Gas Meter but no Gas?

Gerry1

That's great news.  I wonder if other suppliers do the same thing?  SSE are on the naughty step because of their poor record (that's why they allow complaints to be referred to the ombudsman after six weeks rather than the usual eight) so it may just be a one-off olive branch to appease Ofgem.  But very handy to quote as a precedent for anyone else in a similar position with another supplier and a cheapskate landlord.

MWT

Gerry1 said:

That's great news.  I wonder if other suppliers do the same thing?

Yes, in theory at least they all should do this, but as per the SSE link I posted earlier in this thread the timing of what you have to do is critical...

Here is another example from E.ON this time...

"Your standing charge will be removed if you’re on our standard tariff, E.ON EnergyPlan or E.ON EnergyPlan with Prepayment and all of below apply to you:

• You haven't formally accepted a contract either verbally, through a telephone conversation or online.
• The E.ON EnergyPlan or E.ON EnergyPlan with Prepayment tariff was automatically applied to your account on your supply start date as you've not formally accepted a contract either verbally, through a telephone conversation or online.
• You haven't used any gas and/or electricity since you took over responsibility for the property e.g. from the date you started the account.
• You can provide readings to help us identify that you've not used any gas and/or electricity since the start date of the account.
• You can provide evidence of how long the property was empty for and what period gas and/or electricity wasn’t used for, to help us to calculate the period for which the standing charge should be removed.
• If you can provide evidence to show that you only use one type of fuel at your property you'll not have to pay a standing charge for the fuel type that you're not using. You'll still have to pay a standing charge for energy used at the property."

So you have to deal with this the moment you move in and while you are still on the deemed tariff...

mac.d

That's interesting to know that you can avoid the standing charge in this way. Is this a new-ish decision by OFGEM, and does it not relate to business users?

I remember many years ago that I used to get a annual gas meter job for a site/yard I read the electric meter at every month, the supplier had been for years trying to find the gas meter that was supposedly in the yard so they could bill someone for the standing charge. The guy who'd owned the yard for 10+ years insisted he'd never seen a gas meter anywhere, and subsequent owners never found it either. They are probably still periodically sending meter readers in to try and find this gas meter. 

The LL of the OP's flat is probably quite happy to retain the gas meter should anyone ever want to use a gas cooker, no point in removing it. It's a selling point for the LL.

macman

The only problem with this is that, every time the OP wants to change supplier, they are going to have to fight the same battle. Clearly the normal supplier billing systems can't deal with this, and they are effectively letting the system bill it, and then doing a manual write-off? A fix, yes, but still a bodge.

Gerry1

macman said:

The only problem with this is that, every time the OP wants to change supplier, they are going to have to fight the same battle. Clearly the normal supplier billing systems can't deal with this, and they are effectively letting the system bill it, and then doing a manual write-off? A fix, yes, but still a bodge.

Why would the OP want to change a gas supplier that is effectively not charging them anything?

MWT

Gerry1 said:

macman said:

The only problem with this is that, every time the OP wants to change supplier, they are going to have to fight the same battle. Clearly the normal supplier billing systems can't deal with this, and they are effectively letting the system bill it, and then doing a manual write-off? A fix, yes, but still a bodge.

Why would the OP want to change a gas supplier that is effectively not charging them anything?

Exactly, it isn't an issue to change the electricity, just don't alter the gas.

macman

Gerry1 said:

macman said:

The only problem with this is that, every time the OP wants to change supplier, they are going to have to fight the same battle. Clearly the normal supplier billing systems can't deal with this, and they are effectively letting the system bill it, and then doing a manual write-off? A fix, yes, but still a bodge.

Why would the OP want to change a gas supplier that is effectively not charging them anything?

The vast majority of UK customers are still on dual fuel deals (assuming they have gas).

Talldave

Gerry1 said:

macman said:

The only problem with this is that, every time the OP wants to change supplier, they are going to have to fight the same battle. Clearly the normal supplier billing systems can't deal with this, and they are effectively letting the system bill it, and then doing a manual write-off? A fix, yes, but still a bodge.

Why would the OP want to change a gas supplier that is effectively not charging them anything?

Because a comparison site shows up juicy savings to be made by switching ;-) ??

Ectophile

mac.d said:

That's interesting to know that you can avoid the standing charge in this way. Is this a new-ish decision by OFGEM, and does it not relate to business users?

Ultimately, it comes sown to Schedule 2B of the Gas Act 1986, section 8. https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1986/44/schedule/2B

Paragraph (1) says: "Where a gas supplier supplies gas to a consumer otherwise than in pursuance of a contract, the supplier shall be deemed to have contracted with the consumer for the supply of gas as from the time ( “the relevant time ”) when he began so to supply gas to the consumer."  So until you actually use some gas, you have no contract with the supplier, and they have no basis on which to bill you a standing charge.

ripoffB

CTS789 said:

Hello, 
I'm a tenant and have just moved into a new property. They told me I only need to pay electricity, but that gas used to be at the property but hasn't been for years. The energy company says I have to pay a standing charge every day, just because there's a meter there, even if no gas is provided. 
Someone on the phone mentioned de-energising the meter but my contract states I can't have meters changed or removed. The letting agent aren't interested, they have my money and signature on the deposit, but I really can't afford to pay a standing charge for gas I'm not using. 
Does anyone have any advice for me?
Thanks

It is a ripe off by so many big company that they have lenience to charge unreasonable amount money. just do  what they want, every meter should be on none stand charge, pay for usage only. any new meter will start making money after a year.

my experience that that I had been ask to pay for standing charge due to  they not able to remove the meter. try a few organization  without joy . last year I changed to non standing charge, but just learn that they change it back to standing charge meter which I did not used any gas. If I ask them to remove it, it will cost me lots of money. That's legal robber.

just like you hire a car and they don't want to take it back, or the car still in contract to use it when it stand on the shown room floor.