edf E7 meter - can I get them to charge single rate

Chris_Kirkman

I switched to edf from nPower who billed me at a single rate with my day/night rate meter. Now having a battle with edf trying to get them to accept that I should be on a single rate tariff though I have an E7 meter. I did not realise that I was being charged for Economy 7 until I got the first bill about 5 months after the supply with them commenced and they insist that a day/night meter means E7 tariff.

They will change the meter free of charge and put me on a single rate tariff but will not adjust my bills and backdate it. I am currently over £60 worse off because of this.

Are there any moneysavingexperts who have had success in getting edf to charge at the same rate for day and night units or make adjustments to compensate.

Strider06

I used EnergyHelpLine, as suggested here at MSE, to switch from e-on back in Sept '11. I switched to Fixed S@ver v2. Three months went by and I was thinking that I should have had a quarterly bill by now. I then work out you only get a bill if you submit a meter reading. I find on my bill I'm on Fixed S@ver v2 E7; I've not been charged an E7 rate for many years by e-on who in fact recommended I go to standard because I would pay less, more to the point, they had no problems in taking two readings but only charge one rate!

I did not request this tarrif and am paying about %10 more than I'd 'contracted' to. How can they do this? They've recently mentioned changing my meter but not yet told me I won't get my previous units charged at the rate I was expecting.

I suspect they are doing this en-mass and most folk are unaware they are being overcharged like this. It's a scandal.:(

Some guidance here would be helpful. Thanks.

Terrylw1

Hi,

There is a way to check whether npower acted in a non compliant manner or EDF.

E7 doesn't mean 2 rates, its perfectly compliant for a supplier to bill you on one rate charges as long as its across the day and night rates.

However, this based on something called Market Domain Data. Without checking this, EDF are incorrect and don't accept it.

Ask EDF to check that the Standard Settlement Code (SSC) which is a bit like the meters tariff, so see if it will work as a Profile Class (PC) 1 or 2 meter. It must also have a valid Meter Timeswitch Class (MTC) as npower would have to update the distributor as this also alters what they pay out.

If the meter can be PC 1 & 2 with a valid MTC, they can charge you as 1 rate with day and night as npower did. To be compliant, they also ensure the distributor has been updated.

PC1 is a meter with a day rate only, PC2 is either a 2 rate meter with a timeswitch like E7, E7 with day and night readings, etc or a dedicated off peak meter that has one register reading on it.

Its a common misconception by call centre and billing staff who get trained to believe E7 can only function as E7. In reality, its far more complicated than this and the above changes when we get 3 rate day, night and heat metering (also if you are business again there are differences since PC of 1 or 2 is residential only)

So, ask them to check this.if you get your SSC, I can tell you anyway as the data is all stored on Elexons website, but you need to know how to manipulate this complicated data.

Now,if npower did it right, EDF should o it without a meter change and backbill, you from your change of supply reading on single rate as npower did.

Npower may not have updated your PC to 1 which means EDF can't see your arrangement to single rate, but did your switch reflect it? If you switched online you may have signed for E7 without understanding the issue, so complain to EDF's complaints team to push as hard as possible.

I've given you the full compliance side here to challenge them, ask if you don't understand anything...I can guarantee you most supplier staff won't know half of this, you need to complain to get to a specialist who understands it more.

EDFInsider

If your electricity is a 2 rate meter it will be billed as 2 rate, SAP relies on info received so if your metering details D0149/D0150 & D86, D10s (start or end read, on going reads) say it is a 2 rate meter then that is how it is set up. In the 'old system' it was possible to over ride this info and bill as a 1 rate. That is no longer possible in SAP and as npower have now changed to SAP they wouldn't be able to do it either.
If you want to be billed as a 1 rate you will need a mtr exchange.
Personally I worked out the difference between what you would pay on a certain tariff as 1 rate and what you paid on 2 rate bill and credited difference after mtr exchange took place. No matter what anyone tells you it is not possible to over write the billing system in SAP and just bill on the one rate and its not compliant.

Bark01

EDFInsider wrote: »

If your electricity is a 2 rate meter it will be billed as 2 rate, SAP relies on info received so if your metering details D0149/D0150 & D86, D10s (start or end read, on going reads) say it is a 2 rate meter then that is how it is set up. In the 'old system' it was possible to over ride this info and bill as a 1 rate. That is no longer possible in SAP and as npower have now changed to SAP they wouldn't be able to do it either.
If you want to be billed as a 1 rate you will need a mtr exchange.
Personally I worked out the difference between what you would pay on a certain tariff as 1 rate and what you paid on 2 rate bill and credited difference after mtr exchange took place. No matter what anyone tells you it is not possible to over write the billing system in SAP and just bill on the one rate and its not compliant.

You are wrong I'm with EDF and in SAP and have an e7 that is billing with the same rate on both registers. They are known by EDF as totaliser tariffs. They should be available on all products in all regions.

Terrylw1

EDFInsider wrote: »

If your electricity is a 2 rate meter it will be billed as 2 rate, SAP relies on info received so if your metering details D0149/D0150 & D86, D10s (start or end read, on going reads) say it is a 2 rate meter then that is how it is set up. In the 'old system' it was possible to over ride this info and bill as a 1 rate. That is no longer possible in SAP and as npower have now changed to SAP they wouldn't be able to do it either.
If you want to be billed as a 1 rate you will need a mtr exchange.
Personally I worked out the difference between what you would pay on a certain tariff as 1 rate and what you paid on 2 rate bill and credited difference after mtr exchange took place. No matter what anyone tells you it is not possible to over write the billing system in SAP and just bill on the one rate and its not compliant.

The rules on this are not down to billing systems, they are part of the Balancing Settlements Code (BSC) which is a licence that supplier, meter operators, data collectors, distributors, etc...have signed onto.

A customer with the type of metering i have mentioned is entitled to this change under the BSC so it doesn't matter if EDF have designed a new system that isnt compliant with MDD...they need to change it. Elexon would very interested in a supplier that has built a system that is non compliant with registration standard data.

I agree with you on the adding reads together to bill which is Bgas's method, its non compliant as they don't even check the meter is allowed as PC 1 or 2.

Each supplier is designing their own systems and may be purchasing certain elements, however they have to be able to usr MDD which is sent to them monthly. If they can't, they will find themselves in trouble with Elexon.

Strider06

e-on had been billing me same rate for both readings formany years. The main issue for me isthat I didn't mention or ask for E7 when I selected the Tariff via EnergyHelpLine,i.e. I chose the pence per unit etc that I wanted to pay, under the particulartariff name; no mention of E7. For EDF to then put me on an E7 tariff, andtherefore different pence per unit etc, without consulting me is not acceptablebehaviour. I presume the energy company gets to see what I have chosen throughthe switching company and E7 was not selected; it is there to be selected ifI'd wanted. EDF should have contacted me to say my rates would be different andI'd need a meter change at the very beginning. I only found after reading mybill, which I'd had to request, and no doubt will find it difficult to get them to applythe tariff I wanted retrospectively.
I'dlike to see EDF being stopped from doing this. It's almost certain many peoplewho are in the same position will not be aware, and won't be unless they readbill, until the end of the contract by which time EDF may well have chargedthem several % over what they had 'contracted' to pay; many probably won't evenread their bill and just pay thinking they've had the deal they switched to.
Myfeeling at the moment is to switch to another energy company and determine whatI end up paying EDF and make a claim for the difference between what I shouldhave paid. They are just not responding to any my complaint at all.

Chris Kirkman, did you change through a switching company ordo it yourself?

Terrylw1

Strider06 wrote: »

e-on had been billing me same rate for both readings formany years. The main issue for me isthat I didn't mention or ask for E7 when I selected the Tariff via EnergyHelpLine,i.e. I chose the pence per unit etc that I wanted to pay, under the particulartariff name; no mention of E7. For EDF to then put me on an E7 tariff, andtherefore different pence per unit etc, without consulting me is not acceptablebehaviour. I presume the energy company gets to see what I have chosen throughthe switching company and E7 was not selected; it is there to be selected ifI'd wanted. EDF should have contacted me to say my rates would be different andI'd need a meter change at the very beginning. I only found after reading mybill, which I'd had to request, and no doubt will find it difficult to get them to applythe tariff I wanted retrospectively.
I'dlike to see EDF being stopped from doing this. It's almost certain many peoplewho are in the same position will not be aware, and won't be unless they readbill, until the end of the contract by which time EDF may well have chargedthem several % over what they had 'contracted' to pay; many probably won't evenread their bill and just pay thinking they've had the deal they switched to.
Myfeeling at the moment is to switch to another energy company and determine whatI end up paying EDF and make a claim for the difference between what I shouldhave paid. They are just not responding to any my complaint at all.

Chris Kirkman, did you change through a switching company ordo it yourself?

Yes, a lot of customers suffer from this. Dod the switching site allow you to pick a 1 rate tariff across 2 rates? Without comparing the days items I mentioned earlier, its not possible to determine if it is allowed because not all E7 meters are set up in the industry to allow it. In reality, the industry data should be corrected to allow it in all cases but suppliers have to request that 1 by 1 and wait months for the industry change release. Since suppliers no longer take responsibility for a region, it won't happen and the data regulator, Elexon should deal with it but they wont unless someone directs them to.

I suspect you picked 1 rate charging and then the supplier noticed you were 2 rate. What they should have done is contact you to ask why, not change your tariff since they are not honouring your chosen terms.

The question is, is your meter compatible?if not, its not their fault, its your old supplier who acted in a non compliant manner by not telling you it should be a meter change, or they could have requested via Elexons change management process to allow your meter to be compatible.