OVO and EDF

ilovepeoplesoverymuch

Basically, I changed from EDF to OVO. OVO sent EDF electric and gas meter readings, which were overestimated. The electric readings were grossly overestimated.

EDF will only change the final bill if OVO send them the real readings that I sent them.

OVO refuses to update EDF with the real readings.

It will not work out over time that the readings will eventually be up to date. I am unable to live in the property and I'm barely touching the electricity.

I figured out by the numbers on my account on the OVO website that by the time the readings "catch up", it will be two years from now based on how much I use the electricity there.

I was overcharged by EDF, but I am stuck. I have mental health issues and this is really not helping me.

Thank you, if anyone can help me.

D_M_E

I had this and it took over 4 months to get sorted.

What you have to do is ask the gaining supplier, in your case OVO, to open an ADR - AGREED READINGS DISPUTE - to get it sorted.

I also emailed both suppliers and opened a complaint with each one.

The opening/closing readings which you supplied and which you say were ignored - did you take photographs of the meters at the time?

Also, how long had you been responsible for the energy bills - it could be that the suppliers do not believe that your consumption is low enough to back up the readings which you supplied. In my case I use less than a quarter of what the previous occupier used and I had a hard time convincing the suppliers of this.

System

It isn't as simple as Ovo sending your meter readings on to EDF. All meter readings on switch are passed to an independent third-party for review. This party looks at the historical data for your property and passes readings to both the gaining and losing suppliers to open and close accounts. Why - because some customers send in erroneous readings, and some just don't bother.

If you have provided Ovo with actual meter readings on the day of the switch, then these usually go through unchallenged. There are also limits to how far the adjusted readings can be out of kilter: if memory serves, the gas limit is 125Ms which appears to be a lot of kWhs. If the error fails within the industry agreed band then it cannot be disputed - both suppliers have to use the incorrect meter reading. I had one last year for about 120M3s and the difference in cost to me was about £1.59. This was also on switch to Ovo. In this instance, Ovo lost out by about £30.

If your readings are outwith the industry error norms, then an Agreed Readings Dispute has to be initiated by Ovo - the gaining supplier.

ilovepeoplesoverymuch

Hi. I'm so sorry I didn't respond to both of you much earlier. Your replies were extremely helpful and I greatly appreciate the time you took to compose them. I have been through an awful time and my mental health has deteriorated. I have not been able to live in my own home and I have found it very hard to cope with the smallest of tasks.

To answer your questions, my over-estimated opening reading for electricity was at least 179KWH over what it should have been. The opening reading was done in November and the next reading (which was an accurate true reading submitted) in January, saying there was -179KWH difference between readings. I'm not sure how else to measure it without giving my readings on here.

I was not mentally well enough to submit the opening readings so they did estimated ones. I was afraid to enter my own home and haven't been able to live there since the end of November.

I need to move soon and I'm worried the bills won't "catch up" when I move, if you get me.

System

ilovepeoplesoverymuch wrote: »

Hi. I'm so sorry I didn't respond to both of you much earlier. Your replies were extremely helpful and I greatly appreciate the time you took to compose them. I have been through an awful time and my mental health has deteriorated. I have not been able to live in my own home and I have found it very hard to cope with the smallest of tasks.

To answer your questions, my over-estimated opening reading for electricity was at least 179KWH over what it should have been. The opening reading was done in November and the next reading (which was an accurate true reading submitted) in January, saying there was -179KWH difference between readings. I'm not sure how else to measure it without giving my readings on here.

I was not mentally well enough to submit the opening readings so they did estimated ones. I was afraid to enter my own home and haven't been able to live there since the end of November.

I need to move soon and I'm worried the bills won't "catch up" when I move, if you get me.

Sorry that you haven't been well. The important thing to note is that you will not be charged for the same energy twice.

The difference will relate to the difference in the cost per kWh between the two suppliers. For example, Supplier A charges 10.6p and Supplier B charges 11.0p. The cost difference in ACTUAL terms is 70p.

If memory serves, the kWh difference is within industry estimated parameters which means that the estimated figure (produced by the data collectors) has to be accepted by both suppliers. The important thing for you to check is that the opening readings on your new statement and the closing reading on the final bill are the same. Remember, you will only pay the daily standing charge until such time as your meter passes the opening meter reading figure.

It is probably of little comfort but we are only talking about less than £20 worth of electricity. If this is a challenge for you, then ring your old supplier; point out what the problem is and ask them to agree a monthly repayment plan to pay off your final bill.

ilovepeoplesoverymuch

Hengus wrote: »

Sorry that you haven't been well. The important thing to note is that you will not be charged for the same energy twice.

The difference will relate to the difference in the cost per kWh between the two suppliers. For example, Supplier A charges 10.6p and Supplier B charges 11.0p. The cost difference in ACTUAL terms is 70p.

If memory serves, the kWh difference is within industry estimated parameters which means that the estimated figure (produced by the data collectors) has to be accepted by both suppliers. The important thing for you to check is that the opening readings on your new statement and the closing reading on the final bill are the same. Remember, you will only pay the daily standing charge until such time as your meter passes the opening meter reading figure.

It is probably of little comfort but we are only talking about less than £20 worth of electricity. If this is a challenge for you, then ring your old supplier; point out what the problem is and ask them to agree a monthly repayment plan to pay off your final bill.

Thank you for your response. It has taken 8 months for the electricity reading to get halfway to what the opening reading is. I plan to move before then so it won't have "caught up", if you get me. I feel very cheated by what they did. Yes, I agree that I wouldn't end up paying for the electricity twice, only if I stayed in the current property. However, I will be moving soon and I will have paid for it twice because the opening reading will not have caught up in time. £20 of electricity is a high amount of money for me. I did ask OVO and EDF to sort it out, but they won't. Is there a way I can take it up a level and complain?

Wolf3

Hi ilovepeoplesoverymuch

If what you have stated below is regarding the electricity units, i'm afraid the industry processes rarely allow changes for less than 250 units of electricity. i.e. If the difference between the reading you provided and the estimated opening read is less than 250 kWh. This is the Agreed Reads Dispute process that Hengus spoke about in his earlier post.

To answer your questions, my over-estimated opening reading for electricity was at least 179KWH over what it should have been. The opening reading was done in November and the next reading (which was an accurate true reading submitted) in January, saying there was -179KWH difference between readings. I'm not sure how else to measure it without giving my readings on here.

This is probably the reason why OVO are refusing to amend the reading. There are occasions where the smaller tolerances can be amended, however this generally involves following an official complaints process and possibly taking your case to the ombudsman.

System

Just to add to the above, 179kWh is a very small amount of usage in an average home. There is a laid down Meter Readings Dispute procedure which suppliers are required to follow but there are limits before it can be invoked. The readings difference for gas is 125CM3s or 1400 (approx) kWhs. Suppliers are quite within their supply licence obligations not to raise a dispute for industry-estimated readings within the agreed tolerances. The industry third-party uses historical data. Electric (Estimated Annual Consumption) is updated each time an actual meter reading is provided: Gas (annual Quantity) is once per year. Annual consumptions are adjusted for weather.

SMETS2-compliant smart meters will remove the obligation for suppliers needing a customer reading on transfer of supply.

ilovepeoplesoverymuch

I see. Well, thank you all very much for your input and advice. It's been very useful to me.