Massaging the facts about recent increases

stewie_griffin

Mugget wrote: »

SSE is the only wholly British owned company. British Gas is not British!

Both SSE and Centrica are FTSE 100 companies so how can you say one is British and not the other?

Mugget

stewie_griffin wrote: »

Both SSE and Centrica are FTSE 100 companies so how can you say one is British and not the other?

SSE is a british company as it is owned and run completely in the UK. Bgas is owned by Centrica a multinational company. Hence not everything within B Gas is british. Does not matter if they are both FTSE 100 companies.

stewie_griffin

Mugget wrote: »

SSE is a british company as it is owned and run completely in the UK. Bgas is owned by Centrica a multinational company. Hence not everything within B Gas is british. Does not matter if they are both FTSE 100 companies.

So foreign investors aren't allowed to buy shares in SSE. How did they get that past the LSE?

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

rollon65 wrote: »

Hello,

The media has recently been full of the fact that dual fuel bill are going to rise by a figure something short of 20% for the two.

Take look at my increase, as a consumer of gas and electricity on a pretty modest scale.

I am on the e-on SaveOnline 5 tariff.

Electricity: Current cost of first unit rate is 20.15 pence per kWh inc. VAT. The new rate is to be 24.707 pence per kWh. This is a hike of 22.615%.
After that the cost of the next unit rate is now 9.807 pence per kWh and the new rate is 10.784 pence per kWh. This is a rise of 9.962%.
The threshold of the break from first unit rate to next unit rate is 900kWh per annum.

Gas: Current cost of first unit rate is 5.304 pence per kWh inc. VAT. The new rate is to be 7.75 pence per kWh. This amounts to a rise in the order of 46.2%.
After that the cost of the next unit rate is now 2.94 pence per kWh and the new rate is to be 3.372 pence per kWh. This is a rise of 14.69%.
The threshold of the break from first unit rate to next unit rate is 2680kWh per annum.

Just in case (and it is possible) I wasn't listening in the maths class at school, just how much of each power source do you have to use for all those lofty increases to resolve into an overall increase of less than 20% across the board?

Shed loads more than I do, I think.

We are on the threshold of both being pensioners and my wife and I have always been frugal with power and as far as I can comprehend, because we are likely to be consuming less units at the cheaper end of the range than those we shall have to be using at the high end before we become entitled to the lesser rate will mean that the true increase to us is in excess of the 18-19% that everyone is up in arms about.

Please, someone - tell me I am wrong about this.

Hi rollon65

Just to confrim what cardew says, our recent press announcement about the level of price increases in September is based on national average consumptions. These are 16500 kWh (gas) and 3300 kWh (unrestricted electricity).

Individual increases may not necessarily be exactly as announced in the press. However, the actual increase will be detailed in the letters sent out to each customer affected.

Give me a shout if you need any more info rollon65 as will be happy to help.

Malc

rollon65

Hello Malc,

Firstly, please let me say that I have absolutely no gripe about anything e-on is doing EXCEPT dropping more of an increase percentage-wise on the low volume consumer.

We are not destititute by any means, but my wife is a pensioner and I will be as well at the end of May 2012.

Last Winter, my wife who suffers from bronchial asthma, opted to don more fleeces and jumpers rather than maintain a household temperature of 18 degrees Celsius (65 degrees in old money) and have to pay for the priviledge in February.

We are not "poor" people yet, but the price of keeeping warm and having access to constant hot water is propelling us in that direction.

I resent the fact that percentage-wise we shall be facing the stiffest increases at a time when inflation is on the up and pension annuities are going in the opposite direction.

For the record, I am on the e-on "think tank team" and I have already suggested that there would be mutual benefits if e-on could become a ground-breaking organisation by contacting folk like us to point out when we could be buying our power less expensively.

I have been made aware by others in the know, that there are less costly tariffs available under pressure of changing supplier, but that these have to be requested as a matter of policy, rather than offered, to the appropriate parties.

I cannot vouch for this information, but have no reason to believe that it is complete fantasy.

I do admire what e-on does in the field of consumer input, but paying for our power is fast becoming an issue of such dimension that it is second only to our Council Tax, now that we no longer have a mortgage in our out-goings.

E-on has so much to gain from aspiring to become "the people's champion" power supplier, but has yet to rise to the challenge.

Time to start thinking "outside the box" e-on and view the retired generation as a positive contribution, rather than a "loss leader".

victor2

I'll second rollon65's feelings above.
I left E.On this year as my fixed tariff came to an end and there was nothing competitive to replace it with. Now with EDF, who have little concept of customer service and I would regret leaving E.On were it not for the lower costs I am incurring.
I have also been involved with E.On's webcast and surveys, and am always looking at ways to reduce the cost of utilities without drastically changing the way we live.
It was stated in their last webcast that if all their customers were on the best tariff for their circumstances, E.On would operate at a loss. So, from a business point of view, I suppose somebody has to pay over their cheapest rate. Maybe that area is where a bit more thought "outside the box" is required?

davidgmmafan

I would guess debt counts for a lot, some people simply don't pay thier bill then ask why it is so high. Clearly lots of people are having a tough time, but most people make at least some effort to pay.

Back billing or to be more accurate incorrect billing I would guess is a larger figure. I really can't understand why the industry is so bad at this. Marketting and billing is pretty much all a 'supplier' does. In my own opinion of course

rollon65

Many thanks for your input victor2 and davidgmmafan.

Where are you Malc?
I'm looking for some special help for pensioners and other disadvantaged customers.

rollon65

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc wrote: »

Hi rollon65

Give me a shout if you need any more info rollon65 as will be happy to help.

Malc

Come on Malc - you can do better than this . . . and we know you're out there.

Stack 'em high and sell 'em cheap - so goes the old motto.

1% profit from half a million pensioners, or 1/2% profit from 5 million - what's it to be?

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi rollon65

Sorry for the delayed reply; not been around since Tuesday. :sad:

Many thanks for your comments. I do understand where you're coming from as several of the points you raise concern me as an energy consumer as well as an employee of E.ON.

Also, as a grandad, I'm fast approaching the time of life you and your wife are at, so can appreciate the type of policies you would like to see.

Contrary to popular opinion, we do listen to our customers although we're not always able to implement every idea/request.

The panel you're involved with is an excellent means of communicating your ideas. This feedback is taken very seriously and is genuinely appreciated. It also goes to the key decision-makers at E.ON.

Some of the issues you mention concern various aspects of company policy which, unfortunately, I'm unable to influence directly. However, as with other threads from MSE, I've sent your comments through to our senior management right up to board level.

Can't promise things will pan out exactly as you would like but I can tell you the ideas/comments will be seen and taken seriously by the right people.

Concerning the price increase in particular; our MD has been on YouTube recently talking about the need to raise prices. He's also been answering questions on Twitter from individual customers. Both channels can still be viewed if this is of interest.

Sorry I can't offer anything more specific rollon65 but hope the above shows we do listen. Keep the ideas coming.

Malc