Give meter reading before price hike?

rmac19up

I currently pay a monthly direct debit with Scottish Hydro. They calculate my bill for electricity every 6 months.

With my energy company set to increase their prices next week. Does it pay for me to give them my meter readings now and pay for the energy at the current rate?

This appears to me to be a flaw in the system as if my meter only gets checked every 6 months I am paying the cost of the electricty at that time regardless to whether it was cheaper for 3 months of it.

space_rider

I always read my meter the morning of the price hike and put it somewhere safe. You can then wait for the bill and if the estimated reading is in your favour then leave it but if not ring them to get them to change it.

rmac19up

Hi,

Does this mean they should send me an estimated bill up to the time of the price hike? The last bill said i would recieve bills at 6 monthly intervals and I am not due another one until February. Meaning that the bill I recieve will charge me the February price for energy I used between August and December. Which dosen't seem very fair.

Swipe

rmac19up wrote: »

Hi,

Does this mean they should send me an estimated bill up to the time of the price hike? The last bill said i would recieve bills at 6 monthly intervals and I am not due another one until February. Meaning that the bill I recieve will charge me the February price for energy I used between August and December. Which dosen't seem very fair.

You could alternatively send in a meter reading before 25th November and then be charged at the correct rate thereafter.

amcluesent

What I did (before going onto a fixed tariff at a higher rate) was send in a reading which was somewhat higher than on the meter, so I "pre-bought" on the lower tariff.

Pincher

amcluesent wrote: »

What I did (before going onto a fixed tariff at a higher rate) was send in a reading which was somewhat higher than on the meter, so I "pre-bought" on the lower tariff.

It doesn't work for me. Every quarter:

Around the 20th, an e-mail would arrive, asking me to submit meter readings.

I submit the readings around 30th.

An e-mail would arrive on the 1st, saying please view my bill online.

On the 3rd, a meter reader would knock on the door.

If I submit the readings on the 6th, the bill would appear on the 7th, and the meter reader knocks on the 10th.

t4mof

rmac19up wrote: »

Hi,

Does this mean they should send me an estimated bill up to the time of the price hike? The last bill said i would recieve bills at 6 monthly intervals and I am not due another one until February. Meaning that the bill I recieve will charge me the February price for energy I used between August and December. Which dosen't seem very fair.

What you should see on your February bill is usage between August and the price change date at the old prices. Then they will estimate your read and bill you to your February read on the new prices.

You shouldn't be charged the whole 6 months at the new prices.

brewerdave

Read your meter,supply the readings and note them down. I got caught by Swalec a few years ago when they underestimated the pre rise usage even tho' it had been much colder - took me a lot of hassle to get a rebate esp. as I was switching!!

grahamc2003

rmac19up wrote: »

I currently pay a monthly direct debit with Scottish Hydro. They calculate my bill for electricity every 6 months.

With my energy company set to increase their prices next week. Does it pay for me to give them my meter readings now and pay for the energy at the current rate?

This appears to me to be a flaw in the system as if my meter only gets checked every 6 months I am paying the cost of the electricty at that time regardless to whether it was cheaper for 3 months of it.

Yes, you can put in a higher reading than the avtual, and you'll pay at the current rate. If the readin is much too high, it will get rejected, but adding say a 100 or two units would get through.(if the increase is 10%, and you add 200 to the actual reading, then you'll save yourself the maginifcent sum of a whole £2!)

The danger of course is that the system will pick up your supposed increased usage, and possibly ramp up your monthly dd payment.

spiro

space_rider wrote: »

I always read my meter the morning of the price hike and put it somewhere safe. You can then wait for the bill and if the estimated reading is in your favour then leave it but if not ring them to get them to change it.

Rather than watiing months for the bill to arrive you are better off phoning them with the reading straight away because of you dont and they read your meter they are likely to estimate from a later reading rather than necessarily believe you took a reading months ago and did not bother to tell them.

keicar

Can't quite get my head around this, but I'm with Scottish Power and they have asked me for my meter readings today.

I know technically I would be in the wrong, but would I not be better off exaggerating my meter readings (to pay at the old price) or would I be charged for the electricity I've used in the last quarter at the new price as the meter readings will have been taken after the price rise??

Anyone know the answer??