help with cost split gas reading

hogshead

I am guilty of always browsing my gas bill & just paying, never querying the sum (always moaning to myself though)
Recently I recieved a bill & red letter so I called NP to give an accurate reading as they have mostly been estimate readings to get the bill spot on.

It may be obvious to those who keep an eye on readings but I would like help with the following:

intitial estimate
106 (100s cubic feet) = 3340kWh
cost spilt 1st 2086 @ 7.659p
next 1254 @ 2.488p
Bill was £200.51

accurate reading via phone call
353 (100s cubic feet) = 11124kWh
cost spilt 1st 3450 @ 7.659p
next 7674 @ 2.488p
Bill is £477.92

How is it decided how many units are shared in the cost spilt as they are hugely different. I have said already it must be very clear but I am learning & looking into changing supplier as I type.

TIA

Rusty!

This might be worth a read: http://www.npower.com/web/At_home/customer_service/yourquestionsanswered/faq_understanding_my_prices

spiro

Rusty! wrote: »

This might be worth a read: http://www.npower.com/web/At_home/customer_service/yourquestionsanswered/faq_understanding_my_prices

The shows the 'sculpting' that people complain about. You have to buy more units at the high price at the time of the year you need more gas. Looking on British Gas's website you get the same amount of gas (670 kWh) per quarter.

KimYeovil

But don't confuse this arguably fair seasonal 'sculpting' that some people (imnsho wrongly) complain about with the inarguably thieving 'scalping' nPower practice through making up what a tariff year is.

Seasonal weighting is not a bad thing - if anything, it is fairer than a flat Tier 1 allowance (in that many more customers pay a fairer contribution to the service charges).

Cardew

KY above raises a very important point.

The seasonal weighting or sculpting - i.e. allocating more higher priced tier 1 units to be paid in the winter months - doesn't matter over a 'year'* as the number of units paid will be as published.

Whilst I can understand KY's point about sculpting being 'fairer', it does have the unfortunate effect of increasing bills at a time when consumption is at its highest.

The current ongoing dispute with NPower is a product of sculpting in that Npower suspended sculpting in 2007 and this resulted in most of their customers paying for 2000 or so extra tier 1 units. They, in effect, declared that they could invent a term called 'tariff year' which could be any length they wished it to be. A scam pure and simple.