Martin Lewis: Energy price cap to rise by 51% on 1 April - should you fix now?

bbungay

I am with one of the big six and do not understand why it is not a legal requirement to inform customers know what the current variable standard tariffs are for their area, with a caveat of course that these may go up or down. I have written to (never received a reply) and telephoned ("we do not have that information") my supplier without success

frederick1950

https://r6fd51uoetngaqh-db202106081427.adb.uk-london-1.oraclecloudapps.com/ords/r/apex_live/energy-price-calculator/home?session=101712247562085

Cardew

bbungay said:

I am with one of the big six and do not understand why it is not a legal requirement to inform customers know what the current variable standard tariffs are for their area, with a caveat of course that these may go up or down. I have written to (never received a reply) and telephoned ("we do not have that information") my supplier without success

Surely it is a matter of costs for a commercial company.

Writing to millions of customers every six months, with slightly differing prices in each district of UK, is a huge undertaking.  Especially as if you revert to their SVT you will be given the charges. I don't think any company is currently taking on new customers on the SVT - they want you to take a fixed tariff.

However they should have given you an answer to your query. I rang my supplier(OVO) and got the SVT prices.

wittynamegoeshere

All tariffs should be on every supplier's website somewhere.  I found a document for mine, giving the unit and daily prices for the capped tariff in every region in the UK.  There's no mystery involved, you just need to find it.

The reason that any recent drop in wholesale prices isn't that important is because the cap calculations are based on the average over the preceding period.  So unless prices drop through the floor any changes are unlikely to make a major difference to the average.

wild666

QrizB said:

Cardew said:

QrizB said:

donny-gal said:

It's not the comfort, but the risk of fixing and the. The Government coming up with a "rescue package", and paying over the odds.  DG

I'm not at all convinced that this government is going to come up with a rescue package. The best I'm hoping for is something similar to the Warm Homes Discount to help the lowest paid.

However the Warm Home discount is not funded by the Government, it is funded by the energy companies who in turn increase their prices to customers.

It is simply 'robbing Peter to pay Paul'.

It's a way for better-off consumers to subsidise less-well-off ones. In the absence of a magic money tree that's how all government assistance works.

But the less well off pay into the pot the money they might claim back during the winter months if they are on benefits like pension credit, PIP or UC and some are not guaranteed to get the WHD. I have a friend who is on ESA and every year he's applied and only received the payment once even though he puts his claim in as soon as claiming it becomes available. 

Chrisdcampbell

Hi,

1st time posting so hope its right and I can get help.
I joined EDF in September on an easy online 3 year fix until September 24 with the electricity unit rate at 20.05p per kwh and a daily standing charge at 24.87p per day and the gas at 3.951p per kwh and daily standing charge at 26.12p per day. My bills were calculated for the year to be £94 a month for both and over the 3 months from September to December I was in credit however EDF has said they are now changing my bills from £94 per month to £260 so I'm not hit with a larger bill further down the line.
My query is does this sound right because I thought maybe my bills would rise by £20 to £30? I don't think I could afford the price they're saying. 
Any help would much appreciated.

MWT

Chrisdcampbell said:

My bills were calculated for the year to be £94 a month for both and over the 3 months from September to December I was in credit however EDF has said they are now changing my bills from £94 per month to £260 so I'm not hit with a larger bill further down the line.

That does not sound right at all.

Just to be clear, the £94 a month is your DD payment, not your bill, and it is your DD payment that they want to change, not your bill.

What matters is how well those payments are covering your actual usage as per your bills.

From what you have said, your account was in credit after 3 months so that would suggest that your DD payments were keeping up with the bills pretty well, as long as you've been giving them meter readings of course...

Have you been doing that each month?

 

elsien

Until Avro/Octopus get their act together I’m in bill-less limbo. No point looking at alternatives if it means adding a third supplier into an already complicated mix, 

Chrisdcampbell

MWT said:

Chrisdcampbell said:

My bills were calculated for the year to be £94 a month for both and over the 3 months from September to December I was in credit however EDF has said they are now changing my bills from £94 per month to £260 so I'm not hit with a larger bill further down the line.

That does not sound right at all.

Just to be clear, the £94 a month is your DD payment, not your bill, and it is your DD payment that they want to change, not your bill.

What matters is how well those payments are covering your actual usage as per your bills.

From what you have said, your account was in credit after 3 months so that would suggest that your DD payments were keeping up with the bills pretty well, as long as you've been giving them meter readings of course...

Have you been doing that each month?

 

Yes sorry that's my DD. I would say I'd given them readings twice and the last time just before Xmas. I've messaged them to get in touch so I can find out but just thought I'd ask on here as it didn't sound right to me.

QrizB

Chrisdcampbell said:

MWT said:

Chrisdcampbell said:

My bills were calculated for the year to be £94 a month for both and over the 3 months from September to December I was in credit however EDF has said they are now changing my bills from £94 per month to £260 so I'm not hit with a larger bill further down the line.

That does not sound right at all.

Just to be clear, the £94 a month is your DD payment, not your bill, and it is your DD payment that they want to change, not your bill.

What matters is how well those payments are covering your actual usage as per your bills.

From what you have said, your account was in credit after 3 months so that would suggest that your DD payments were keeping up with the bills pretty well, as long as you've been giving them meter readings of course...

Have you been doing that each month?

Yes sorry that's my DD. I would say I'd given them readings twice and the last time just before Xmas. I've messaged them to get in touch so I can find out but just thought I'd ask on here as it didn't sound right to me.

Do you have records of the opening readings you provided to EDF, and the reading you have today?

Your fixed-rate tariff is pretty good, I'm sure there are lots of people here who would like to be paying those prices for the next two and three-quarter years!