No change at EDF

victor2

Having got used to not giving EDF regular meter readings as they always try to increase my DD above what it needs to be when I do, thought I'd try this month with me being on their new Blue +Price promise tariff.
Put readings in yesterday, got bill today saying it would increase my DD by 23%. Ignoring my current credit balance, my actual usage is tracking at just 7% over what I am paying. So phoned them up, only on hold for 10 mins, got a guy who said they know their system is increasing payments when not necessary, but it should be fixed in the new year. He said they'll leave my payments as they are and next review them in March/April.
So, I'll continue to save myself the aggravation and not give them readings unless a meter reader turns up or they ask for them.

pooch

victor2 wrote: »

Having got used to not giving EDF regular meter readings as they always try to increase my DD above what it needs to be when I do, thought I'd try this month with me being on their new Blue +Price promise tariff.
Put readings in yesterday, got bill today saying it would increase my DD by 23%. Ignoring my current credit balance, my actual usage is tracking at just 7% over what I am paying. So phoned them up, only on hold for 10 mins, got a guy who said they know their system is increasing payments when not necessary, but it should be fixed in the new year. He said they'll leave my payments as they are and next review them in March/April.
So, I'll continue to save myself the aggravation and not give them readings unless a meter reader turns up or they ask for them.

I input my readings 2 days ago (last day of the month)
It still hasn't updated my account balance nor produced a new bill yet.

jalexa

victor2 wrote: »

Put readings in yesterday, got bill today saying it would increase my DD by 23%. Ignoring my current credit balance, my actual usage is tracking at just 7% over what I am paying.

What did the page 4 summary say about your next 12 months estimated usage?

I've tried and failed to get a recalculation and/or new style bill. I pay what I calculate is necessary and currently have a "sufficient" credit balance (1.7 x monthly payment). Interestingly the latest projection has increased the estimated electricity usage though actual usage is slightly down and significantly decreased estimated gas usage though actual gas usage is slightly up.:(

Not unhappy, I only wanted a new style bill to take them to task on. It's not impossible that I have a "do not recalculate this awkward customer" flag set.:D

Giving up readings now until the 'annual review'.

macman

In calculating estimated usage, do they perhaps take long-range weather forecasts into account-so maybe predicting a less harsh winter this year?
As a generator, EDF must surely be buying commercial weather forecasting data in order to predict future demand-and they are of course conveniently near to the Met Office in Exeter?
Or is it just the carp EDF IT system screwing everything up as usual?

Toxteth_OGrady

macman wrote: »

Or is it just the carp EDF IT system screwing everything up as usual?

My money's on that, in the same way that they are trying to double bill me for gas beyond the agreed opening/closing transfer reading that is now being used by SP for billing for the past fortnight. EDF even generated a gas bill 2 days ago that is not 'final' and has 3 estimated gas readings in the past 2 weeks.

PITA that I have to go through the formal complaint rigmarole with EDF to get it sorted - they owe me money!

I'll be glad when I've finally got rid of them. Only with them for 1 year but worst utility provider I've been with by far. :mad:

victor2

macman wrote: »

Or is it just the carp EDF IT system screwing everything up as usual?

That's where my money would also be.
They have predicted my coming year's electricity usage to be up 8.3% on the 12 months just gone and gas to be down by 0.9%.
Now the cynic in me would say that to increase the electricity usage rather than gas is financially in their favour as electricity is about 3 times the price of gas...
Interestingly, the annual cost predicted, when divided by 12 is £110 and I'm £95 in credit at the moment. So their system said it would increase my monthly payments to £125 - which includes £8 to cover my "gas debt". Erm, my account is in credit.
But the good news is the customer services people know their system is screwed up and have never quibbled about putting my payments back where I say they should be.

jalexa

victor2 wrote: »

So their system said it would increase my monthly payments to £125 - which includes £8 to cover my "gas debt". Erm, my account is in credit.

How many months to your 'annual review'?

My experience over quite a few months is that recalculations are "arithmetically correct" however the projected consumption assumptions are questionable.

There is no industry excuse for electricity but for gas the industry measure AQ can be two years out of date, possibly still capturing the last severe winter. AIUI, 'customer only reads' do not influence AQ. Surprise surprise I haven't had a meter reader round in over 8 months.

If I'm right about "arithmetically correct" then the provenance of the projected consumption should be the challenge. I doubt Advisers have an answer, so ask by email. That will probably be ignored or mis-answered. So escalate to a complaint which administratively is quite costly. Maybe I do have a "do not recalculate lightly" flag.:D

victor2

jalexa wrote: »

How many months to your 'annual review'?

My experience over quite a few months is that recalculations are "arithmetically correct" however the projected consumption assumptions are questionable.

They told me today that my next review will be next March/April. Since they've tried to increase my DD every time they've had a reading (except once for an unexplained reason!) I don't know when my last "review" was. Since I first joined them in May, I had assumed it would be on the anniversary of that.

The calculations from estimated kWh to cost are arithmetically correct. It's the conversion of that to a DD amount that is questionable, along with the adjustment for a "debt" that doesn't exist.
The forecasted kWh doesn't seem to make much sense either. How can they conclude that my gas usage will fall by 0.9% but electricity rise by 8.3% for the next 12 months in comparison to the last. Their figures for the last 12 months didn't exactly match my actuals, but then I wouldn't expect them to, as they didn't have readings exactly one year ago, but they were close.
I suppose they could be looking for a zero balance at some point, and given that I'm now on their Blue +Price promise April 2014 tariff, maybe they're looking for a zero balance next April, to line me up for a zero balance at the end of the tariff - the dreaded Spring balance? Last April, I had a £70 debit balance, so maybe that would explain their attempt to increase my DD. Will have to wait for the New Year and their system "fix" I suppose. :rotfl:

[Deleted User]

I am a small user of both gas and electric and pay only £26.00 per month.I perhaps have been quite lucky in that I have been with EDF for a few years and never have had any problems with themI am at the moment £160.00+ in credit with them but I don't mind as if I need it then its there in a cold snap.I did have my house well insulated and a new boiler installed about two years ago I have just had their stuff in about price fixing for three years and am seriously considering whether to do it or not I can't honestly see it reducing in price much over the next three winters and if anything probably going up Any ideas chums about fixing fuel prices ??

victor2

Fixing is a personal choice.
The benefits are it gives you a fixed rate for the duration of the tariff, so you don't have to worry about price increases in that time, as you won't get any.
The downside is that you start out paying a bit more than the currently available variable tariffs. But if you had fixed before the current round of increases, then there's a good chance you'd already be on an unbeatable rate.

jalexa

victor2 wrote: »

I suppose they could be looking for a zero balance at some point, and given that I'm now on their Blue +Price promise April 2014 tariff, maybe they're looking for a zero balance next April, to line me up for a zero balance at the end of the tariff - the dreaded Spring balance? Last April, I had a £70 debit balance, so maybe that would explain their attempt to increase my DD.

Did your "recalc" trigger the "new improved bill" format?

This is not to defend Edf, regulations require a clear explanation, and the use of the word "debt" is completely unacceptable, even if there was a "debit balance". Anyway the one bill does not separately account each energy at the bill level though it does at the payment level:undecided. Also the "old" bill doesn't state the 'annual review' date though MyAccount does.

I'm not so sure that the £125 vs. £110 (for a £95 credit balance) is necessarily far wrong arithmetically. Using a flat rate vs. seasonally weighted calculation I calculate that an Autumn credit balance of approximately x1.7 monthly payment is required for a Spring 'annual review' zero-balance. How Edf calculate it is of course up to Edf to explain on request. I mean on demand:D.

BTW that is a very generous (to Edf) calculation because for calculation simplicity it unnecessarily seasonally weights the daily charge. I'll sort that long before Edf sort their calculation. Still of the view that it is unilateral unsubstantiated changes to projected consumption which is key to the observed "randomness".