E.on Smart Meter Installation

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

EmDubs wrote: »

Hi all,

So myself, partner and 13yr old daughter live in a 3 bed detached house and yesterday we had our E.on smart meter installed. The engineer said we will automatically be put onto the cheapest tariff available.

Something doesn’t seem quite right though.

By 8am this morning we had already used £1.52 on both gas and electricity (heating comes on for about 90mins from 6am). It may not sound a lot but by the time we get through the course of the day that’s going to go up to around a fiver. We currently pay £65 a month for both gas and electric with E.on pre meter installation which works out at £780 per year. We have supplied regular meter readings and have never been in debt. We even had a credit of £200+ at one point! My worry is that our bills are going to be well over double what we pay now and I don’t understand how that will be right if what we currently pay has been fine for the last almost 3 years?

Anyone else had this issue?

Thanks in advance

Hello EmDubs and I'm sorry our engineer said you would automatically go on our cheapest tariff. This isn't right.

Customers need to choose their own tariff. As mac.d says, please check out our tariffs and those of other suppliers to make sure you're on the best deal for you. If you don't choose a tariff, you'll automatically default to our standard Energy Plan once an agreed deal ends. There are many cheaper tariffs than Energy Plan.

It's the usage and tariff prices that determine the cost of energy. Although smart meters won't affect these, they do give information to help raise awareness and highlight trends where savings might be made.


There's more information on our website about both the meters and displays.


Sorry again you were given the wrong information EmDubs and hope this points you in the right direction. Please let me know if you need any more advice as happy to help.

Malc

badmemory

Does this mean that if you are on a tariff for which you have to agree to be contacted about a smart meter (even though they try telling you that you have to have one) & fall for it that they then take you off that tariff & put you on a more expensive one?


I always thought smart meters were a bit of a scam but if this is true they are way way more than a BIT of a scam!

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Nullboris wrote: »

How good are the displays at letting you figure out which devices are using up the leccy? I have just had letter stating that I should be paying £75 a quarter for a studio flat. This is double what I paid previously ..
no heating, no hot water just computer Tv cooker and fridge freezer. +kettle
I think I know why .. two previous estimated readings (low) followed by an actual reading, thus making it look like I am increasing my usage vastly. E-on energplan.

Hello Nullboris and I suspect you're right.

As we've now billed to an actual meter reading following two estimates, it sounds like you've had a catch-up bill. As you say, catch-ups can give a bit of a false picture as they lump more usage than would be expected into a shorter period of time.

This will also have triggered a Direct Debit review. Our aim here is to achieve as near as possible to a zero balance by the annual review.

As Robin9 says, the best way to keep on top of things is by giving us regular meter readings. You can do this online. There's also a couple of tools on our website to help. You can pop readings in and either see the balance that would come about or create your own bill. This is through the Real Time Billing tool.

There's the Direct Debit Manager too. This lets you adjust the monthly payments to better suit changing circumstances.

You mention being on our Energy Plan tariff. This is our standard plan. There are cheaper products available both with us and with the other suppliers. I'd suggest popping your usage in kWh on to the Price Comparison sites. This will show you what's available across the market.

We supply different types of In Home Displays (IHD) with smart meters. Each gives real time data to let you know how much energy you're using. Some can be used to give an indication of how much individual appliances are costing to run. By turning an appliance off at the wall, you'll be able to see by how much the cost of the electricity drops. Turn it back on and see it rise again. You can set budgets too. An audio alert will sound once the set budget has been passed.

Hope this is of interest Nullboris. Let me know if you need any more information as happy to help.

Malc

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

badmemory wrote: »

Does this mean that if you are on a tariff for which you have to agree to be contacted about a smart meter (even though they try telling you that you have to have one) & fall for it that they then take you off that tariff & put you on a more expensive one?


I always thought smart meters were a bit of a scam but if this is true they are way way more than a BIT of a scam!

Hello badmemory and, no, we don't take customers off their agreed deals if they have smart meters fitted.

As I mentioned to EmDubs yesterday, having a smart meter fitted doesn't automatically result in a tariff change. Our engineer was wrong in saying this.

Apart from the standard product - Energy Plan - our current deals all have certain conditions. For example, paying with a Direct Debit, managing the account online or agreeing to be contacted about smart meters. We're not allowed to put customers on any of these tariffs without their agreement.

The only time we'll put existing customers on a tariff without their agreement is where a deal ends and they don't contact us to renew. This will be Energy Plan which has no tie-ins leaving them free to switch tariff or supplier without penalty.

We also don't take customers off a chosen tariff where they agree to be contacted about smart meters and turn down offers to have them fitted.

Hope this explains badmemory.

Malc

Smodlet

So "Energy Plan" is Eon-speak for "Standard Tariff"? Thanks, Malc, I did not know that.

bertiewhite

mac.d wrote: »

A few hours in the morning is not a long enough period to look at, and also bear in mind that depending on your tariff, possibly up to 50p of that £1.52 your IHD reports is the daily standing charge.

When mine installed, I was told the daily/weekly/monthly total was exclusive of standing charge & VAT so it was only a rough indication of actual usage.

mac.d

Which supplier was this bertiewhite? I only know from looking at the IHD of someone using British Gas smart meters that some time after midnight the daily cost would reset and it would immediately show around 50p, consistent with minimal usage and the daily standing charge. But yes, all figures are approximate costs only.

Smodlet

So "smart meters" are not even accurate? Really what is the point of them? I would rather use a pencil and paper; oh wait, I do!

bertiewhite

Smodlet wrote: »

So "smart meters" are not even accurate? Really what is the point of them? I would rather use a pencil and paper; oh wait, I do!

The meters are, just not the IHD's. Well, EON's aren't, anyway.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6072801/eon-smart-in-home-display

Smodlet

bertiewhite wrote: »

The meters are, just not the IHD's. Well, EON's aren't, anyway.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6072801/eon-smart-in-home-display

So they are an even bigger waste of time, money and fossil fuels (guessing they are made largely of plastic) than I thought. It is high time this utterly useless government got a clue and stopped pushing the damned things until somebody, somewhere (probably Germany, maybe China?) has the first idea how to make them work properly... Ye gods, when is the last time this government did anything properly?