BG Smart Meter - Eon Tariff, no VAT

Toki

Morning,

I had SMETS2 smart meters fitted when I was with British Gas.  The meter display states all prices include VAT and were reading correctly when I was with BG.

I moved to Eon recently and the prices are shown excluding VAT.  I contacted Eon via online chat and they say there's nothing they can do, their prices are excl VAT and can't be adjusted.  I did ask if I could get a new Eon display but was told no. 

Is this correct as the display is now always 5% too low.  Has anyone else experienced this when moving suppliers?

Neil_Jones

Is this the display on the meter itself or the in-house display/toy thing?  Those do not display unit rates with VAT with Eon which seems to have been the case since at least 2016:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5522781/eon-smart-meter

Toki

Neil_Jones said:

Is this the display on the meter itself or the in-house display/toy thing?  Those do not display unit rates with VAT with Eon which seems to have been the case since at least 2016:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5522781/eon-smart-meter

Sorry, the in house display reads exc VAT.  Thanks.

spiro

The IDH gets it dats via the meter, maybe E.On do it this was so the IDH can work in both dom and non-dom properties.

Toki

spiro said:

The IDH gets it dats via the meter, maybe E.On do it this was so the IDH can work in both dom and non-dom properties.

That makes sense and possibly true.  Maybe BG do it slightly differently.  Very slightly annoying you have to remember to add 5% as in this country everything is inc VAT, smart meter displays should be also.

[Deleted User]

spiro said:

The IDH gets it dats via the meter, maybe E.On do it this was so the IDH can work in both dom and non-dom properties.

As you know, IHDs get their data via the smart meter HAN and will show whatever tariffs have been sent to the meter by the supplier. I suspect that this problem has more to do with E.oN’s archaic technology system which is now being replaced by Octopus’ Kraken technology platform. The latter does send VAT inclusive tariffs to Octopus’ smart meters. I read an article last week which indicated that now that E.oN Next is up and running, existing E.oN customer accounts are in the process of being transferred to the Kraken platform. 

Gerry1

Another smart meter fiasco, customers being misled about the cost of the energy they are using.  Omitting VAT on a domestic IHD must surely break Ofgem regulations, and might even be illegal (Misrepresentation)?

Once again, Ofgem is asleep at the wheel.  And why am I not surprised that the culprit is E.On?

MWT

Gerry1 said:

Another smart meter fiasco, customers being misled about the cost of the energy they are using.  Omitting VAT on a domestic IHD must surely break Ofgem regulations, and might even be illegal (Misrepresentation)?

Once again, Ofgem is asleep at the wheel.  And why am I not surprised that the culprit is E.On?

I certainly agree it is unhelpful, but as it is not the method by which people are billed, nor do they advertise their alternative tariffs on the IHD they have not broken any laws I am aware of.

E.ON_Company_Representative

Hi Toki, 

That's correct, our In Home Display Monitor doesn't display prices including the VAT. 

The IHDs, whichever type you may have, are more of guide. They're to help you understand trends with the usage and how you might be able to save money by saving energy. The prices on displays don't match the actual tariff. They don't include VAT or any discounts.

With the Chameleon In Home Display (IHD), meter readings can be seen by pressing Menu (OK) and choosing 'meter information' using the arrows at the bottom right of the display.

For two-rate electricity meters, the IHD will only show the meter reading that is currently being used. When the usage changes to day/night the reading on the IHD will also change. You can still access both readings at any time from the meter.

To see how much electricity you've used, please press calendar (10) to cycle between usage now, so far today, this week, this month and this year (January to December). Once a timeframe has been selected, use the Back Arrow to cycle through previous usage. This information is only available from the date the smart meter was installed.

You can see the electricity you use in money and kWh. You can also see the current pence per unit and daily standing charge. Please use the menu and arrows to scroll through the various screens.

The 'used so far' screen includes usage only. There's no standing charges, VAT or discounts.

Whereas, the 'bill so far' screen includes usage and the standing charge but not VAT or any discounts. This screen shows the cost of the bill for the month (based on the dates of the monthly scheduled meter readings). These periods vary for different customers and you could see a different amount when compared with the 'used so far' screen.

Hope this gives you a few pointers. There's a tutorial you can access on the IHD that might be of use. To see this, please press Menu (OK) and use the arrows to choose tutorial. There's also more information on our dedicated Smart Meter page on our website.

Thanks, Peter 

Gerry1

So customers have to pay £475 for a shiny toy that unashamedly misrepresents the true cost of their energy usage.  If they rely on it for budgeting it'll lie to them, e.g. saying that they've used £1000 when in reality they'll be hit with bill shock of £50 more.

So much for the estimated saving of a mere £11 per year... 

You really couldn't make it up !