Had a smart meter installed earlier this year.. DD has just been doubled??

Gillsfan

So I had a smart meter installed earlier in the year, which has been running and was always under the impression sending meter readings back to British Gas.

Initially, the install lead to them reducing the direct debit. Now 6 months later and they are saying I owe them £400 so have doubled my DD!


I must be a little slow here, but I always thought as the readings were updated all the time they didn't need to estimate and could just see my usage??


Is there anything I can do about it? Such a hike is hard to afford.

System

Gillsfan wrote: »

So I had a smart meter installed earlier in the year, which has been running and was always under the impression sending meter readings back to British Gas.

Initially, the install lead to them reducing the direct debit. Now 6 months later and they are saying I owe them £400 so have doubled my DD!


I must be a little slow here, but I always thought as the readings were updated all the time they didn't need to estimate and could just see my usage??

Is there anything I can do about it? Such a hike is hard to afford.

What type of contract are you on, and how much longer does it have to run? Smart meters will give you accurate bills but your change of monthly DD is based on your estimated usage going forward. Some suppliers are now using a rolling 12 month projection at the review point. For example, if you have 6 months to run on your present contract, then your new 12 months’ cost will be based on 6 months on your remaining contract and 6 months on the SVT. Previously, suppliers used to work on a zero balance at the end of contract term.

On a similar thread, it was suggested by a BG rep that there are online tools to allow you to adjust your DD amount.

dogshome

There is a thread on this page at the moment titled "Right to be suspicious"

It seems that you are the 2nd poster today who has their D/D increased by BG useing predicted future use as Fact
Get onto BG a.s.a.p.

AndyPK

Humm. It does get me thinking that for those on monthly direct debit smart meters are a complete waste of time.


You only care about your usage over a year, and 4 readings a year would be sufficient

System

AndyPK wrote: »

Humm. It does get me thinking that for those on monthly direct debit smart meters are a complete waste of time.


You only care about your usage over a year, and 4 readings a year would be sufficient

You are looking at through the wrong end of the telescope. The industry wants 30 minute readings so that it can have a better idea of the profile your usage, mine et al so that it can more accurately match demand with supply. A big chunk of the 60p in every £1 that we pay for electricity (that is, the non wholesale cost) is driven by the need to have standby power generation available on a 'just in case' basis.

Smart meters may well record accurate usage but they do not have a built in crystal ball when it comes to future usage or tariff costs. Assessing future projected consumption still relies on the suppliers' old fashioned computer algorithms. That said, some of the extreme projections caused by consumers not providing accurate meter readings should be driven out of the estimation process.

AndyPK

But if smart meters can't even communicate with a common database, what hope is there of the national grid viewing the data ?


I assume they have been too busy implementing software to change the tariff for different times of day?
But they don't do economy 7 or 10 very well so what hope is there?

The_Big_Bamboo

OP,
Are Br.Gas saying that you’re actually £400 in debt at this present time with respect to the energy you used to date?...or, are they saying that if you don’t increase your D/D you’ll find yourself £400 in debt 6 or12 months down the line when you’re present tariff ends?

If you’re on the B.Gas ‘Collective Fix Oct.17’ tariff then the increase in charges when that tariff ends on 3rd Oct will no doubt be considerable.

I too have Br.Gas Smart meters but I’ve terminated my contract with Br.Gas and I’m in the process of switching to the Avro Energys ‘Simple and Supreme’ tariff.

Have a read of my recent thread “£500 in credit with Br.Gas”,…there are some snippets of info (especially from ‘Hengus’ :T) that you may find helpful.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5712329

System

AndyPK wrote: »

But if smart meters can't even communicate with a common database, what hope is there of the national grid viewing the data ?


I assume they have been too busy implementing software to change the tariff for different times of day?
But they don't do economy 7 or 10 very well so what hope is there?

I assume that you have a SMETS 1 meter. When all smart meters are connected to The Data Communications Company - rather than individual suppliers - then we will have the first building bricks of a Smart Grid.

Edit: Not to be confused with another ongoing research smart grid project which is looking at transmitting data along power lines.

footyguy

Gillsfan wrote: »

So I had a smart meter installed earlier in the year, which has been running and was always under the impression sending meter readings back to British Gas.

Initially, the install lead to them reducing the direct debit. Now 6 months later and they are saying I owe them £400 so have doubled my DD!


I must be a little slow here, but I always thought as the readings were updated all the time they didn't need to estimate and could just see my usage??


Is there anything I can do about it? Such a hike is hard to afford.

If you believe the hike is unwarranted (as opposed you you simply finding it hard to afford) then of course there is something you can do :money:
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/lower-energy-direct-debits

Raxiel

Hengus wrote: »

You are looking at through the wrong end of the telescope. The industry wants 30 minute readings so that it can have a better idea of the profile your usage, mine et al so that it can more accurately match demand with supply. A big chunk of the 60p in every £1 that we pay for electricity (that is, the non wholesale cost) is driven by the need to have standby power generation available on a 'just in case' basis.

Smart meters may well record accurate usage but they do not have a built in crystal ball when it comes to future usage or tariff costs. Assessing future projected consumption still relies on the suppliers' old fashioned computer algorithms. That said, some of the extreme projections caused by consumers not providing accurate meter readings should be driven out of the estimation process.

And that is the real way smart meters will 'save consumers money', not by reducing their current bills (which is nonsense, but make a good marketing line), but by delaying the pain of investing in new generating capacity on a grid that is rapidly reaching it's limit.

AndyPK

They must currently know what the demand is overall as it can be measured at the other end. This is a good average. And it peaks when TV programmes end etc.

How knowing the usage habits per household is going to help I don't know?