as a forum meet!) 🔥😂
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Quick! All over to Pams for some free heat (disguised as a forum meet!) 🔥😂
;D ;D ;D I've just looked at the met office weather for next week. Looks like the temperatures dipping into the minus -
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Long range forecast says snow Christmas day............Bah humbug!
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Shock!!
We had our OVO Bill today - I expected all of our credit to have been taken after the cold weather we had. We kept our heating on 16deg all the time 24hrs a day for the duration of that cold spell.
It's surprising how even at 16deg the house was cosy.
We are still over £400.00 in credit - too good to be true I'm thinking - unless we have had some scaremongering going on??
What do others think??
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Just sent off my meter readings today, they said I've no real need to but at least I know they've got it up to date.
My next d/d payment in October will be £48 and apparently for the next 6 months, so with that, plus the Winter fuel payment and I'm well in credit, if I don't go berserk with the utilities we should be fine, but it's still a lot.
Sent off the first of January's readings this morning and still over £500 in credit.