Moving into new home with pre-payment meters

gayno

Hi All,

First post here, so please bear with me.

I'm in the process of buying a house (currently with solicitors, not yet exchanged) and I'm just preparing everything ready for the big day.

The house currently has pre-payment meters installed, but I would like the usual credit meters fitted as I've never had an issue with credit and my score is good, so would like to take the benefit of the cheaper tariffs.

The current supplier of both fuels is Scottish Power. I have spoken to them and they say when I move I will have to open an account on the pre-payment meter, and then apply for a credit meter for which they cannot give me an ETA for installation.

As I will be initially working on the property to bring it up to standard, and therefore using power tools etc, I would like to be on a credit meter ASAP to avoid the higher tariff of pre-payment.

My questions are this.....

Do I HAVE to go with Scottish Power on the day I move in, given they will need to send me new keys for the meters, or can I choose any supplier (the one offering cheapest tariff) from day 1?

Is there any way of having a credit meter installed quicker than just having to wait around for Scottish Power?

Many thanks in advance

Adam

footyguy

gayno wrote: »

Hi All,

First post here, so please bear with me.

I'm in the process of buying a house (currently with solicitors, not yet exchanged) and I'm just preparing everything ready for the big day.

The house currently has pre-payment meters installed, but I would like the usual credit meters fitted as I've never had an issue with credit and my score is good, so would like to take the benefit of the cheaper tariffs.

The current supplier of both fuels is Scottish Power. I have spoken to them and they say when I move I will have to open an account on the pre-payment meter, and then apply for a credit meter for which they cannot give me an ETA for installation.

As I will be initially working on the property to bring it up to standard, and therefore using power tools etc, I would like to be on a credit meter ASAP to avoid the higher tariff of pre-payment.

My questions are this.....

Do I HAVE to go with Scottish Power on the day I move in, given they will need to send me new keys for the meters, or can I choose any supplier (the one offering cheapest tariff) from day 1?

Is there any way of having a credit meter installed quicker than just having to wait around for Scottish Power?

Many thanks in advance

Adam

Yes, you have to register with the existing supplier (in this case Scottish Power) first.

Only way to get a credit meter installed is to ask your supplier. If you don't want to wait for SP, you can switch supplier, but any switch is going to take at least 17 days, and could be up to 5 weeks. And then, once switched, you will have to apply to that supplier for a credit meter.

This MSE article may assist you further
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/switch-prepaid-gas-electricity

Carrot007

Yes you have to go with the incumbent supplier.

It will probably be easier to get them to change the meter too.

TBH there is not (generally) much differnece beetween any supplier as long as you are on their best tarrif. And if one is better now then they are likely to change soon so unless you want a long fix it's not worth it and long fixes generally are more anyway.

And power tools don't use a right lot. Heating is the thing that is high use.

footyguy

Carrot007 wrote: »

...

TBH there is not (generally) much differnece beetween any supplier as long as you are on their best tarrif. And if one is better now then they are likely to change soon so unless you want a long fix it's not worth it and long fixes generally are more anyway.

And power tools don't use a right lot. Heating is the thing that is high use.

That's not really being honest, is it?

When I look at say the West Midlands supply region as a random exanple, I see the difference (based on typical annual average usage of 3100kWh of electricity and 12,500kWh of gas) has price variations from £1006 to £1220 for anyone on pre-payment meters (this is dual fuel only)

If I consider only suppliers lowest traiffs, (including white label suppliers, but be careful as I don't think they yet need to tell you about other tariffs by the same parent supplier), then the maximum cost falls to £1153

But that is still a difference of almost 15%

Consult a comparison site to find the best deal for you

In regards consumption, I thought the OP was indicating the use of power tools was going to mean quite a bit of electricity consumption. There are power tools and power tools. Some are battery operated; some can draw some quite high currents. Even leaving a cement mixer going all day (as I often see builders do when they are not paying the bill) will consume quite a bit of electricity. OP may also be planning on using some of the old fashioned site lights that are 500W each too.
(I don't know what exactly the OP is planning in regards to the work to be carried out, but with winter approaching, they may like to start with getting the heating operational, so that they can (a) work in comfort and (b) will aide the quicker drying of plaster, paint etc.)

[Deleted User]

4 of the big 6 will do a "hard " credit check before switching from prepayment to credit, and Eon will even do a credit check with new occupiers who have credit meters. EDF don t credit check so if you have a suspect credit score they would be the ones to switch too. None of them ( at least in the big six ) now charge but you have to fulfil a few checks to get a free swap. Scottish Power used to charge over £200 per meter before OFGEM brought in a new rule this year.

Sosumi

The credit meter you’ll get will probably be a smart one.

And SP’s smart meters don’t work with, for example, E.ON. And vice-versa.

So, if you do want a smart credit meter, it might be best to wait until you’ve switched and then ask for one of theirs.

Make sure that when you start out with SP they don’t lure you into signing up for one of their tariffs that levies Early Exit Fees.

Hope you’ll love your new home.

t0rt0ise

If I were you I'd try to get the current supplier to change the meters, and then look for a cheap tariff and change suppliers if necessary, otherwise you could be waiting ages.

D_M_E

This needs checking -

There was a post on the forum by sacsquacco - I think - who said something like suppliers cannot charge for meter changes any more as the rules have now changed.

He does not mention it in his post above.

SammenForLivet2

If you ask us to remove the prepayment meter we’ll ask some questions to determine the suitability of a credit meter for your circumstances. This will involve a credit check and, depending on the outcome of that check, we may request a security deposit (usually £150 per fuel) before we can arrange to replace your meter. The security deposit will be repaid when you have made all payments for your energy bills on time over a year.

What happens to the security deposit when you switch suppliers? Presuming it would be reimbursed?

Personally, OP I would switch to credit meters with SP (or your supplier of choice) and then look to move.Although I'm sure many experiences with SP are good, I've had many personal and customer issues with SP, which I can only hope are the exception.

footyguy

D_M_E wrote: »

This needs checking -

There was a post on the forum by sacsquacco - I think - who said something like suppliers cannot charge for meter changes any more as the rules have now changed.

He does not mention it in his post above.

There is nothing that I know of that prevents any supplier charging for a non-essential change of meter, but none of the big 6 do charge to replace a PPM with a credit meter. The odd smaller supplier may not charge either, but many do.

It's all explained in the link I provided earlier