Electrical supplier standing charges

[Jack.77]

This should be a simple question but no one seems to know the answer
I've Not been at a property that I own for some time (which has a basic electric top up key supply)
On various short visits I've not topped up as didn't really see the point incase it happens to cap off at a certain amount
Can this standing charge only reach a certain amount before it can't go up anymore?
The bill is now likely to be £5-£700 or more .Also I was thinking what if I bought one of those plug in solar panels from Argos ,would it bypass the system ?

[trickywoo]

In theory the standing charge should come off existing credit. As it’s a top up system there shouldn’t be a bill accruing.

[Jack.77]

trickywoo said:

In theory the standing charge should come off existing credit. As it s a top up system there shouldn t be a bill accruing.

Yes that's correct but the standing charge has to be paid before any supply would be reinstated...it's only a small flat and I don't really see the point in paying what would probably be £700 but it's also a problem if the amount keeps on getting bigger .other than the elec shower I could probably make do with a solar panel charging unit

[trickywoo]

Wouldn’t the supplier see it as unconnected if there is no credit?

Seems mad that you could have to put multiple hundreds in before you could get a watt of power.

It might well be the case but it would need to say that in the t&cs / contract.

[Super Sonic]

trickywoo said:

In theory the standing charge should come off existing credit. As it s a top up system there shouldn t be a bill accruing.

Incorrect.
If there is no credit, the standing charge accumulates as debt.

[trickywoo]

Super Sonic said:

Incorrect.
If there is no credit, the standing charge accumulates as debt.

At what point would they look to collect the debt?

[Super Sonic]

trickywoo said:

Super Sonic said:

Incorrect.
If there is no credit, the standing charge accumulates as debt.

At what point would they look to collect the debt?

At the point the customer wishes to resume supply. He would contact his supplier and agree a plan to repay the debt, typically from a proportion of each top-up.

[trickywoo]

Super Sonic said:

At the point the customer wishes to resume supply. He would contact his supplier and agree a plan to repay the debt, typically from a proportion of each top-up.

Seems open to abuse if a new tenant took up residence.

Would they still go after the original resident?

[Jack.77]

What happens if I bought one of those new plug in solar panels which goes into the mains ?
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9766802?clickSR=sl...

[No ideas for a name]

Jack.77 said:

What happens if I bought one of those new plug in solar panels which goes into the mains ?
https://www.argos.co.uk/product/9766802?clickSR=sl...

Nothing, as I assume there is no load when you are not there.

[Jack.77]

No ideas for a name said:

Nothing, as I assume there is no load when you are not there.

I meant when I'm there but I guess it wouldn't be that practical anyway with no battery bank, some units look sufficient to power nearly everything only downside of blocking a window

[qgd]

Hi jack77, I’m not 100% sure but I think how the key meters work is that if you top up say £10, you will get some amount of usable electric units, but also any debt on the account will take a slice of that £10.

For example a key meter with no debt owed you may get charged 25p for a standard unit, but if there is debt owed then the charge might be 45p per unit with 20p going to the debt.

[Super Sonic]

qgd said:

Hi jack77, I m not 100% sure but I think how the key meters work is that if you top up say £10, you will get some amount of usable electric units, but also any debt on the account will take a slice of that £10.

For example a key meter with no debt owed you may get charged 25p for a standard unit, but if there is debt owed then the charge might be 45p per unit with 20p going to the debt.

See my 17:42 post.

[Ham_and_Jam]

I have just sold one of my rentals that had prepay utilities.

The tenants had switched to Utilita before the left which had a zero standing charge tariff. Very handy as I only used about £20 in total credit during the 4 months it took to sell.

I would look to see if they still do that tariff and try and switch if you can.

[Super Sonic]

OP, how much do you owe? If it is under £500 you should be able to change tariff or supplier to one with no standing charge. Either way, you need to get in touch with your supplier to discuss the debt. You can ask them to disconnect the meter, which will stop the debt increasing.

[Tisy]

Having been in this situation before. Either

1 . contact util co. and tell them you've just moved in and give them made up name. They will wipe the debt and send you out a new top up card / key.
2. clear the debt and switch to Utilita who have no standing charge. The unit price is higher but if you're a low user ( under 2 kWh per day) it'll work out cheaper than any tariff with a daily standing charge.

As mentioned above, any debt (including the accumulated standing charges) is automatically deducted from each top-up a bit at a time.