E.on changing me from SaveOnline9 to E10 EnergyPlan 22

twiglet98

My SaveOnline 9 contract ends on 12 August and E.on have written to say 'We're planning to renew you onto a plan that's right for your meter - it's a variable price plan".

The new plan is eligible for Tesco Clubcard points, the current one is not.

The old plan price is: First day 900kWh each year 25.956p each (inc VAT)
Next day kWh 12.905p each (inc VAT)
Night 5.481p each (inc VAT)

6% discount for paying by fixed monthly direct debit.

The new plan price is: Standing charge 27.274p per day
Day 15.698p each (inc VAT)
Night 8.211p each (inc VAT)

This looks to me like a massively big increase.

My monthly DD was reviewed last month and has been dropped from £58.00 to £44.00.

There is no gas supply to the village. We have oil for heating and hot water, electric cooking, and four adults living at home, all working full time and out all day. No tumble dryer any more, all the now-grown-up family constantly being reminded not to leave their computers and TVs on standby, but falls largely on deaf ears. The latest and earliest washing machine loads are switched on outside cheap rate, and my washing machine and dishwasher won't work on a timer. Therefore most usage is at breakfast time and in the evening.

A few years ago I started the process of switching supplier, through Energy Helpline. It was going to British Gas but they decided our electricity meter was 'non-standard' and they could not proceed. The house is a 1920s farm cottage but the present meter is modern, installed in 2003. I don't remember what BG said the problem was, something like two lines coming in ( ? ). Anyway, we are pretty much obliged to stay with E.on as a result - pre-E.on it was Powergen, and Eastern Electricity, so the same lot basically. Fortunately I've never had any problems at all with them, but this is looking like a massive price hike and I don't know if I'm just failing to understand the figures?

Terrylw1

What Bgas told you about 2 lines in, is incorrect. What they may have meant is you have an unusual set up such as E10 3 rate dual MPAN or Heatwise.

Not all suppliers want them, but they can register all meters...its a requirement.

Some suppliers take these lesser known meter set ups since the country is full of regional metering types.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi twiglet98

As Terry says, it looks as though your meter is something like an Economy 10.

These meters are particularly designed for all electric properties with storage heaters. They give 10 hours of cheaper off peak electricity at three set times per day. These are at night, in the afternoon and during the evening.

However, as you use oil for heating and hot water, I'm not sure you'll be benefiting from this type of metering set up. Might be an idea to have a chat with our metering guys to see if this meter is the best option for your property.

Usually, with this type of set up, the meter is wired into the heating and water heating circuits at a property. Changing the meter can often have consequences for the heating/water heating unless a certain amount of remedial work is done by an electrician.

As your property uses oil for heating, I'm not sure how changing the meter will affect your particular set up.

Due to the hybrid nature of Economy 10 meters, there's only one tariff available. This is the E10 Energy Plan 22 we've told you about.

The Saveonline 9 tariff (or any of our other tariffs for that matter) usually causes billing problems with this type of meter as it can't accommodate the usage going through the heating/water heating register.

I suspect this register is not showing any usage as your property uses oil for heating.

Can't be sure, though, and I could be well wide of the mark. As I say, talk to our specialist about this.

Hope this is of some help twiglet98. Give me a shout if you need any more info as will be happy to advise.

Malc

twiglet98

Thanks Terry, and thanks Malc for your thoughts.

When I moved here 21 years ago I took on the previous owner's Eastern Electricity tariff called Domestic Night and Day, which was good value and gave cheap rate for 10 hours, 21.00 to 07.00. This tariff continued under Powergen until November 2005, when it was changed to Economy 7 without notice or explanation. The meter was compulsorily changed in 2003 and is a 'Multirate Single Phase Watt Hour Meter'. An ancient black dial meter is still in the cupboard, with red stickers all over it and a strung tag with its readings when it was replaced in 1975. The previous owners of the house bought it in 1976 and installed oil fired central heating in 1986. I suppose it's possible it once had night storage heaters (how would I know?). There is no facility for electric heating now, but there is an electric immersion heater in the airing cupboard which can be used to heat water if I am not using oil.

I initialised a change of supplier early in 2008, BG withdrew their offer of a competitive price plan when they identified the meter as non-standard and E.on offered the Energy Online Extra Saver 5 Plan at a better price, superceded by Extra Saver 7, then SaveOnline9 as a result of discussion on this forum.

The house has all sorts of problems and I won't be considering changing the meter at my own expense. I just think the prices quoted look like a huge increase. My usage has been fairly static for some time, lower since getting rid of the tumble dryer, and would only spike if I ran out of oil and used the immersion heater for a few weeks - that last happened in 2004.

Terrylw1

How many MPAN's have you got?

There are various types of E10 under different guises such as Warmwise in the more southerly regions. Some are very individual but if yours has a static 10hr off peak period, it doesn't sound much effirt to deal with. If its a single MPAN type, it works in the industry on a very similar basis to E7. After all, there are ones such as E8, E9, etc but they aren't heard of much. As long as the supplier has a tariff, they can easily handle your meter.

The 2 MPAN ones are a bit different as they often have more complex switching patterns. For instance, Warmwise operates its 10hr off peak hours in different bursts at the weekends and on bank holidays to the weekdays. This makes the tariffs much more work to generate.

Some suppliers never knew about these dual MPAN set ups as they came from elec board regions that didn't have them. I'm sure Malc will agree since Eon has the Powergen old board region which did have them. Just over the border in the old MEB board, which became Npower, they didn't have any. Now since these suppliers continued using their old billing systems, these oddities wouldn't bill...so some suppliers took the decision to sacrifice these customers to save money on updating systems and pricing new tariffs. Such as Malc's Eon had a system already their and had prices already that they could lean on when creating the tariffs.

Not all suppliers did this though, some branched out.

Newer systems that they are adopting are able to handle dual MPAN so it just means some companies don't want the hassle. Its also a way a company like Bgas can harp on about "simplifying" its tariffs, by pushing customers like you away. Bgas never had elec before privatisation so we and now still are less versed in the complexities out there IMO.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi twiglet

Terry has made some excellent points. Particularly about the dual or single MPANs.

I really am speculating here, but it's possible the metering set up was changed when the property was converted to oil heating back in 1986.

As Terry asks, do you have one or two MPANs?

It's important to establish the exact type of metering at your property and that's why I directed you towards our meter specialists. They'll be able to identify your actual set up and advise what tariffs are compatible with your current metering.

We certainly continue to support the customers we inherited when we took over Eastern Electricity regardless of the meter. However, we may have needed to adapt our tariffs to best suit the meter in place.

Sorry if I'm still wide of the mark twiglet but, as I say, I'm speculating rather a lot.

Malc

twiglet98

Thanks and apologies Malc and Terry for not responding - sorry but this is too technical for me. I have no idea about MPANs, or things mentioned on other threads such as radio-teleswitch or time switches. I'm on Economy 7, night rate is 01.00 to 08.00 at present, on British Summer Time. This meter was installed in 2003, and the change to Economy 7 happened without warning in 2005. Before then it was on Domestic Night and Day, with cheap rate 21.00 to 07.00 GMT. There has never been an option for a Top-Up reading in the 21 years I've been here.

I will ring them, hopefully tomorrow, as I think they are simply wrong in this case. I would like to be able to compare available tariffs online as was the case with the old website, and wonder if they have deliberately removed this useful facility.

Terrylw1

Per your post on this thread.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/54931211#Comment_54931211

Did they say if in correcting the bill to E10 rates it will refund or debit you?

If this puts you in debt Eon should completely remove the debt as they are 100% at fault here.

You are responsible for checking, monitoring & reporting this as well but they can see what your meter is set to at all times.

There is also the billing code which would prevent back billing over 12 months.

twiglet98

Gosh, no, I didn't ask. My monthly direct debit has recently been reduced again and my account is well in credit. The customer rep insisted I have still had the 10 hours at 'cheap' rate the whole time the bill has been saying Economy 7 rather than the former Domestic Night and Day - it seems other customers formerly with Powergen were wrongly told they were on Economy 7. As the rates they are quoting for E10 look higher than I have been paying on SaveOnline9, I imagine I have been better off on the current tariff?

Terrylw1

Your meter still ran at 10 hrs off peak so that just got billed at off peak price.

So, if the E7 rates are cheaper than E10, you would be better off.

You need to be careful here because in identifying this problem the supplier has 2 options:

1 - Correct all E7 bills by recalculating at E10 rates.

2 - Only correct the tariff going forward.

Option 1 is more likely whereas option 2 could occur in a complaint.

You also may find that E10 meters are not available to preferential tariffs. Without checking, I'm not sure, but some suppliers won't allow E10 customers on some of their deals.

Suggest asking the Eon reps about all this to put your mind at rest.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi Terry

You're spot on. Most of our tariffs aren't available to customers with Economy 10 meters.

Customers with these meters have only the option of the one tariff. This tariff is specifically designed to suit the off peak hours available on this type of metering set up.

Malc