In credit. Shouldn't they contact me?

gwin

I pay my dual fuel bill by DD without really keeping an eye on it. In an idle moment I logged in to find I am well over £100 in credit. Obviously I will ring up to lower my monthly payments but I'm peeved that they never let me know. Is it right that these companies take the extra without letting customers know?

[Deleted User]

Yes.  Your balance will drift from credit to debit throughout the year.  

Neither you nor they want the hasse of continually tinkering with the DD.

onlyfoolsandparking

You should be in credit at this time of year, I am around £160 in credit currently but I guarantee I wont be in credit come Jan/Feb next year, that's how a lot of energy companies work these days, you pay the same DD year round and if the DD is set 'right' your in credit during summer and debit during winter. 

MWT

gwin said:

Obviously I will ring up to lower my monthly payments but I'm peeved that they never let me know. Is it right that these companies take the extra without letting customers know?

I wouldn't do that.

Perfectly normal to build up a credit during the summer as you will need it in the winter.

They will not call you just to tell you that your DD is working correctly, and it is not 'taking the extra' it is just taking the same as it does every other month so your annual total is covered.

Look at your total usage over a year, calculate the cost (inc. the standing charge)  and divide by 12, that is what you should be paying each month...

RelievedSheff

Ideally you would be a bit more in credit at this time of the year to cover your extra use over the winter. Our account is currently showing as £275 in credit (although there is £100 to come off that for the last three months use so is really £175 in credit). This credit balance will be run down over the winter as our usage increases and our monthly direct debit starts to not cover our monthly spend.

Robin9

Look carefully at your online account as the amount shown as a credit can be misleading. Some suppliers show the DD's as they are credited but not the energy charges which may only be applied every 3 or even 6 months.

Ps When did you last do a comparison - and single fuels are often best ?

Gerry1

You may prefer to switch to a company that offers Variable Direct Debit, e.g. Shell Energy, E.On, ESB, SSE, Green Network Energy, Robin Hood, Ecotricity etc.

matelodave

As others have said, you use less energy in the summer than you do in the winter so you need your account to be in credit by around twice your monthly DD payment by October, otherwise you'll end up with a very large debt around the end of March.
So beware of reducing your payments or trying to get some credit back unless you know whether your account is on track to balance at the end of your deal. I would have thought that being £100 -£150 in credit at this time of the year is about right and should help you through the winter period so you account balances next spring..

Idly looking at your bill or on-line statements isn't the way to optimise your energy consumption or costs. You should be checking your meters and bills every month to ensure that your account is in order unless you want to join the thousands on this forum who end up with a ginormous bill around the end of March,  and the consequent increase in their DD to pay not only their ongoing consumption but also their arrears.

Bertles

But they did tell you. It was on your online account and it will be on your bills too. 

JJ_Egan

As above  account tells me and i want to build up credit for peak winter heating seasons .

Saves posting they have increased  my DD come Feb 2021.

UnclaimedEnergy

Due to usage changing throughout the year you will build up credit during the summer months if your monthly payments are the same throughout the year.

Other options are tiered payments, which normally mean lower payments in the summer compared to the winter.
The last option is a variable DD, where you pay what is billed each month.

Suppliers operate with extremely tight cash-flows which rely on having at least 1 month's advance payment for each of their customers, leaving most suppliers with an average £80+ credit balance per customer.

If you don't mind keeping a balance then you can also look at suppliers who offer interest on credit balances (as it's cheaper for them than taking out a loan)