SSE THTC Monopoly

dbclark21

sashahampton said:

having battled with SSE for over 5 years, I have finally won my case,

Since 2014 OFGEM ruled that no longer could SSE hold us hostage to THTC ( costing more than double other tarrifs). SSE have been wrongly advising customers about this for years. You DO NOT need to pay your own electrician to rewire your property ( I was also told this on many occassions when trying to get away from THTC). I have finally won my case and SSE have given me new meter ( took about 20 min to do the job ) with new tarrif ( economy 10 ) resulting in my new Direct Debit only costing me £85 per month when for the past 17 years on THTC has been costing me on average £185 month!!! Overcharged by around £100 per month simply by being held hostage to THTC by SSE. have received apology plus £500 "goodwill gesture" so far. Does not come close to the amount they have wrongly taken from me. I am wanting £100 per month refund from the date OFGEM ruled in 2014 totalling £6000 refund. Good luck to me. I have noticed their complaints handlers either dont have a clue OR are cleverly trained to put up smoke screens and cause confusion and complicate matters when really the facts speak for themselves. Might need a lawyer now to get my money back.

Is there some way you can share the text of the Ombudsmans ruling? I am now considering making a complaint to the Ombudsman as SSE failed to change my THTC meter back in 2015. There excuse being it was a technical issue, but it appears from your experience and mine it was a financial decision that has helped them make excessive profits. I am now awaiting a date to change out the THTC meter for a Smart Meter, but I am not holding my breath. TIA

David_in_Moray

I don't know how anxious you folk on the forum feel about the rising energy costs due to be forecast today, but I get really frustrated by the 'national average' figures for dual fuel quoted which bare no resemblance to all electric communities like mine.  I just sent the following email to the 'BBC Today' programme, like all other avenues I've tried it will probably be ignored, but hey ho we can but try!

Like countless domestic consumers in all electric communities across Scotland I have been tied into SSE THTC tariffs using two supplier timed meters (Standard and THTC) that's been crippling me since 1997!  The national average energy consumption figures constantly being quoted on news and current affairs programming by the BBC bare no relation to the actual figures up here in Northern Scotland.  Furthermore, my £250 pcm Direct Debit was increased in mid-fixed 12 month tariff term last summer to £382 pcm and I couldn't change it back on-line, didn't get a response on the phone number quoted, was referred back to the same number by Customer Services Complaints Team etc etc...

I replaced my storage heaters and panel heaters in March 2014 following an OFGEM report the previous year advising THTC customers that their tariff was still the most economical for all electric households.  I contacted Dimplex with room sizes and usage and they recommended the mix we have today, 3 Quantum heaters in the main living areas, and 4 Monteray Convectors in the bedrooms and sun lounge, all of which have 24hr - 4 session programmable timers.  These allow waking background heating of generally 18C, supplemented by a couple of Dyson AM05 fan heaters; all running off the THTC heating metering (as is the dual immersion water heating).  Accepting that our modest 3-bedroom detached, well insulated  bungalow is effectively 'open plan' we consume an average of 14000 kWh per year for heating and hot water, plus a further 6000 kWh for all the other standard meter appliances.  Other than moving from NE Scotland to SW England (>5C warmer on average) we seem destined to be facing rising energy costs even greater than the £4000 cost last year; and inevitably fuel poverty!  When is the country going to wake up to the real cost of 'renewable energy' which we have an abundance of here in Scotland! 

Gerry1

David_in_Moray said:

I don't know how anxious you folk on the forum feel about the rising energy costs due to be forecast today, but I get really

Like countless domestic consumers in all electric communities across Scotland I have been tied into SSE THTC tariffs using two supplier timed meters (Standard and THTC) that's been crippling me since 1997!

Perhaps I'm missing something, but since you have modern HHR NSHs which presumably are correctly dimensioned and don't rely on an afternoon or evening boost, why don't you just switch to Economy 7 if it would be cheaper?

David_in_Moray

...sorry Gerry1, I've just spent an hour replying to you but when I referred back to Kenny's observations of 5th September 2021 on the same subject (still awaiting his update) my entire text had disappeared (yet again) so I'm giving up for the time being.  When I get my next bill in March I shall no doubt be back with a rant!

QrizB

David_in_Moray said:

...sorry Gerry1, I've just spent an hour replying to you but when I referred back to Kenny's observations of 5th September 2021 on the same subject (still awaiting his update) my entire text had disappeared (yet again) so I'm giving up for the time being.  When I get my next bill in March I shall no doubt be back with a rant!

If you're on a PC, check for a "my drafts" link below "my favourites" on the left of the page. It might be saved there.

BUFF

David_in_Moray said:

plus a further 6000 kWh for all the other standard meter appliances. 

6000kWh for non-heating/hot water seems rather high? The "average" is 2900-3100 so what are you running? Can those appliances be improved?

Have you seen this? https://www.changeworks.org.uk/sites/default/files/ImprovingConsumerOutcomesFund_Report_April2020.pdf
If not it may be of interest to you.

kennyfraser

Have you seen this? https://www.changeworks.org.uk/sites/default/files/ImprovingConsumerOutcomesFund_Report_April2020.pdf

If not it may be of interest to you.

@BUFF - this was certainly of interest:

"When the DTS signal will end in March 2022, the systems will revert to a “safe” mode, 8 hours off-peak overnight with no way of altering this."

Is this still the case? Had no idea of this, but why should I have, since switching away from SSE to a company with virtually no knowledge of THTC? I'd been keeping the THTC meter to benefit from the afternoon heating boost. If this is no longer going to be the case then it appears the meter will soon be operating like a so-called 'Economy 8'.

@David_in_Moray - to update you: the supplier I found (Utility Warehouse) has now taken over THTC meters in two separate properties that I look after, with older-style storage heaters. With the first property, UW agreed an off-peak tariff rate of under 8p per unit, which they have been applying correctly since account opening, along with a peak rate under 20p. With the second property, they have been billing off-peak at the same rate as peak, around 20p - I have an outstanding issue to amend and backdate this to the agreed cheaper rate. Under the agreement I pay a standing charge for each meter, so two standing charges for each property.

The billing from UW in general has needed a very close eye each month, to correct errors. Their customer service isn't too bad, at least you can talk to a real person after some waiting, but I need to explain THTC each time to the call handler, and hope their supervisor has at least some idea of it.

I expect the way things are going with potentially losing the DTS signal afternoon boost, the storage heaters will eventually be upgraded and the THTC meter changed for a smart off-peak one.

David_in_Moray

QrizB said:

David_in_Moray said:

...sorry Gerry1, I've just spent an hour replying to you but when I referred back to Kenny's observations of 5th September 2021 on the same subject (still awaiting his update) my entire text had disappeared (yet again) so I'm giving up for the time being.  When I get my next bill in March I shall no doubt be back with a rant!

If you're on a PC, check for a "my drafts" link below "my favourites" on the left of the page. It might be saved there.

...afraid that didn't work, it seems that this forum software doesn't let you move off the page while constructing a quote/reply!

Gerry1

David_in_Moray said:

QrizB said:

David_in_Moray said:

...sorry Gerry1, I've just spent an hour replying to you but when I referred back to Kenny's observations of 5th September 2021 on the same subject (still awaiting his update) my entire text had disappeared (yet again) so I'm giving up for the time being.  When I get my next bill in March I shall no doubt be back with a rant!

If you're on a PC, check for a "my drafts" link below "my favourites" on the left of the page. It might be saved there.

...afraid that didn't work, it seems that this forum software doesn't let you move off the page while constructing a quote/reply!

Scroll up, right click on the link 'Energy' to the right of the red 'Create Post' banner, then 'Open in New Tab'.

David_in_Moray

Hi BUFF and Kenny, no I hadn't seen the link either (it would have saved me a lot of writing) but have just finished reading all 50 odd pages.  It is unfortunate that a very comprehensive piece of investigative work had not been supported by OFGEM nor SSE/OVO and we might actually have an answer to all our questions.  If the report is correct (which I doubt) and the DTS meters will revert to an 8-hour supply at the end of March 2022 then everyone on THTC irrespective of being wired-in correctly through two consumer units for the THTC and STD meters, will be severely disadvantaged. My system, as previously stated, uses Quantum storage, panel and 'plug in' heaters benefiting from the 24hr heating rate tariff of THTC which would no longer function other than during the suggested new DTS period.  Quantum relies on an efficiently insulated storage heater which when outputting on the four settings of the 'Home All Day' and 'Auto Boost' digital timer uses the 'off peak' supply until the stored capacity reduces to 50% then reverts to the 24hr supplied infrared tube in the base fan outlet, this 'Auto Boost' setting can be used independently in summer with the DTS storage supply switched off in the THTC consumer unit.  My only inefficient usage of STD supply is for the bathroom underfloor heating (digital timer) and towel rail (thermostatically controlled) which the B&Q bathroom installers should have used the THTC supply but couldn't/didn't and hence higher usage figures on that meter.  If DTS reduces to 8hrs who is going to compensate THTC users?