Should i Submit Meter Reading before New Tariff Starts

AVENUE

Hi...I'm going onto EDF Blue+Price Promise June 2015 on 1st May as my current Fix with them ends on 30th April. Is it best for me to submit a meter reading prior to the new tariff starting?


I was thinking of Switching to First Utility which Uswitch estimates would be £10 per month less but have been put off by reading some customers bad experience with them.


When you switch to a new company such as First Utility, will they initially set Direct Debits higher because you've no track record with them as ive heard this happens a lot & that would be the last thing I would want.


Many thanks - avenue

matelodave

You will be asked to read the meter a few days before your switchover day by the new supplier - if you are staying with the same supplier then send them a reading on switchover day to ensure that their billing is correct. Make sure you record it for yourself as well just in case something goes wrong. The new supplier should then inform the old one of the changeover reading and you'll get a bill up to that day & reading, so make sure that both old and new suppliers use the same date & readings.

If you've given them an accurate estimate of your consumption (based on your own records or the last 12 months usage) then your direct debits should be about right. If you haven't, then they have a guess (they call it an estimate) of how much you might use and work out your dd from that.
You can do your own sums, work out how much you'll use, multiply it by the tariff, add the standing charge and divide the result by 12 to get a rough idea of what your dd should be.

If what they want is wildly different, then challenge them to tell you how they've worked it out - if your records are accurate then they are the ones they should use.
I went with FU last November and they are taking the correct dd that was calculated from the consumption figures that I told them, no more and no less.

You can always help yourself by reading your own meters once a month, keeping a copy and sending it to your supplier. That will help your budgeting, make sure bills are accurate and give you accurate information on your consumption ready for the next time you want to swap.

AVENUE

matelodave wrote: »

You will be asked to read the meter a few days before your switchover day by the new supplier. Make sure you record it for yourself as well just in case something goes wrong. The new supplier should then inform the old one of the changeover reading and you'll get a bill up to that day & reading, so make sure that both old and new suppliers use the same date & readings.
If you've given them an accurate estimate of your consumption (based on your own records or the last 12 months usage) then your direct debits should be about right. If you haven't, then they have a guess (they call it an estimate) of how much you might use and work out your dd from that.
You can do your own sums, work out how much you'll use, multiply it by the tariff, add the standing charge and divide the result by 12 to get a rough idea of what your dd should be.
If what they want is wildly different, then challenge them to tell you how they've worked it out - if your records are accurate then they are the ones they should use.
I went with FU last November and they are taking the correct dd that was calculated from the consumption figures that I told them, no more and no less.

Cheers for that....at the moment I havn't switched, just thinking about it....but I'm just moving from one EDF tariff to another EDF tariff so was wondering with of course the new tariff being higher than my current one if its best to submit a meter reading to EDF before the new tariff starts.


Ive got the figures from EDF for my annual consumption & I input this into the Uswitch site which generated the projected savings based on usage divided by 12.....If I decide to switch to First Utility will they have those figures provided from the Uswitch site or do they ask again for me to provide them & will First Utility confirm what my Direct Debits will be BEFORE I switch to them?


Many Thanks - Avenue

OhReally_2

AVENUE wrote: »

Hi...I'm going onto EDF Blue+Price Promise June 2015 on 1st May as my current Fix with them ends on 30th April. Is it best for me to submit a meter reading prior to the new tariff starting?


I was thinking of Switching to First Utility which Uswitch estimates would be £10 per month less but have been put off by reading some customers bad experience with them.


When you switch to a new company such as First Utility, will they initially set Direct Debits higher because you've no track record with them as ive heard this happens a lot & that would be the last thing I would want.


Many thanks - avenue

Best to provide the meter readings on the day of transfer, else the supplier will have to guess.

£120 saving per year and you are ignoring it? :eek:

Don't trust everything you read on the internet; it can be a very scary (and expensive) place to be, as your post clearly indicates.

JJ_Egan

meter readings i take a few before and after switch .

[Deleted User]

Hi, Im trying to switch from Blue Price Promise April 2014 to July 2015 but as of yet still cant get through to change it or use there dedicated page as its not working for me. Are you having any luck changing?

millie

I have just switched from EDF to First Utility, I was put off by the bad customer service comments but decided to do it anyway. Everything went through without a hitch. Signed up on 18th March and was complete by 9th April. Had emails every step of the way. first Direct Debit was taken today for £1 more than I was paying EDF, exactly on the day they stated. I did phone them last week as EDF were showing Gas has moved but not Electric. I was in a queue for 25 minutes but was kept informed as to my number in the queue. I phoned EDF straight after (as it was them that was dragging there feet not verifying electricity reading) and I was in a queue with them for 15 minutes with no idea of my position in the queue. It is your choice who you go with but I am glad I was not put off by the adverse reports about them.

[Deleted User]

All done now, thankfully I got through

AVENUE

OhReally wrote: »

Best to provide the meter readings on the day of transfer, else the supplier will have to guess.

£120 saving per year and you are ignoring it? :eek:

Don't trust everything you read on the internet; it can be a very scary (and expensive) place to be, as your post clearly indicates.

Was just wondering whether to trust the comparison sites and if First Utility will confirm the monthly Direct Debits BEFORE I sign up. If they, on the other hand, set my Debits higher as a new customer, then I'm not really saving so was wondering how reliable these monthly comparison figures are, & what folks experience of the actual figures are after switching.


Many Thanks - Avenue

AVENUE

millie wrote: »

I have just switched from EDF to First Utility, I was put off by the bad customer service comments but decided to do it anyway. Everything went through without a hitch. Signed up on 18th March and was complete by 9th April. Had emails every step of the way. first Direct Debit was taken today for £1 more than I was paying EDF, exactly on the day they stated. I did phone them last week as EDF were showing Gas has moved but not Electric. I was in a queue for 25 minutes but was kept informed as to my number in the queue. I phoned EDF straight after (as it was them that was dragging there feet not verifying electricity reading) and I was in a queue with them for 15 minutes with no idea of my position in the queue. It is your choice who you go with but I am glad I was not put off by the adverse reports about them.

Does your monthly Direct Debits match what you were quoted on the comparison sites and did First Utility confirm what the Monthly Direct debit would be before you signed up to them?


Many Thanks - Avenue

matelodave

I told FU how much electricity I was going to use = 8500kwh, their rate is 11.053p/kwh therefore 8500x11.053 = £939.51, standing charge is 21.021p/day = 365x21.021 = £76.73. So my total bill should be £1016.24, divided by 12 = £84.69 which rounds up to £85.
That's what the comparison site worked out, that's what I calculated myself and that's what I'm paying FU every month so I'm quite happy.
The sums aren't difficult so you should be able to work it out yourself - don't just rely on the comparison site, make sure you do your own working out using the tariff rates given on the suppliers website to cross check. Also ensure that the quote you get from the supplier has the same tariff name, rates & T&Cs that you think you are signing up for. You get a seven day cooling off period so you can back out if it's wrong.