Off peak electricity price increase

rob1j

Thanks thoeganby,
I will go for that then, for now.
There seem to be a variety of opinions about as to who owns the meter: The property owner. Some nebulous central Electricity Authority. The electricity provider. They should be changed every 10 years. The latter hasn't happened in my case!
Gerry1. yes I am aware of the problems with a change to Econ 7 as against overnight with 2 daytime boosts (1 as it has  become). However the storage radiators I have have adjustments which allow response to room temperature and as long as rooms are "aired" sleeping in an oven is not required. Yes why not have wet radiators. Well cost, inconvenience, workmen in the house just.now. Don't think I am not looking into extending my central heating. It is gas and the politicos will take that away soon. hello all electric. I will have gone before then!

Stephstarby

Hi. I hope I am putting this comment in the correct place (off peak electricity price rises)- never posted on a forum before. I just wanted to add a comment as we are another family in the same boat. We are also N-Power customers, living in a rural area with no gas. We have 2 meters one peak and one off peak running 7 storage heaters (we are on the standard SC Electricity DD 13+ hour off-peak). We had the off peak circuit fully rewired and had new Dimplex Quantum heaters installed 4 years ago. We have also received the letter from N-Power putting our off-peak electric price up by a whopping 37% and increasing our bill by an estimated £540 per annum.  I spoke to N-Power yesterday who were very unhelpful, they said and I quote 'its Ofgem's fault for putting the price cap up'. I don't know how a price cap that is supposed to help consumers and bring prices down can be used as a reason for them overcharging us for off peak electricity, why is there no cap on that?  Its been steadily increasing over the past few years too but this is ridiculous. N-Power also told me there was no alternative off-peak tariff on offer.  I have tried calling the citizens advice number that was on N Power's letter but cant get through. No idea what we are going to do but I have been interested to read the comments on this forum thread. I think I will also write to my local MP- its not right that they can do this, especially when some people that rely on off peak electricity are in areas with no other choice because there is no gas supply. 

tiff_rocks

Stephstarby said:

Hi. I hope I am putting this comment in the correct place (off peak electricity price rises)- never posted on a forum before. I just wanted to add a comment as we are another family in the same boat. We are also N-Power customers, living in a rural area with no gas. We have 2 meters one peak and one off peak running 7 storage heaters (we are on the standard SC Electricity DD 13+ hour off-peak). We had the off peak circuit fully rewired and had new Dimplex Quantum heaters installed 4 years ago. We have also received the letter from N-Power putting our off-peak electric price up by a whopping 37% and increasing our bill by an estimated £540 per annum.  I spoke to N-Power yesterday who were very unhelpful, they said and I quote 'its Ofgem's fault for putting the price cap up'. I don't know how a price cap that is supposed to help consumers and bring prices down can be used as a reason for them overcharging us for off peak electricity, why is there no cap on that?  Its been steadily increasing over the past few years too but this is ridiculous. N-Power also told me there was no alternative off-peak tariff on offer.  I have tried calling the citizens advice number that was on N Power's letter but cant get through. No idea what we are going to do but I have been interested to read the comments on this forum thread. I think I will also write to my local MP- its not right that they can do this, especially when some people that rely on off peak electricity are in areas with no other choice because there is no gas supply. 

Hi, our situation is exactly the same as yours. I raised this with our MP yesterday with the hope he can help in some way. NPower have been shockingly unhelpful and keep blaming Ofgem. 

Gerry1

Stephstarby said:

We had the off peak circuit fully rewired and had new Dimplex Quantum heaters installed 4 years ago.

You should switch to Economy 7 and then you can choose a competitive tariff from almost any supplier.  You're nearly there: Dimplex Quantum heaters are well insulated and have a fan, so they're well suited to E7.  The only problem would be if they are under dimensioned and rely on the afternoon boost, which won't be available on E7.  However, that would be relatively simple to solve, perhaps adding an extra heater and/or replacing a small one with a larger one and moving some around.

When winter comes, try switching them all off outside of E7 cheap rate hours and see how you get on. That should give you confidence to proceed and get an indication of whether more capacity is needed and where it should go.

portgirl1

this is my first time on any forum. i have had a letter from npower as well stating that from october my off peak electricity will be charged at the standard rate i.e. rising from 11.300p to 16.854p overall a rise of £304.87 per year. i was on the chat line for 1hr 20mins and then half hour with their complaints. i have two meters one for standard electric the other for off peak for the storage heaters. npower say they cannot exchange my meters due to the covid situation and my only option is to change suppliers and try and get a better deal. i will write to my MP and make them aware of the shoddy treatment by npower. Does anyone know which company i should try and get a switch to? any info would be gratefully received.

thank you

tiff_rocks

portgirl1 said:

this is my first time on any forum. i have had a letter from npower as well stating that from october my off peak electricity will be charged at the standard rate i.e. rising from 11.300p to 16.854p overall a rise of £304.87 per year. i was on the chat line for 1hr 20mins and then half hour with their complaints. i have two meters one for standard electric the other for off peak for the storage heaters. npower say they cannot exchange my meters due to the covid situation and my only option is to change suppliers and try and get a better deal. i will write to my MP and make them aware of the shoddy treatment by npower. Does anyone know which company i should try and get a switch to? any info would be gratefully received.

thank you

Hi, the information NPower have provided you with is contradictory to what we have been told.
NPower have said they would remove our meters once we had our internal wiring changed? However, they wouldn't send an engineer out in the first instance to ascertain if what they are suggesting would be necessary (even though our meters are external). I believe none of the NPower team care as they are being taken over by Eon in February next year.
If you were to change supplier you would be charged the standard tariff on both meters as they currently stand. I was told all out of date meters should have been upgraded in 2017.
I have contacted 4 of the big 6 and been told the same. Scottish Power wouldn't even consider taking on the meter as we come under Area 15? 

MWT

The only thing to be careful about is the majority of the smart electricity meters lack the required 5th port for direct switching of the heating circuit.

The correct meters do exist now though, just have to make sure you get one...

tiff_rocks

MWT said:

The only thing to be careful about is the majority of the smart electricity meters lack the required 5th port for direct switching of the heating circuit.

The correct meters do exist now though, just have to make sure you get one...

That's extremely helpful, thank you 👍 

thorganby

tiff_rocks said:

Stephstarby said:

Hi. I hope I am putting this comment in the correct place (off peak electricity price rises)- never posted on a forum before. I just wanted to add a comment as we are another family in the same boat. We are also N-Power customers, living in a rural area with no gas. We have 2 meters one peak and one off peak running 7 storage heaters (we are on the standard SC Electricity DD 13+ hour off-peak). We had the off peak circuit fully rewired and had new Dimplex Quantum heaters installed 4 years ago. We have also received the letter from N-Power putting our off-peak electric price up by a whopping 37% and increasing our bill by an estimated £540 per annum.  I spoke to N-Power yesterday who were very unhelpful, they said and I quote 'its Ofgem's fault for putting the price cap up'. I don't know how a price cap that is supposed to help consumers and bring prices down can be used as a reason for them overcharging us for off peak electricity, why is there no cap on that?  Its been steadily increasing over the past few years too but this is ridiculous. N-Power also told me there was no alternative off-peak tariff on offer.  I have tried calling the citizens advice number that was on N Power's letter but cant get through. No idea what we are going to do but I have been interested to read the comments on this forum thread. I think I will also write to my local MP- its not right that they can do this, especially when some people that rely on off peak electricity are in areas with no other choice because there is no gas supply. 

Hi, our situation is exactly the same as yours. I raised this with our MP yesterday with the hope he can help in some way. NPower have been shockingly unhelpful and keep blaming Ofgem. 

Your MP will not care about this npower/eon business decision to remove restricted hour tariffs, so don't wait expecting them to help you!

tiff_rocks said:

portgirl1 said:

this is my first time on any forum. i have had a letter from npower as well stating that from october my off peak electricity will be charged at the standard rate i.e. rising from 11.300p to 16.854p overall a rise of £304.87 per year. i was on the chat line for 1hr 20mins and then half hour with their complaints. i have two meters one for standard electric the other for off peak for the storage heaters. npower say they cannot exchange my meters due to the covid situation and my only option is to change suppliers and try and get a better deal. i will write to my MP and make them aware of the shoddy treatment by npower. Does anyone know which company i should try and get a switch to? any info would be gratefully received.

thank you

Hi, the information NPower have provided you with is contradictory to what we have been told.
NPower have said they would remove our meters once we had our internal wiring changed? However, they wouldn't send an engineer out in the first instance to ascertain if what they are suggesting would be necessary (even though our meters are external). I believe none of the NPower team care as they are being taken over by Eon in February next year.
If you were to change supplier you would be charged the standard tariff on both meters as they currently stand. I was told all out of date meters should have been upgraded in 2017.
I have contacted 4 of the big 6 and been told the same. Scottish Power wouldn't even consider taking on the meter as we come under Area 15? 

npower tell you that these meters should have been removed by 2017 and now give you a months notice!

It is hardly surprising that other suppliers do not want to clean up npowers antiquated metering mess.

How can npower can use covid as an excuse to refuse to switch you to an E7 meter with a contactor to control your heating, when it is an external meter box.

Shocking idea to remove your off peak rate without giving you the option of an E7 meter for your heating first.

If you request a change to an E7 meter now, then npower should charge you at E7 rates from now going forward, as it is not your fault that they are being uncooperative and holding you to ransom on an unsuitable, extortionate single rate tariff.

No electrician is required and no pre visit is required before changing the old meters to E7 if you supply your photo and state that you need an E7 meter with a contactor to control your heating.

Shocking way to treat customers and npower are obviously going for another wooden spoon award for customer service!

When you speak to customers service reps they will tell you anything because they simply do not understand this issue e.g. informing you that you need to employ an electrician.

You need to be persistent and tell them what you want to replace the current soon to be redundant metering.

Here is a thread showing what eon did when removing restricted hour tariffs last year at no cost to the customer when npower should have doing this:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6056607/eon-electrical-heating-economy-18-advice-needed

There are several other similar threads on here.

portgirl1

thorganby said:

tiff_rocks said:

Stephstarby said:

Hi. I hope I am putting this comment in the correct place (off peak electricity price rises)- never posted on a forum before. I just wanted to add a comment as we are another family in the same boat. We are also N-Power customers, living in a rural area with no gas. We have 2 meters one peak and one off peak running 7 storage heaters (we are on the standard SC Electricity DD 13+ hour off-peak). We had the off peak circuit fully rewired and had new Dimplex Quantum heaters installed 4 years ago. We have also received the letter from N-Power putting our off-peak electric price up by a whopping 37% and increasing our bill by an estimated £540 per annum.  I spoke to N-Power yesterday who were very unhelpful, they said and I quote 'its Ofgem's fault for putting the price cap up'. I don't know how a price cap that is supposed to help consumers and bring prices down can be used as a reason for them overcharging us for off peak electricity, why is there no cap on that?  Its been steadily increasing over the past few years too but this is ridiculous. N-Power also told me there was no alternative off-peak tariff on offer.  I have tried calling the citizens advice number that was on N Power's letter but cant get through. No idea what we are going to do but I have been interested to read the comments on this forum thread. I think I will also write to my local MP- its not right that they can do this, especially when some people that rely on off peak electricity are in areas with no other choice because there is no gas supply. 

Hi, our situation is exactly the same as yours. I raised this with our MP yesterday with the hope he can help in some way. NPower have been shockingly unhelpful and keep blaming Ofgem. 

Your MP will not care about this npower/eon business decision to remove restricted hour tariffs, so don't wait expecting them to help you!

tiff_rocks said:

portgirl1 said:

this is my first time on any forum. i have had a letter from npower as well stating that from october my off peak electricity will be charged at the standard rate i.e. rising from 11.300p to 16.854p overall a rise of £304.87 per year. i was on the chat line for 1hr 20mins and then half hour with their complaints. i have two meters one for standard electric the other for off peak for the storage heaters. npower say they cannot exchange my meters due to the covid situation and my only option is to change suppliers and try and get a better deal. i will write to my MP and make them aware of the shoddy treatment by npower. Does anyone know which company i should try and get a switch to? any info would be gratefully received.

thank you

Hi, the information NPower have provided you with is contradictory to what we have been told.
NPower have said they would remove our meters once we had our internal wiring changed? However, they wouldn't send an engineer out in the first instance to ascertain if what they are suggesting would be necessary (even though our meters are external). I believe none of the NPower team care as they are being taken over by Eon in February next year.
If you were to change supplier you would be charged the standard tariff on both meters as they currently stand. I was told all out of date meters should have been upgraded in 2017.
I have contacted 4 of the big 6 and been told the same. Scottish Power wouldn't even consider taking on the meter as we come under Area 15? 

npower tell you that these meters should have been removed by 2017 and now give you a months notice!

It is hardly surprising that other suppliers do not want to clean up npowers antiquated metering mess.

How can npower can use covid as an excuse to refuse to switch you to an E7 meter with a contactor to control your heating, when it is an external meter box.

Shocking idea to remove your off peak rate without giving you the option of an E7 meter for your heating first.

If you request a change to an E7 meter now, then npower should charge you at E7 rates from now going forward, as it is not your fault that they are being uncooperative and holding you to ransom on an unsuitable, extortionate single rate tariff.

No electrician is required and no pre visit is required before changing the old meters to E7 if you supply your photo and state that you need an E7 meter with a contactor to control your heating.

Shocking way to treat customers and npower are obviously going for another wooden spoon award for customer service!

When you speak to customers service reps they will tell you anything because they simply do not understand this issue e.g. informing you that you need to employ an electrician.

You need to be persistent and tell them what you want to replace the current soon to be redundant metering.

Here is a thread showing what eon did when removing restricted hour tariffs last year at no cost to the customer when npower should have doing this:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6056607/eon-electrical-heating-economy-18-advice-needed

There are several other similar threads on here.

as npower are being taken over by eon soon, would they not have to remove the old meters before takeover?