E-ON economy 10

Kels100

i moved into a property back in July last year and didn't know who our electric was with, the property is a 1 bedroom bungalow with storage heating as there is no gas in our village, its a listed building with no double glazing. I have just recieved the bill in which has come to £358.00 which to be honest i didn't think was too bad for 6 months not having a bill, after phoning EON up and explaining i can't afford to pay it all in one go due to being on income support as i can't work, and i have been told the lowest amount i can pay back would be £100.00 each month!! bearing in mind im on benefits, i only have the heating on in 1 room to as i don't have it on in the bedroom. she said that this would take 3 years to pay back the £358.00 as she has estimated that i am going to use about £85.00 a month electric, this i don't understand as you divide the £358.00 from the last bill by 6 and it works out £60.00 a month. how have they worked this out?? i can't afford the £100.00 plus the water rates and tv etc that i also have to pay!!

markharding557

does the £100 also include your usage as well?
if you only paid £60 then you would be paying nothing for the power you use.
something to consider is you would get longer to repay on a prepayment meter

Kels100

yeah it is they reckon im going to use £85.00 per month, then the rest out of the 100 is to repay the 358.00

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi Kels

There are a few things you can look at here which might help.

Is your bill based on actual rather than estimated meter readings? If it is, then we will have charged only for electricity used. This will also form the basis of our calculation that your monthly usage is £85.

Payment arrangements are designed to cover ongoing usage and repay any debt over a set period.

If you are paying £15 per month towards the outstanding balance then we are giving you approximately 2 years to repay the debt. I have to say, this is considerably longer than most payment arrangements.

However, as you are on benefits, I would have a chat with our vulnerable customer team. Tell them your circumstances and they may be able to offer alternatives.

As markharding says, Prepayment Meters might be a better option. This will allow the debt to be set over a longer period.

If you are unable to have Prepayment Meters then talk to them about Fuel Direct.

This scheme offers customers, in certain circumstances, the option of having weekly deductions automatically taken from their benefits. The amount will need to cover your usage but, again, the debt may be able to be spread over a longer period.

Who provides your water? If it comes through Severn Trent, United Utilities or Southern Water then there may be help available with the debt through the Water Trust Funds.

Can't guarantee anything Kels but certainly worth a chat if your water is provided by any of the above.

Going forward, it would be a good idea to look at ways of reducing your usage. We can help with this, too.

Have a word with our Energy Efficiency team. Give them a list of your appliances and they will be happy to advise of ways you may be able to reduce your electricity usage.

Ask them for a copy of a booklet called '100 ways to save money by saving energy.' It's free and contains lots of good tips to help you cut back.

Have a look at our website (there is a link in my Personal Profile); particularly the interactive house, energy menu and Winter Advice Bureau. More good tips here. :cool:

You might also be interested in the 10:10 campaign. This is aimed at helping people reduce their energy consumption by 10 per cent by the end of 2010.

Hope this helps a little. Give me a shout if you need any more details as will be glad to help.

Malc

Kels100

from looking at the bill i think they are on actual readings, but it also has readings from a "removed meter" and from the new "installed meter" i have been told i can't have a prepayment meter on the meter that i have now, i also live in a tiny village, with the nearest shop being a 20 min drive and i don't drive and buses only run once!! (thats the council for you) i just can't understand how the reckon i will use £85.00 each month?? my friend has the same storage heaters but a 2 bed flat and has a baby so is constantly using washing machine and tumble dryer, tv and heating on all day, and she only has to pay £40.00 a month!! i dont understand the difference and she is with southern electric, maybe its worth changing supplier as i can't afford these prices!!

KimYeovil

Kels100 wrote: »

she has estimated that i am going to use about £85.00 a month electric, this i don't understand as you divide the £358.00 from the last bill by 6 and it works out £60.00 a month. how have they worked this out?? i can't afford the £100.00 plus the water rates and tv etc that i also have to pay!!

Those six months were not six cold winter months. So you can't just divide by six.

Your minimum income is £280 per month. (Probably lots more as you are on income support.) So you can afford £100 per month. You have already been granted minimal arrears repayments. If you want more than £180 per month on other bills you can opt out of the direct debit payments - but that will involve higher prices and hence bigger cuts in usage to save any money.

Take the £100 hit just now and if in a few months you have managed to maintain much lower usage then contact them again to negotiate a lower ongoing usage contribution.

KimYeovil

E-on are quite expensive for E7 - there are probably cheaper tariffs you can choose. You will have to pay your debt off first - I would be looking to increase your payments, not decrease them, so you can switch to a supplier sooner rather than in three years. You should in the interim, though, see if there is a cheaper E-on tariff you can switch to (eg, Track and Save 3).

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Kels100 wrote: »

from looking at the bill i think they are on actual readings, but it also has readings from a "removed meter" and from the new "installed meter" i have been told i can't have a prepayment meter on the meter that i have now, i also live in a tiny village, with the nearest shop being a 20 min drive and i don't drive and buses only run once!! (thats the council for you) i just can't understand how the reckon i will use £85.00 each month?? my friend has the same storage heaters but a 2 bed flat and has a baby so is constantly using washing machine and tumble dryer, tv and heating on all day, and she only has to pay £40.00 a month!! i dont understand the difference and she is with southern electric, maybe its worth changing supplier as i can't afford these prices!!

Hi Kels

Have you had the meter changed during your time at the property?

If so, the readings marked 'removed' and 'installed' will refer to the closing readings on the old meter and the opening readings on the new meter respectively.

The main thing is to make sure they are actual readings and not estimates. Also, that they are in line with what is on your meter now.

On your bill, actual readings are marked with the letter A after the reading, whilst estimates are followed by an E.

If actual, then you will have used the electricity.

As we have told you the Prepayment option is not available with your current set up, you may wish to ask about Fuel Direct.

Comparing energy usage with others can be mis-leading. Amongst other things, properties are different (levels of insulation, attitudes to energy efficiency etc); individual lifestyles differ and metering set-ups can vary.

You have an Economy 10 meter. This is designed specifically for customers with storage and water heating. They provide 10 hours of heating/water per day at lower rates.

Economy 10 tends to be more of a comfort tariff and there may well be cheaper products/suppliers available. However, to take advantage of these you will need to have your meter changed.

The Economy 10 meter will be wired into your storage/water heating. Therefore, I would be careful about removing it as this may have implications for your storage/water heating. I would ask an independent electrician for advice before doing this.

If all is ok to change the meter, we currently charge £50 for this service. The cost of the electrician and any remedial work they might need to do to your circuitry will also be your responsibility.

How do you currently pay? There are discounts available for paying with a Monthly Direct Debit. This might help a little.

Just a heads up Kels; if you decide to switch supplier we would ask for the immediate payment of all outstanding amounts.

Hope this gives a bit of clarity to your metering set up but, again, let me know if I can help further as will be glad to do so.

Malc

Kels100

Right ok, so is i was to change to a different tariff would i then have to change the meter so then i would have to pay out £50.00 for this ?? Why does my friend only have to pya out £40.00 on a payment card towards her bill even though she has a bigger place and more things on than me and i have to pay out more ?? this doesn't add up??

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi Kels

As I said in my previous post, you really shouldn't try and compare energy usage at different properties. There are so many variables involved that it just causes confusion.

Concentrate on your meter. Take regular readings - daily, weekly and then monthly. Try and come to grips with your usage. See where the bulk of the electricity is going.

Your meter will show three readings - normal daytime, normal night usage and stored heat.

The heating/water will come on for 5 hours at night, 2.5 hours in the afternoon and 2.5 hours in the evening. This will show on the stored heat display on the meter.

The two other displays record the amount of electricity used by all non-storage/water heating appliances. Of this, 7 hours will be at cheaper night rates whilst the remainder will cover all daytime units used.

The actual times vary depending on the area you are in.

It might help if you acquired an energy monitor. I believe they can be picked up fairly cheaply at various retail outlets. These will allow you to check how much power your individual household appliances are using.

If you are still struggling to understand where the electricity is going, have a chat with our consumption team. They will be happy to talk to you.

Have a look at the energy saving advice I posted earlier. See where you can cut back.

To move from Economy 10 and on to a different tariff will involve changing your meter. However, I do advise you to have your set up checked out by an electrician before doing this. The last thing you want is problems with your storage and water heating, particularly at this time of year.

I can confirm, the cost to change the meter is currently £50. You will also be responsible for the costs of any electrical work to the storage/water heating circuits which may be necessary.

Hope this makes things a little clearer but give me a shout if you need any more info.

Malc

Fire_Fox

Kels100 wrote: »

i moved into a property back in July last year and didn't know who our electric was with, the property is a 1 bedroom bungalow with storage heating as there is no gas in our village, its a listed building with no double glazing. I have just recieved the bill in which has come to £358.00 which to be honest i didn't think was too bad for 6 months not having a bill, after phoning EON up and explaining i can't afford to pay it all in one go due to being on income support as i can't work, and i have been told the lowest amount i can pay back would be £100.00 each month!! bearing in mind im on benefits, i only have the heating on in 1 room to as i don't have it on in the bedroom.

Kels100 wrote: »

from looking at the bill i think they are on actual readings, but it also has readings from a "removed meter" and from the new "installed meter" i have been told i can't have a prepayment meter on the meter that i have now, i also live in a tiny village, with the nearest shop being a 20 min drive and i don't drive and buses only run once!! (thats the council for you) i just can't understand how the reckon i will use £85.00 each month?? my friend has the same storage heaters but a 2 bed flat and has a baby so is constantly using washing machine and tumble dryer, tv and heating on all day, and she only has to pay £40.00 a month!! i dont understand the difference and she is with southern electric, maybe its worth changing supplier as i can't afford these prices!!

Why on earth did you move into a poorly insulated property in an isolated area in your situation? You can't compare to your friends' flat as that will probably be well insurated due to the benefit of the neighbours (my flat never falls below 12C even if the snow). I very much doubt your friend's £40 a month covers her year round usage, has she actually read her meter? My use is £30 a month with NO heating and hardly any hot water (shower at work).