Energy Switchover Warning

brispy

I changed energy suppliers on the 18th February 2021, moving from British Gas to Octopus Energy. A few days before the changeover, Octopus Energy contacted me and asked for a meter reading, so I sent them one thinking that they would use it to check the actual reading at switchover.

Octopus Energy used the smart meter reading that I gave them on the 15th February, before the switchover, when they billed me and British Gas used the smart meter reading at switchover on the 18th February to produce their final bill.

I initially contacted Octopus Energy who told me that the reading that I gave them had been agreed and that I should contact British Gas. However if you fill in an online complaint form with British Gas, you will receive an email several days later stating that due to Covid, they don’t monitor that inbox.

I contacted Octopus Energy again and escalated the complaint with Octopus and pointed out that according to Ofgen, I can raise the matter with either supplier. The complaint wasn’t escalated and I received the same response telling me to contact British Gas.

After a lengthy online chat with British Gas, they have re-issued a new bill using the readings from the 15th February, I should point out that this is the 3rd final bill from British Gas. Unfortunately for me British Gas decided to take more from me than the amount on the final bill (almost double what I owed them) via direct debit, hence forcing me to contact them and them having to produce a modified second final bill.

However, I am now being penalised for the energy suppliers mistakes because in my third bill, the “BG Energy Rewards” amount, although small, has been removed.

I would therefore suggest that when switching energy suppliers, you ignore requests for meter readings from your new energy supplier until you have the final readings from your old supplier and then send those readings to your new energy supplier, it may save a lot of time wasted later on trying to sort this out.

Also I wonder how many people actually check their bills at switchover to ensure that they are not being charged twice?

 

Thanks for reading this.

Note: Edited wording in 2nd last sentence to make it clearer in case people thought that I was suggesting sending readings to both gaining and losing suppliers, I wasn't.

See MWT's response for the original wording.

Also, if you read through the posts, you will realize that I should have pointed out that I am talking about people who have working smart meters.

cannugec5

I recently switched from Green to Simbio. It was very clear in communications to me that I should provide a reading on the SWITCH DATE. I was given a weeks notice, then a reminder, all very clear about what date to take the reading and how to submit it and to whom.  I was also requested to submit a photo of the reading, which of course is date stamped if there is ever any problem. 

It all went very smoothly, and I have had my final bill from Green along with the refund of credit. 

Switching can be very easy. 

MWT

brispy said:

I would therefore suggest that when switching energy suppliers, you ignore requests for meter readings from your new energy suppliers until you have the final readings from your old supplier and then send them those, it may save a lot of time wasted later on trying to sort this out.

That is unhelpful advice.

The correct procedure is to provide a meter reading to the gaining supplier only, and the losing supplier is obliged to wait for the meter reading to be provided to them through the industry process.

The mistakes are on the BG side in this case as they failed to follow the correct procedure and failed to use the approved reading.

If you want to wait until the day of the switch and provide that reading to the gaining supplier that is fine, but there is no guarantee that the industry process will approve that figure without amendment even if it comes from a smart meter...

2010

All readings go to an independent body to access and it`s them that decide what the final readings are.

You`re supposed to give the readings to your new supplier who passes it on to the adjudicator.

[Deleted User]

Under Standard Licence Conditions, the gaining supplier is responsible for managing all aspects of a transfer of a supply which includes asking the consumer for a meter reading/s 5 days before the agreed transfer of supply date. Any final readings given to the old supplier should be ignored: that said, many suppliers will raise a statement. The readings given to the new supplier go to their data collector for validation using past validated data. Once validated, these readings are passed to both suppliers via an industry data flow to close and open the accounts.

If the losing supplier or the consumer are unhappy with the validated readings, then an Agreed Readings Dispute can be raised. If not, the losing supplier is required to use the provided readings from the new supplier to close the account/s.

Before either the losing supplier or the consumer can raise an Agreed Readings Dispute, the difference between the industry-estimated reading/s and the consumer provided reading/s must be greater than:

1200kWhs (39 units IMPERIAL or 109 units METRIC) for gas

250kWhs for electricity

To put this into context, if you had to pay the old supplier for 249kWhs more than the reading that you provided, no ARD can be started. You will not pay for the same 249kWhs twice. You will only pay your new supplier the daily standing charge until the meter index passes the opening reading. It follows that the true cost difference is the difference in unit prices. In the example given, the new supplier is the one that is losing out.

wild666

Always take the reading as close to midnight on the last day with the supplier you are leaving then give them to both the outgoing supplier and the new supplier. OFM tried to stitch me up with the final readings and they lost, paying me £70 in the process.

MWT

wild666 said:

Always take the reading as close to midnight on the last day with the supplier you are leaving then give them to both the outgoing supplier and the new supplier.

No, just to the gaining supplier.

Giving them to the losing supplier will more often than not end up triggering a new bill that is not in fact correct or your real final bill.

Best to let the industry process do what it is designed to do.

knightstyle

I found the best way to resolve a problem with British Gas is to message them on their facebook page.

roddydogs

Never had any problem changing, but I'm suprised I haven't had a meter reader for years.

MWT

roddydogs said:

Never had any problem changing, but I'm suprised I haven't had a meter reader for years.

As long as you are providing regular meter readings to them, or you have a smart meter installed and active, they have no obligation to send out a meter reader.

Verdigris

MWT said:

roddydogs said:

Never had any problem changing, but I'm suprised I haven't had a meter reader for years.

As long as you are providing regular meter readings to them, or you have a smart meter installed and active, they have no obligation to send out a meter reader.

Not true. All meters, smart or not, are supposed to be independently inspected at least once every two years. However, if you change supplier every year you evade the system. I don't think Ofgem thought this through.