Direct Debit to electricity companies

[Foliage]

Why is it that the my electricity account keeps going into so much credit, I make my monthly payment, I use less than what im paying but they still insist on increasing the payments and holding onto more of my cash.

Can anyone recommend an electrical company that doesn't do this? I left my last supplier because of this ridiculousness, now the new company ive been with for circa 5 years have just started doing it.


Example of that they are doing, quarterly bills , 3no £100 and 1no £150 in winter, but taking £50 a month, as soon as I want to take back the £150+ credit in my account the monthly payments will double to £100 a month.. The reason I looked at it was after receiving an email telling me my monthly payments are increasing to £60

[DanL]

Phone them and tell them to change the monthly payments to a level you believe makes sense. Move if they don't.

ETA: the email you got likely has a number to call to do this too...

[eybic]

DanL said:

Phone them and tell them to change the monthly payments to a level you believe makes sense. Move if they don't.

This.

I reduced my payment on the agreement that if I owed them money when a reading was done that I would pay this additionally.

[Nimby]

We're with First Utility - they email a reminder every month, I submit a meter reading (web or phone app) and they Direct Debit for exactly what I've used. I just assumed every supplier offered this as an alternative to averaged-over-the-year.

[KTF]

Are you giving them regular readings so they can calculate the bills and the DD amount more accurately?

[LambShank]

Nimby said:

We're with First Utility - they email a reminder every month, I submit a meter reading (web or phone app) and they Direct Debit for exactly what I've used. I just assumed every supplier offered this as an alternative to averaged-over-the-year.

Same here.

Then I noticed I'd built up £350 credit, phoned them, got my monthly payment reduced by £30 and they refunded £250 of the credit without fuss.

Nice to see my usage chart also go down after replacing all my light bulbs with led's.

[ikarl]

sounds like you need a smart meter

[KTF]

ikarl said:

sounds like you need a smart meter

A smart meter advocate hard at work.

[Foliage]

LambShank said:

Nimby said:

We're with First Utility - they email a reminder every month, I submit a meter reading (web or phone app) and they Direct Debit for exactly what I've used. I just assumed every supplier offered this as an alternative to averaged-over-the-year.

Same here.

Then I noticed I'd built up £350 credit, phoned them, got my monthly payment reduced by £30 and they refunded £250 of the credit without fuss.

Nice to see my usage chart also go down after replacing all my light bulbs with led's.

Scottish power were doing this but not now it seems.

Also changed all my bulbs to LED and also often shower at the gym over the last couple of years, seen a massive fall in energy usage over the year.

[Sheepshanks]

Foliage said:

...now the new company ive been with for circa 5 years have just started doing it.

5 years? Have you compared the deal you're on with what else is available?

[Foliage]

Sheepshanks said:

Foliage said:

...now the new company ive been with for circa 5 years have just started doing it.

5 years? Have you compared the deal you're on with what else is available?

Yeah I save about £10 a year switching.


My point of my original post is that energy companies are clearly taking more than they can reasonably justify, its common practice in the industry, and then penalise you for trying to take your money back.

[Mothersruin]

Funny this post has just come up.

We moved into a place in February. Based on the previous occupants they set our DD to £40 a month.

Did a reading last month and they're putting it up to £96! Seems the wife and I burnt through 3,529kWh in 5 months and I've just done another reading and we've gone through 830kWh in the last month! That seems crazy for the two of us, in a 3 bedroom cottage, the heating is oil and most of the cooking is done on gas, with nothing more than usual telly and computer use.

Any ideas?

[Foliage]

Mothersruin said:

Funny this post has just come up.

We moved into a place in February. Based on the previous occupants they set our DD to £40 a month.

Did a reading last month and they're putting it up to £96! Seems the wife and I burnt through 3,529kWh in 5 months and I've just done another reading and we've gone through 830kWh in the last month! That seems crazy for the two of us, in a 3 bedroom cottage, the heating is oil and most of the cooking is done on gas, with nothing more than usual telly and computer use.

Any ideas?

Things like lights, kettle, fridge, stuff on standby, electric shower? usual culprits really.

Your usage doesn't seem to bad, £96 for that amount of KWH does seem high tho...

[V8RX7]

I'm with OVO - the payments are whatever I set - no question.

However they give a generous interest on overpayments - better than any bank (certainly used to, haven't checked for a while)

[LambShank]

Mothersruin said:

Funny this post has just come up.

We moved into a place in February. Based on the previous occupants they set our DD to £40 a month.

Did a reading last month and they're putting it up to £96! Seems the wife and I burnt through 3,529kWh in 5 months and I've just done another reading and we've gone through 830kWh in the last month! That seems crazy for the two of us, in a 3 bedroom cottage, the heating is oil and most of the cooking is done on gas, with nothing more than usual telly and computer use.

Any ideas?

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=207&t=1613102

[sausage76]

With Scottish Power, duel fuel

They change it when over paying or I can amend the DD when I like

[Ste1987]

V8RX7 said:

I'm with OVO - the payments are whatever I set - no question.

However they give a generous interest on overpayments - better than any bank (certainly used to, haven't checked for a while)

Same here. They still give interest on any credit at the end of the contract, but I'm not sure how much

[Mothersruin]

LambShank said:

Mothersruin said:

Funny this post has just come up.

We moved into a place in February. Based on the previous occupants they set our DD to £40 a month.

Did a reading last month and they're putting it up to £96! Seems the wife and I burnt through 3,529kWh in 5 months and I've just done another reading and we've gone through 830kWh in the last month! That seems crazy for the two of us, in a 3 bedroom cottage, the heating is oil and most of the cooking is done on gas, with nothing more than usual telly and computer use.

Any ideas?

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=207&t=1613102

Ta.

Foliage said:

Things like lights, kettle, fridge, stuff on standby, electric shower? usual culprits really.

Your usage doesn't seem to bad, £96 for that amount of KWH does seem high tho...

Had another look and the £96 is to average out the figures - so 6 months at £40 & 6 months at £96 for a yearly bill of £816 - average of £68 per month sounds far more reasonable.

That's on a tariff of 10.59p per unit & 18p standing charge.

Edited by Mothersruin on Friday 19th August 12:00

[Craikeybaby]

Another vote for Ovo here - interest on overpayments.

OP - Are your bills based on estimates, or have you supplied meter readings?

[Sheepshanks]

Foliage said:

Mothersruin said:

Funny this post has just come up.

We moved into a place in February. Based on the previous occupants they set our DD to £40 a month.

Did a reading last month and they're putting it up to £96! Seems the wife and I burnt through 3,529kWh in 5 months and I've just done another reading and we've gone through 830kWh in the last month! That seems crazy for the two of us, in a 3 bedroom cottage, the heating is oil and most of the cooking is done on gas, with nothing more than usual telly and computer use.

Any ideas?

Things like lights, kettle, fridge, stuff on standby, electric shower? usual culprits really.

Your usage doesn't seem to bad, £96 for that amount of KWH does seem high tho...

830kWh in a month is insane!