Got a question for Gov't energy and climate change secretary, Ed Davey?

victor2

Hengus wrote: »

Is OFGEM fit for purpose?

^This.
As illustrated by their "simplification" of tariffs. Typical users still can't understand what their utilities are costing them, or are likely to. Instead they are misled by meaningless savings being quoted by switching sites, who are just following OFGEM's guidelines...

Hoof_Hearted

Why is it that when a customer transfers to a different supplier they have to battle tooth and nail to get back any credit they may have accrued? Why do you not order that all credits must be returned automatically within ten days?

Why are you doing nothing to bring the worst suppliers for complaints into line? NPower and Scottish Power are a shambles but nothing is done to put things right. A ban on taking on new domestic customers may focus the mind.

Smiley_Dan

sheffield_lad wrote: »

I guess it depends on where you want the saving to come form.

If it is to insulate more via CWI or EWI we have to decide where the money is coming from.

Just think about where we are now compared to 10yrs ago. We generate 12% via renewables, thousands of periodic properties now have EWI (and more to follow), take up of wall/loft has been good. Insulation such as Kingspan is now used extensively. Condensing boilers are mandatory. smart controls (nest/hive), take up is fantastic. Building regs improving inc last year. DG now use's low-e, RHI, megaflow cylinders.

I typed out a response but then realised I'd be taking the thread well off course... suffice to say I feel government initiatives focus on the wrong things - energy generation, when they should focus on energy conservation. Current regs and such are not good enough, and we need to work out how we fix the existing housing stock too.

footyguy

Hoof_Hearted wrote: »

Why is it that when a customer transfers to a different supplier they have to battle tooth and nail to get back any credit they may have accrued? Why do you not order that all credits must be returned automatically within ten days?...

I have switched suppliers many times and have never had "to battle tooth and nail to get back any credit", although on occassions I have had to actively request it.
(It surprises me the number of people who don't request it, when it is not automatically forthcoming)

12 months ago, Ofgem gave direction, at least to the big 6 who are responsible for holding most of such money, to return it where possible.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-26378999

I do agree that a credit should be automatically refunded to a customer (where possible) after the final bill has been produced, just as the supplier would expect a customer to pay any shortfall in that final bill.

[Deleted User]

Can the government start a large publicity campaign (in the manner of the old Jimmy Savilles clunk click seat belt adverts ) sorry to mention him..,to thoroughly educate the UK public about utility bills and how they work and are calculated, what a kwhr ,is and more importantly how to get off the expensive tariffs and meters to drastically lower their energy bills. 50% of the public still on standard tariffs and never switched is nt good enough.. the public needs educating..the suppliers wont do it, maybe the government can
I meet so many people from all walks of life, including professionals like doctors and teachers who`s utility bills baffle them. It all go`s straight over their heads, as soon as things like kwhrs and tariffs and conversion factors, daily standing charges are mentioned, they glaze over and lose interest. The two tier system was unfathomable to 95% of the population..we`ve improved, but publicity and education is badly needed to get the market operating as it should. . The more people who engage in supplier switching, the more competitive it will be. So far after all these years half of the UK sit tight , have never switched ,and get a bad deal.

jan_altus

We should be reducing the UK's domestic energy consumption drastically. So why does there continue to be a reduction on VAT for residential gas and electricity consumed yet ... we have to pay full VAT on energy reduction applications such as double/triple glazing, PV and other solar panels, wind turbines, etc? It doesn't seem rational!

anovis

Why does it take so 4-6 weeks to switch suppliers when all they are doing is billing. The source of the supply doesn't change so as far as I can see it should not take more than 1-day but let's say 1-wk which is far more realistic. I dare say this will avoid many mistakes and miscommunication between the 2 parties (current provider & next)during that transition period.


As it is, the whole process is a nightmare.

Joshu

Since 2011 I have regularly changed suppliers to ensure I have the best rates. This process is usually difficult. Today I had a demand letter from EDF who claim there is an unpaid bill from the period in which I moved to British gas in 2011. I can no longer access my account and do not have the bills for that period. EDF have never sought the payment since 2011 and now state that if it’s not settled they will pass it to a debt collecting agency. When is the process of changing suppliers going to be made simpler?

Martyn1981

Please could you ask if it is possible to get rid of standing charges completely, and switch to a simple unit price, as in the 'petrol forecourt price'.

Any measures that increase the unit price (countered by SC reductions) would encourage energy savings, energy efficiency and own generation via renewables, since the possible savings would be greater.

Taking this to the extreme, could the 5% VAT rate be abolished, and changed to 20%. Again encouraging the above measures. However, the additional 15% VAT revenue should be ring-fenced and used to protect the vulnerable via increased measures to reduce energy consumption - free insulation, energy bulbs etc etc.

Mart.

Nada666

Martyn1981 wrote: »

Please could you ask if it is possible to get rid of standing charges completely, and switch to a simple unit price, as in the 'petrol forecourt price'.

Have a look at Ebico's prices and see how sane that idea would be in practice. How are electricity-only properties going to cope if they have to pay 17p for panel heaters if on one rate or 20p for cooking if on E7? What about disabled or older people paying 5.5p for all their gas heating instead of less then 4p? It only takes 6,000 kWh to pay off the £95 standing charge.

Why not campaign for forecourt prices in supermarkets? That would result in far higher savings. People spend £100 of energy per month but can spend £100 a week on food - and pretty much every line nowadays in supermarkets carries a standing charge.