EDF Night rate problem

Miss_Annie

Can someone please advise me, I have a long running dispute with EDF. In Sept we had our electric bill, we are on economy 7. The day rate is fine not a problem but the night rate jumped up to over 8000kwh extra over the summer months when most things was switched off apart from a small freezer, fridge, electric clock, phone charger and internet modem (freezer & fridge are a year old). There is two of us in a small two bed flat. Meter readings have been given out like confetti ever since and a monitoring meter has been installed and after four weeks remove, this showed that there was nothing wrong with the meter and it is running normally. EDF has confirmed that Western Power has informed them that we have had four power cuts within that time in our area. In the mean time we have cancelled our direct debit but so monthly payments can continue we still pay the same amount each month by bank transfer because they were about to triple the direct debit which would have put us into financial hardship, my husband is 66yrs old so we live off of his pension. Had a letter to say we now pay more for our electric because we no long use the DD preferred payment by EDF. Been in talks with EDF complaints department and they are now saying that we have used this extra 8000 kwh of electricity on top of our normal 650 which totals on this bill to 8720 kwh in the summer months, please take note I am only talk about the night rate here. Am just dust to this big company so how can I on my own prove my bill is not right? Sensible replies please, thank you.

stator

I don't know how you can prove it to them but you'd need to keep a diary of meter readings to see where the usage is coming from. Can you take a meter reading hourly whilst you are awake, for say a week?

Have you tried turning everything off completely and seeing if the meter still ticks over? If you turn everything you know about off and the meter still rises, try turning the trip switch off and see if it still rises.

Do you have an immersion heater?

Miss_Annie

Hello Stator,


When I received the bill back in September I made up a chart in excel so since then each morning I take both readings (the day rate and the night rate) in my chart I have tick columns for when I use the cooker or the immersion heater etc. I manually put on the immersion heater for half an hour each morning and that is it just for washing up and washing hands. Shower is eclectic but am in and out quite quickly. I have also turn on some items and after an hour turned them off then took readings. I have also listed theses items so I know what am using and when but 95% is used during the day time so it dose not answer why the nigh rate back in the summer months.


EDF have just rang me to say we are at deadlock, so it looks like my weekend will typing up letters and reports together with photo coping evidence for Ofcom.


My main worry is why did this happen and will it ever happy again, checking the meter everyday to keep on top of it.................using and paying or electricity should be this stressful!

stator

I would do more details tests and measuring, as I outlined above. You need to work out where the extra usage came from.

[Deleted User]

Miss Annie, please turn your attention to the timerswitch and work out exactly what time the 7 hours low rate starts and stops so you can measure the units advancing . What type of meter and timerswitch have you got.? Is it a digital meter with Radioteleswitch timer, a digital meter with its own built in timer or an old analogue 24 hour timer which controls the low/normal switchover ? These old ones have their timers mostly out of kilter and the cheap 7 hours could be anywhere in the 24 hours. A pointer at the bottom points to the time it thinks it is on.You need to at least find out yourself the exact on and off times that the low rate is advancing. You cannot go by the published times of approx 12.30 am to 7 .30 am if you have one of these older timers and meter. There is a little window on the meter which indicates which rate is active by showing a little red marker or arrow

DREKLY

Hi Miss Annie, Sacsquacco is quite right about the old analogue meters being wrong, I am in the west country, and for every powercut, the thing stops running, so gets completely out of time, so you may be getting your night time 7 hrs at any random time during the day, which actually, is advantageous because it is one third of the cost of your EDF daytime charge, but it will still increase the "Off Peak" meter reading.

My EDF dual meter flashes either the "1", or the "2" in front of the KW readings, if you have the same meter,go check see which one is flashing at selected times during the day - if the "2" (night time 7 hour OFF PEAK )reading is flashing at any time during the day, there's your problem.
You should also be able to see it on the 24hr analogue clock dial on the old timer as well, a pointer at the bottom is supposed to indicate the correct time of day, but if you have had powercuts ( Welcome to the real world of "Western Power Distibution"...) then it will definitely NOT be showing the right time...
hope that helps.

DREKLY

Annie - here is a previous post by the knowledgeable Sacsquacco on the problem -

quote "All I can add is that its extremely common for the timerswitches on the old analogue meters, the ones with a 24 hour clock,to be not actually set to the correct time of GMT, but have drifted so much that the cheap low rate 7 hours could be anywhere in the 24 hours,middle of afternoon , evening etc. The night storage heaters are wired in to the 7 hours regardless of where it is . If occupiers are aware of their own meters then its to their benefit to make use of appliances at the half price rate. If the drifting is due to power cuts , then the timerswitches are not actually faulty, they just need resetting. This is something I've mentioned to one of our managers for meter readers to reset on their rounds as it looks an easy job"

sheffield_lad

DREKLY wrote: »

Hi Miss Annie, Sacsquacco is quite right about the old analogue meters being wrong, .

Almost but not quite there will be nothing wrong with the meter as the test proved but it may be the analogue clock which is out.

TBH though this may effect the time you receive your cheap rate but it will almost in every instance be the same time as the storage heaters/immersion kick in as they are generally on a different circuit board.

I agree with the above posts on finding where the usage is going by taking regular meter reads.

Maybe the reading before the summer was incorect which may have lead to a lower bill last winter and this is the catch up?
or
Is the meter an old one with 5 dials on? These often get misread.

GL