Avro Energy reviews: Give your feedback

Bendo

Daz2009 said:

Bendo said:

Avro will continue to ask you for meter readings as they haven't got a link into the DCC to do it automatically. I'd suggest when you get your first email for a reading, initiateba complaint and when you are fobbed off ask for a deadlock letter to escalate to the ombudsman for the breach of Ofgem standard licence conditions.

The installer said he was with Avro and I'd no longer have to read the meters myself
https://support.avroenergy.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360013824778-Switching-to-Avro-with-a-Smart-Meter-

They aren't going to shout about how they are in breach of the SLC and advertise it on their website.

Do update us on whether they take a reading through.

[Deleted User]

Bendo said:

Daz2009 said:

Bendo said:

Avro will continue to ask you for meter readings as they haven't got a link into the DCC to do it automatically. I'd suggest when you get your first email for a reading, initiateba complaint and when you are fobbed off ask for a deadlock letter to escalate to the ombudsman for the breach of Ofgem standard licence conditions.

The installer said he was with Avro and I'd no longer have to read the meters myself
https://support.avroenergy.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360013824778-Switching-to-Avro-with-a-Smart-Meter-

They aren't going to shout about how they are in breach of the SLC and advertise it on their website.

Do update us on whether they take a reading through.

Which particular SLC are you referring to? There are a myriad of technical reasons why suppliers cannot obtain or use smart meter readings. My own supplier has not been able to obtain smart meter electricity readings for 6 months. These are described by Ofgem as ‘technical problems’ - not breaches of SLCs.

The Licence obligation is to obtain a meter reading once every 12 months. How it is obtained is not, as yet, prescribed.

Telegraph_Sam

I'm guessing that in spite of the assurances that Daz2009 was given he / you are continuing to take manual readings for the present?  I myself am also in the very early stages of Smart Meter Technology and, until I am convinced that the black box delivers what it says on the tin, I will continue to take my own manual-visual readings for comparison. If there are any discrepancies then at least I have something to argue with. If there aren't then I have the satisfaction of knowing that things are in order. It does appear that smart readings have been taken almost from the date the meter was installed.

Bendo

Dolor said:

Bendo said:

Daz2009 said:

Bendo said:

Avro will continue to ask you for meter readings as they haven't got a link into the DCC to do it automatically. I'd suggest when you get your first email for a reading, initiateba complaint and when you are fobbed off ask for a deadlock letter to escalate to the ombudsman for the breach of Ofgem standard licence conditions.

The installer said he was with Avro and I'd no longer have to read the meters myself
https://support.avroenergy.co.uk/hc/en-us/articles/360013824778-Switching-to-Avro-with-a-Smart-Meter-

They aren't going to shout about how they are in breach of the SLC and advertise it on their website.

Do update us on whether they take a reading through.

Which particular SLC are you referring to? There are a myriad of technical reasons why suppliers cannot obtain or use smart meter readings. My own supplier has not been able to obtain smart meter electricity readings for 6 months. These are described by Ofgem as ‘technical problems’ - not breaches of SLCs.

The Licence obligation is to obtain a meter reading once every 12 months. How it is obtained is not, as yet, prescribed.

The SLC for electric would appear to disagree with your final paragraph.

21B.5A The licensee must, where the Domestic Customer has a meter where access to remote readings for the licensee is enabled, offer to provide or make available accurate monthly billing information based on consumption, and subsequently provide or make available such billing information where requested by the Domestic Customer.

[Deleted User]

Bendo said:The SLC for electric would appear to disagree with your final paragraph.

21B.5A The licensee must, where the Domestic Customer has a meter where access to remote readings for the licensee is enabled, offer to provide or make available accurate monthly billing information based on consumption, and subsequently provide or make available such billing information where requested by the Domestic Customer.

OK. As far as I am aware, Octopus is currently the only supplier that offers billing based on actual consumption rather than meter index readings. SMETS2 meters are capable of measuring the energy consumed in 48 half hour periods each day on 4 registers. The problem with this billing method is that a data loss in just one of 48 HH periods stops automatic monthly billing. Other suppliers are, I suspect, using the Meter Reading SLC that requires them to obtain one index reading every 12 months and watching Octopus carefully.

I am not defending the fact that Avro is slow off the mark; however, I doubt that Ofgem will take any action against suppliers until the end of the rollout period is reached as there are just too many ongoing issues with the rollout of the UK smart meter programme. For example, my electricity meter stopped sending data - along with many others - after a firmware upgrade. The supplier has no levers to pull as meter firmware is the responsibility of meter manufacturers. Six months later, beta firmware has been rolled out to some meters.

This is what consumption-based billing looks like:

phillw

Bendo said:
where the Domestic Customer has a meter where access to remote readings for the licensee is enabled,

What does "remote readings for the licensee is enabled" mean?

If they aren't receiving them then are they enabled?

phillw

Dolor said:

Bendo said:The SLC for electric would appear to disagree with your final paragraph.

21B.5A The licensee must, where the Domestic Customer has a meter where access to remote readings for the licensee is enabled, offer to provide or make available accurate monthly billing information based on consumption, and subsequently provide or make available such billing information where requested by the Domestic Customer.

OK. As far as I am aware, Octopus is currently the only supplier that offers billing based on actual consumption rather than meter index readings. SMETS2 meters are capable of measuring the energy consumed in 48 half hour periods each day on 4 registers. The problem with this billing method is that a data loss in just one of 48 HH periods stops automatic monthly billing. Other suppliers are, I suspect, using the Meter Reading SLC that requires them to obtain one index reading every 12 months and watching Octopus carefully.

Are you sure that this is what the SLC requires though? Aren't they just saying it can't be an estimated bill?

If they get readings once a month then they are still billing for consumption

And billing for and taking a direct debit for are also entirely different things.

Consumerist

Aren't we getting a bit too bogged down in the SLCs here?

As things stand, covid-19 has probably put a bit of a dent in smart-meter roll-out plans and it is likely that Ofgem, via the ombudsman, is allowing suppliers some leeway on the SLC requirements for the time being. Only the ombudsman is in a position to judge whether any failings by suppliers are justified or not based on how other suppliers are performing.

As far as Avro is concerned, my understanding, from earlier posts on this thread, is that Avro has signed up to the national database but has not yet integrated the data collection into its billing system.

I can only guess this means Avro are collecting remote readings and applying them to bills manually. The collection date may not coincide with the statement date in all cases and therefore Avro estimates the consumption for the intervening period for billing purposes. The differences between actual and estimated readings should therefore be relatively small and of little practical consequence.

Telegraph_Sam

phillw said:Dolor said

OK. As far as I am aware, Octopus is currently the only supplier that offers billing based on actual consumption rather than meter index readings. SMETS2 meters are capable of measuring the energy consumed in 48 half hour periods each day on 4 registers. The problem with this billing method is that a data loss in just one of 48 HH periods stops automatic monthly billing. Other suppliers are, I suspect, using the Meter Reading SLC that requires them to obtain one index reading every 12 months and watching Octopus carefully.

If they get readings once a month then they are still billing for consumption

And billing for and taking a direct debit for are also entirely different things.

"billing based on actual consumption rather than meter index readings". Could you explain this please. Granted that Smart meters permit billing based on something approaching real time readings, surely "consumption" is what is measured by meter index (?) readings? Reading no 2 minus reading no 1 equals consumption, two ways of saying the same thing?
I can log in and see my almost real time [Octopus] consumption, but the bill still comes once a month closely followed by the D/D.

Anyanka1

So yet another reason not to bother with smart meters yet if you are with Avro.  What a surprise and a refreshing one for those who do not want "smart" anything invading their privacy.  Yes, dinosaurs have an opinion too.

I, too, thought variable monthly DDs usually incurred higher unit charges and fixed ones suit some better.  I agree we should have the choice without penalty; I prefer fixed charges and have built up a significant credit with Avro but, since savings interest rates are dire to the point of non-existence, it does not bother me.  I like knowing they have no reason to increase my DD when winter comes and have had a fight with them over not increasing my DD amount when I was so much in credit in the Spring.

It did take considerable effort but, eventually, I received (yes, received) a call to confirm they would set it to the level I suggested.  This was after their office closed at 4 p.m; it was at 4:05 p.m:  If that does not indicate dedication, what does, where Avro are concerned?