Super tarriff - suppliers mistake

lovinglife42

Hi I wonder if anyone could advise me please.. I moved into a property in April 2011 and presumed my usage was on economy 7 as this is what it states on my bills.. after many calls to my provider (SSE) they have now confirmed I'm on a super tariff with a 3 way meter, they tell me this is a mistake as they do not provide this meter in my area. I'm actually out at work all day so I'm concerned I'm paying a high day rate. They also tell me I'm not been billed for certain usage such as my shower.
They have given me 3 options.. (1) to change supplier (2)stay as I am (3) to have them change my meter but I will need to get an electrician to wire it up (at my own expense!)
I'm struggling to make the right choice here.. Does anyone think I should take this further and could you advise me on making the right choice.. thanks in advance

Meadows

No idea of what a 3 way meter is but is it more or less economical to use than a regular meter?


Might be the time to shop around and see who is the cheapest for you and then decide if the tariff you are on is a good or bad deal.

macman

Do you mean Economy 10?

Bluebirdman_of_Alcathays

As a condition of taking over the former public electricity suppliers, 5 of the major 6 (BG don't come into this) power companies were obliged to still offer all legacy tariffs. Generally this consists of Economy10, although 8,12 and even 18 exist.

They only have to offer it to customers in the area the previous public supplier used to cover, ie. Scottish Power will deal with North Wales/South Scotland, SSE North Scotland/South Wales, edf South East and London, e.on East Midlands etc.

If SSE are saying they don't offer a tariff for your meter in your area, then they are probably telling the truth. I can only guess that a previous occupant switched to them unaware of the metering situation, and SSE put them on a "Tariff of best fit". What are the rates SSE are charging you at the moment?

In my experience Economy 10 even when properly set up is rarely competitive - you have no choice of supplier and are subject to the whimsical price rises of the energy firms. That said, I've seen a thread on here where people say it's very economical for them.

If you own the property and can afford it, I'd certainly consider getting the meter changed and things rewired. I have no evidence for this (!) but I think it would have a positive impact on the value of the property. It's certainly not going to reduce value that's for sure.