How can i get edf to cut off my gas and take away the meter?

pipistroller

Hi everyone

I am so stressed after speaking to EDF. In my home, the only thing I use gas for is my cooker. When I look at my gas bills, I pay a LOT more in standing charge than I do for actual gas consumption. I live alone so am not constantly using my gas cooker.

My gas cooker is unwell and I need to buy a new one so decided to get an electric cooker and do away with the standing charge for my gas.

So the problem begins ....

I phoned EDF today and explained my situation. I was cross examined as to how I have heating and hot water so explained that I live in a purpose built block of flats which has communal heating and hot water and that the only thing I use gas for is my cooker. I told her that the standing charge is lot more expensive than the actual gas I use thus I am getting an electric cooker. I asked her how I can have my gas meter taken out and how much notice do they need to come and do it.

I was informed that I don't need my gas turned off and that I should continue to pay the standing charge and just don't use any gas!! I told her that I want to have my gas cut off and the meter removed. Again I was told that there was no need to do this and that some day I may want to go back to a gas cooker in which case the meter would still be there and would just need connecting. I told her again that I didn't want gas - just electric and how can I get my gas cut off and the meter taken out. She informed me that I would STILL have to pay the daily standing charge as there was a gas supply to my home whether or not I chose to use it. I told her I didn't see the sense in that and that I didn't want to pay for something I was not going to be using. I AGAIN told her my reason for calling. This time she told me that if I wanted the meter removed, that I would have to ask permission from the Landlord (the council). I told her that when I moved into this flat there was NO meter and that I had to get one put in. She said that doesn't matter as if I move out, the next person to live here may want gas and there would be no meter for them ... she then told me that there had to be a meter here when I moved in if there was a gas supply pipe !!! I told her that I definately had no meter when I moved in. She then told me that if I wanted the meter removed and said she didn't see the point in this, that I would STILL have to pay the standing charge as there is a gas point in my flat plus they would charge me £80 to take the meter out. She said either just don't use the gas and pay the daily standing charge or have the gas capped and still pay the standing charge !!!

This has given me such a headache I feel sick.

Can anyone PLEASE shed any light on this??

Thanks for your help

victor2

Just switch to a supplier with a zero standing charge tariff, such as Ebico. No need to remove the meter then and no charge for using no gas.

pipistroller

I didn't know there were companies who offered this .. thanks a lot !!

Just to ask, on the whole is it cheaper to use a gas or electric cooker?

After all the confusion EDF put me through, I went searching and it seems that overall, gas seems to be the cheaper to cook with. My issue is that my last gas bill was £31.30, of which £23.00 was standing charge.

Would it still be cheaper for me to buy a new gas cooker and pay the standing charge? Electricity seems to be very expensive per kWh rate?

EachPenny

The unhelpful EdF person has probably saved you a lot of money long term

Victor2 is right, Ebico will suit you very well with the zero standing charge for gas, there are some other companies as well, but if your consumption is very small like mine then getting the very cheapest deal is less important. A slightly more important factor would be a supplier who will continue the zero standing charge, especially if the government bring in this price cap which may prevent companies like Ebico from continuing to offer a zero standing chage tariff. (they just had to ditch the one for prepayment meters)

Whether gas or electric is cheaper will depend a bit on what it will cost you for a new cooker, if you have an electric cooker point already installed, and what type of cooking you do. When I'm cooking for one I use a combi microwave/conventional oven which uses less energy than the big oven in my cooker. If you mainly cook on the hob then gas will be slightly cheaper.

The main thing is if you can get rid of the standing charge and the government doesn't mess things up, then the difference in the amount you spend on gas or electric for cooking will not be very much.

POPPYOSCAR

Go to the comparison sites like Uswitch and get some quotes.

Npower do a discount of £90 per year off your standing charge if you pay your gas and electric by Direct Debit.

So it may be worth keeping the meter.

pipistroller

Thanks so much for your replies.

I cook equally in on my hob and oven.

The price difference in the kWh rate is a lot .... its over 12p for electric and almost 3p for gas

I am still wondering if I would be best getting another gas cooker.

I will look into the no standing charge company also.

Thanks ever so much

footyguy

pipistroller wrote: »

Hi everyone

I am so stressed after speaking to EDF. In my home, the only thing I use gas for is my cooker. When I look at my gas bills, I pay a LOT more in standing charge than I do for actual gas consumption. I live alone so am not constantly using my gas cooker.

My gas cooker is unwell and I need to buy a new one so decided to get an electric cooker and do away with the standing charge for my gas.

So the problem begins ....

I phoned EDF today and explained my situation. I was cross examined as to how I have heating and hot water so explained that I live in a purpose built block of flats which has communal heating and hot water and that the only thing I use gas for is my cooker. I told her that the standing charge is lot more expensive than the actual gas I use thus I am getting an electric cooker. I asked her how I can have my gas meter taken out and how much notice do they need to come and do it.

I was informed that I don't need my gas turned off and that I should continue to pay the standing charge and just don't use any gas!! I told her that I want to have my gas cut off and the meter removed. Again I was told that there was no need to do this and that some day I may want to go back to a gas cooker in which case the meter would still be there and would just need connecting. I told her again that I didn't want gas - just electric and how can I get my gas cut off and the meter taken out. She informed me that I would STILL have to pay the daily standing charge as there was a gas supply to my home whether or not I chose to use it. I told her I didn't see the sense in that and that I didn't want to pay for something I was not going to be using. I AGAIN told her my reason for calling. This time she told me that if I wanted the meter removed, that I would have to ask permission from the Landlord (the council). I told her that when I moved into this flat there was NO meter and that I had to get one put in. She said that doesn't matter as if I move out, the next person to live here may want gas and there would be no meter for them ... she then told me that there had to be a meter here when I moved in if there was a gas supply pipe !!! I told her that I definately had no meter when I moved in. She then told me that if I wanted the meter removed and said she didn't see the point in this, that I would STILL have to pay the standing charge as there is a gas point in my flat plus they would charge me £80 to take the meter out. She said either just don't use the gas and pay the daily standing charge or have the gas capped and still pay the standing charge !!!

This has given me such a headache I feel sick.

Can anyone PLEASE shed any light on this??

Thanks for your help

As you have been told, you will need your landlord's permission (which I very much doubt you will get}if you want to remove the meter/cap the supply

If I'm wrong about the landlord's reaction, then EDF will arrange the removal of the meter for you if you ask - cost £80
Then you need to speak to the gas transporter as well and get the supply cut off - more cost

Or, as advised, just consult a comparison site and find the best deal for you. There are deals available where if you use nothing it cost you nothing. You will see these is you consult a comparison site.

Check out your leccy whilst you are at it - you might be able to save £100's on that too if you are not regularly consulting comparison sites.

pipistroller

Thanks so much for all your help .. I am looking into it all now. I'm thinking it is going to be just throwing money away paying out to have the meter removed then the stoppage charge on top.

I'm glad I asked your advice

POPPYOSCAR

Not all companies charge to remove the meter.

You could switch to one that does not if you really want to.

My daughter had her gas meter removed by Npower and it cost nothing.

We did not know at the time that you could get a supplier with no standing charge or that Npower did the DD discount.

Had we known the likelihood is that she would have kept it.

footyguy

POPPYOSCAR wrote: »

...
My daughter had her gas meter removed by Npower and it cost nothing.
....

I would suggest she struck lucky

11.a. We will charge to recover any reasonable costs of the
following
....
iii. Disconnecting or reconnecting the supply if you
ask us to.

http://www.npower.com/idc/groups/wcms_content/@wcms/documents/residential/wcmsdev_015949.pdf

C_Mababejive

You can have you meter removed and the supply capped. Some suppliers will charge for this service. Under the gas safety management regulations, gas transporters are required to make safe any live service that does not have a meter attached. In a flat, the most they are likely to do is simply cap it and label it as to cut it off would be impractical. As others have said, you could switch to a zero standing charge supplier. You could even play roulette every other year and try and get cash back for swtiching supplier if it works out at a profit.