Gas and Electric advise?

Sunny29

Hi,

I need some advise please. I have prepayment energy meters for both gas and electric. There isn't any debt on the gas and never has been as the prepayment meter was already installed when we moved to the house. However we did run up a debt on the electric and therefore we had a prepayment meter fitted. My Gas is with British Gas and electric with EDF. I have tried to move my electric to British Gas because the treatment we have had over the debt by EDF was appalling. However they would not let me go. The debt was about £4000 but we have managed to reduced that to £2000 since the new meter was fitted. I know that you get a better deal dual fuel and an even better deal by paying direct debit. We have had a really cold winter and i was putting in 30 -40 per week in the gas meter and the electric takes about 30 -35 per week with £15.00 going to the debt and £3.75 pw meter charge. It is costing me an absolute fortunate of which now i am benefitting in the warmer weather because now my gas bill is less than £10 per week. I just dont think it's fair in worse case scenario that i am spending £320 a month on utility bills. Thats more than my mortgage! Is there anything i can do so that i can have these prepayment meters taken out so i can become a duel fuel, direct debit online only customer as they seem to get the best rates. I am fed up of being penalised for having a prepayment meter even though i am paying in advance for my fuel. When there is no money left at the end of the month before the next pay day and the electric goes...then we just have to do without; and that stinks during this day in age. Is there anyone out there that can give me some helpful advice?

And dont suggest the EDF energy trust as we have been refused twice; we dont really qualify for help as we dont claim benefits we are just on low incomes.

KimYeovil

Yes, pay your debt. Then you will be free to move and change company/meter type. You don't have to completely clear your debt - just reduce it to £200.

Premier_2

Paying off the existing debt will allow you to change supplier but doesn't automatically guarantee you a credit meter.

Many suppliers will require you to pass a credit check and / or may require a hefty security deposit before agreeing to a credit meter. Some suppliers will not allow credit meter where the current occupants have had a PPM fitted because of debt problems.

Sunny29

Thanks KimYeovil and Premier for responding. It seems that i will just have to wait until I have cleared the debt. It's has been such a struggle through the winter months. I even had a job interview on Monday for a part-time evening and weekend job to work on top on the 37 hours a week i already work. I am hoping to hear today whether I got it or not. I am that desperate to clear it so that we dont have another couple of bad winters when it was a case trying not to use too much electric. It does force you to be more energy efficient though. Nothing in our house now get's left on for the sake of it.

Gurn_2

To have run up a 4 grand electric debt you must have been not paying a penny for years?!
Oh well, some call it karma i guess!

dogshome

Hi Sunny29 - The replies you have had tell it like it is - You won't really be able to change suppliers till the debt is almost zeroed, and and any Utility will want to run a credit check before installing a Standard Meter.

However, I am puzzled at the amount of debt that built up on your Electric account before the pre-pay meter was installed.
You have gas, and if this is being used for Heating and Hot water, £4,000 for electric would be the cost for an average family for 10 years supply.

If you do not have ECO7 heating there appears to be something seriously awry with either your consumption or the billing - It's not unknown for Utilities to seriously get it wrong with their billing, so if you were not in the habit of checking each Elec. bill as it arrived, then do so now and if you can't understand anything, post your query on this site
If you have not kept the bills, ask EDF for copies, they have to supply them
Good Luck

Sunny29

Hi Dogshome,

No this bill was for about 2 years prior to the meter being fitted. I dont know why it is so high. I use gas for heating and water. I dont understand the bills, I just take their word for it.

The quarterly bills were so high i just couldnt afford to keep up and around that time I was on maternity leave and wasnt working, so money was really tight. Suffering for it now though - as previous post suggested 'Karma'.

dogshome

Hi Sunny29 - Wow! It appears from your posts that this £4k debt built up over just 2 years - thats enough to run a small hotel

You must get copy bills from EDF for at least the 4 years prior to the meter change, then go thro' them looking to see that the Meter readings are consecutive from bill-to-bill and that the seasonal use is roughly the same from year to year.
If there is nothing odd there, then it's out with the calculator to check Units/Price/Total calculations - If your bills give charges for both Day & Night rate use, at some time in the past the heating was changed from ECO 7 to gas, but nobody told the Elec.company and you may be on the wrong tariff.
All the best

macman

OP, how much were you paying a month over the two years that you ran up the 4K debt? Assuming you were paying something, that usage is even more extraordinary, if it 4K plus whatever you paid in total.
You really need to start monitoring your consumption and then chek back against you usage on those old bills to see what is going on.