EDF Energy, OMBUDSMAN, UK Power Networks HELP please

Gerry1

Post a photo of the meter so that we can give you an accurate reading today, and then you can read it weekly and know your speadsheet can start to be accurate.  It's very easy to misread a rotating pointer meter; even the energy companies' instructions are often hopeless, so you can innocently introduce massive errors.

I doubt very much that there was a real problem caused by the upgrade works, it's probably just a perfect storm caused by infrequent readings, misreads and a wonky and incomplete spreadsheet.

stewie_griffin

victor2 said:

stewie_griffin said:

Your readings/usage are all over the place. When you say old meter do you mean the clock face type one? If so then I think you've just been misreading it. The fact the latest reading taken by EDF is lower than your last reading backs this up.
....

It would be easier if you use the British date format rather than the US one.

If you look at the EDF reading date, it does fall in line with the other readings. Dates are in British format as far as I can see, but the spreadsheet is bit of a mess, to put it politely. Apologies OP, presumably you've never used Excel before this, and it is tough for a beginner to come to terms with. I tried to check some of the usage and found a letter O as a leading zero before some of the later readings, perhaps because you found the zero was not being displayed.

I can understand it is being used to document events and communications, but it if you ever want to use it to help explain the situation, it would benefit from someone who understands spreadsheets a little to give it a "once over".

2/26/2016 for example is the American format.

victor2

stewie_griffin said:

victor2 said:

stewie_griffin said:

Your readings/usage are all over the place. When you say old meter do you mean the clock face type one? If so then I think you've just been misreading it. The fact the latest reading taken by EDF is lower than your last reading backs this up.
....

It would be easier if you use the British date format rather than the US one.

If you look at the EDF reading date, it does fall in line with the other readings. Dates are in British format as far as I can see, but the spreadsheet is bit of a mess, to put it politely. Apologies OP, presumably you've never used Excel before this, and it is tough for a beginner to come to terms with. I tried to check some of the usage and found a letter O as a leading zero before some of the later readings, perhaps because you found the zero was not being displayed.

I can understand it is being used to document events and communications, but it if you ever want to use it to help explain the situation, it would benefit from someone who understands spreadsheets a little to give it a "once over".

2/26/2016 for example is the American format.

Maybe you're viewing it in US format. This is how my system shows it:

Either way, there's bigger problems than that present.

2specialangels

Sorry for confusion but the readings were added from the check meter- as detailed... 
what I am looking for a feedback is how I move forward- not to review my excel sheet. 

The area of concern was a 6mnth period where there was double usage while UK power networks upgraded our rural power supply. 

As I stated- when the check meter was installed- the meter had returned to normal. 

2specialangels

Our usage per year for the last 18years has been circa of 8000kWh per annum.
The excel document was us going through every final bill and reading supplied.
We are on the old wheel meter- which has been no issues.
I really do not need feedback on excel. I posted the document to show that half a years usage while UK Power Networks carried out their rural village upgrades- for whatever reason on 182 days approx. half a year created more than our annual usage of 9689. We have never previously had issues and never supplied monthly readings- as annual direct debit account- which has always worked in the past.
The OMBUDSMEN resolution 1 year later to this spike or whatever created this dispute.... was to install the check meter- regardless of the fact that we highlighted that this was pointless- as it was all back to normal.
What I need support/advise with please is: how do I dispute this 182days and pay what I normally do - I have tried with the executive team to ask them to remove the over and above our usual amount- and there is zero movement- all he keeps saying is take us to court, or set up a payment plan!. So any ideas is what I am looking for please...

victor2

I don't think you have much hope of getting a settlement in your favour. It is not impossible to use 53kWh per day over a 6 month period and you can't narrow it down any more than that, as there are no other readings. Unless other people around you had similar problems, you have nothing to support your claim of using more than your average over the last 18 years.

Unfortunately, just accepting it and setting up a payment plan to cover it, may be your best way forward. The upgrade work you are suggesting caused the spike may just be a red herring. Unless your house supply (after the meter) also goes elsewhere, I doubt you'll find any suggestion that the work could have made your meter record excessive usage, especially an old mechanical meter, of the type that millions of properites must have had over the years.

victor2

Here's a thought...

In your spreadsheet alongside the 6 month high usage figures, it says "WE HAVE A PHOTO of them in the meter  and disconnected mains to the meter cable...." Does the photo show the meter reading? If so, that's another dated meter reading to work with to try and pin down a bit more when the meter recorded high usage.

Backbiter

Regarding my reply above, saying I was in a similar dispute with EDF over inaccurate smart meter readings, I think I might have got to the bottom of it.
Our meter gives THREE different readings. I went on the British Gas website, which explains how to read the meter. As a BG customer, I never had to take readings - they could read the meter remotely. EDF can't, and in the 14  months since I switched they haven't been to the property once to take a reading. I inputted readings on their website, but I discovered today I was using  the wrong reading. The reading I should have sent them means there was no dramatic 2-day electricity consumption of 1245kWh. Yes, I've been paying way too much  for the past year, but hopefully I am now hugely in credit and can get a refund.
I can now switch back to BG which should speed up the whole process of EDG getting correct readings and refunding me.

Here's what the BG website says:
"Keep scrolling through options until the meter reading display screen shows "Rate 01 Act Imp". This shows your meter reading. If you have a Home Energy Freetime tariff , press the button again for "Rate 02 Act Imp" for the second rate reading."
With BG we did have a Free time tariff, on which we used some 1250kWh of free electricity.  I was adding the two readings together, which increased our reading by the amount which showed up at the time of our witch to EDF.

Backbiter

^^^ EDF have accepted my new readings and have confirmed I'm now £250 in credit. I've now begun the process of switching to a BG tariff that says we will save £360 a year compared to staying with EDF.

victor2

Backbiter said:

^^^ EDF have accepted my new readings and have confirmed I'm now £250 in credit. I've now begun the process of switching to a BG tariff that says we will save £360 a year compared to staying with EDF.

Congrats on getting it sorted.

But be wary of the "savings". Is the £360 comparing EDF's standard tariff against the new BG one? You might get more realistic figures if you compare the BG tariff against whatever EDF currently offer.