Social Tariffs summary

brysiewysie

Eon launch a social type tariff shortly. I'll post details as soon as can

KimYeovil

[buuuuumppp]

Yorkshire_Pud

SE energyplus care qualifying criteria changed!

To qualify you now need to be spending 15% of total gross income on fuel.

Obviously this is to help the poor by changing it from 10% spent on fuel.

So after paying less by getting a discount and not being able to heat like the richer people which reduces the likelihood of achieving 10% SE then bump it up to 15% to make it even more unnatainable!!

I know it would be foolish to believe they provide the reduced tariff for genuine social reasons but really what are they thinking of?

A. MORE PROFIT: SCREW THE POOR.:mad:

PS Anyone know if Incapacity Benefit is counted or disregarded by SE as 'income'?

Haarlem

Yorkshire_Pud wrote: »

SE energyplus care qualifying criteria changed!

To qualify you now need to be spending 15% of total gross income on fuel.

Obviously this is to help the poor by changing it from 10% spent on fuel.

So after paying less by getting a discount and not being able to heat like the richer people which reduces the likelihood of achieving 10% SE then bump it up to 15% to make it even more unnatainable!!

I know it would be foolish to believe they provide the reduced tariff for genuine social reasons but really what are they thinking of?

A. MORE PROFIT: SCREW THE POOR.:mad:

PS Anyone know if Incapacity Benefit is counted or disregarded by SE as 'income'?

Social tariffs are funded from a levy (in effect a hidden tax) on all domestic tariffs.

I feel this levy should be clearly identified on your bill, and the subsidy clearly shown on the bills for those on social tariffs. Also the rules for those elligable for social tariffs should be easily understood, and common to all Suppliers.

Until this happens it is a fair comment that increasing the % of income spent on fuel to 15% could mean the levy is going into profit.

Yorkshire_Pud

If it's funded by a levy and presumably more people are falling into fuel poverty then SE has to 'redefine' fuel poverty so as to make the levied amount cover the number of qualifying people.

So there are more poor people so less of them qualify!!

Sounds about right.

christabell

DECEMBER 2010

www.homeheathelpline.org.uk or phone 0800 33 66 99 will give you the latest information.

www.energychoices.co.uk and www.energylinx.co.uk both have the social tariffs built into their calculations.

Good Luck.

Paulessex

Just after some advice please.

I am with BG and enquired about social tariffs.

My mother lives with me she is 76 and is on state pension

I am disabled i get DLA mobility High rate and care Milldle rate i also get income support

i'm 49 years old (50 in June) I contacted BG about their social tariffs and was told I could not be placed on any of these as i am not 60 or over? (I have prepayment meters for both Gas and Electric with them)

can anyone tell me is this right?

Joyful

As you have DLA and your mother is over 70 you definitely qualify for the Essentials Safe and Sound package( this does not give a lower tariff though). If the combined income of everyone in the house plus all benefits such as housing and council tax is below a threshold then you would get the Combined package which includes the lower tariff.

Call them back with all your benefit amounts to get an assessment done. They should also add you to the Home Energy Care register and offer additional help.

Booth1946

With regards to 'Yorkshire Pud' post on 4th June 2010

"SE energyplus care qualifying criteria changed!

To qualify you now need to be spending 15% of total gross income on fuel.

Obviously this is to help the poor by changing it from 10% spent on fuel.

So after paying less by getting a discount and not being able to heat like the richer people which reduces the likelihood of achieving 10% SE then bump it up to 15% to make it even more unnatainable!!"


I applied for Southern Electric Social Tariff and received a form and letter dated 26th November 2010 with a paragraph stating:
" if you're spending in excess of 10% ofyour total housedhold income ...... etc.... we may be able to help "

I am disabled and I now have somebody living with me to help me around the house and generally look after me and our arrangement is: I do not pay them and they do not pay rent.

I was turned down for the Social Tariff because they added together my Carers Pension/Pension Credit to my Pension plus my Council Tax Benefit which came to just over £15000.00 per year and so I would have to be paying £3000 plus on my combined Fuel Bill.

I might have this wrong but when you are on low income like myself I try to live frugally and only have the heating on 4 hours a day and I go to bed early when it is cold.

One of the S.E. Managers told me that there are people on their Social Tariff that spend £3500 on joint Fuel Bill and they work.

Does anybody know of these people.

HappyMJ

Booth1946 wrote: »

One of the S.E. Managers told me that there are people on their Social Tariff that spend £3500 on joint Fuel Bill and they work.

Does anybody know of these people.

Yes... I do. They are both retired on a very low income but they own a large country house about 7 bedrooms heats it all day and all night. The EPC rating is the worst you've seen. They are the owners of the house but let one of their kids and their family stay in a self contained wing of the house for free. Technically they are worth a lot but are cash poor. Oh and the property has an indoor heated swimming pool.

Even though they are retired he's the owner of a building firm and still puts in quite a few hours looking for new business for the family. Being self employed for so long he's put little into personal pensions or NI contributions and only gets a basic state pension.