Eon-next and Economy 7

coquet01669

Has anyone with night storage and immersion water heating had intractable problems with tariffs/charges since Eon-next took on NPower customers last year? Living in the same small bungalow for the last 25 years with the same heating system and same Economy7 meter arrangement, it didn’t become apparent until this winter, when bills of £300/month began to arrive, that something was seriously wrong. Eon-next have been charging daytime tariffs for night time consumption. They have denied responsibility and claim that it is down to costumers to advise them which tariffs to apply. (?????). They have used the situation to suggest that it is necessary to change the meter, and in doing so have taken the opportunity to remove the day-time boost and left a 90 year old couple, one of whom is disabled, with no evening warmth without introducing supplementary heating. What is more, they have made what they describe as a “business decision” not to refund or credit the overcharges which must amount to £300 or £400 plus in the last few months.

QrizB

Welcome to the forum.

There are a couple of confusing aspects with your message, not least your mention of a "day time boost". This is not and has never been a feature of an Economy 7 tariff.

Were you on a legacy Economy 10 / Flexiheat / etc. tariff and the problem is simply that you've been switched to E7?

Can you give some more details - meter readings, billing, metering arrangements etc?

coquet01669

I can advise that this is an Economy 7 system - it’s been in place for 25 years - same house/same system in all of that time. 5 hours ‘night rate’ and 2 hours afternoon boost on ‘off-peak’ rate. Never had major problems until NPower sold out to Eon last year. Big 5 obviously want rid of these legacy systems because they don’t make enough money.

Until yesterday had Horstmann digital meter with 3 active read-outs covering ‘day’ with 25p tariff, ‘night’ which should have 12p tariff, and ‘off-peak’ which should have 20p tariff. This is a small house without many high consumption items - no tumble dryer, old tv which is rarely switched on, no tech equipment etc. ‘Day’ usage is therefore low @ 6kwhr, ‘off-peak’ boost is normally 2kwhr, but ‘night’ consumption in winter is high at up to 40kwhr. Since last April when NPower opted out, Eon have been charging ‘off-peak’ tariff on high night-time consumption, and ‘night’ tariff on minimal afternoon boost consumption. Daily charges can therefore be £10, when they should be less £6 to £7. Overcharge of £100/month. Sure that this cannot be only example in the country. Problem is that users tend to be seniors who may be unaware/unable to check -which no doubt suits Big 5. Others should check on their behalf.
New meter is Emlite with only 2 active read -outs. Afternoon boost no longer provided, therefore now need supplementary heating in evening.
Don't know yet if Eon will charge correct tariffs on this meter - can only hope!

QrizB

Edited and expanded.

The system you describe:

coquet01669 said:

I can advise that this is an Economy 7 system - it’s been in place for 25 years - same house/same system in all of that time. 5 hours ‘night rate’ and 2 hours afternoon boost on ‘off-peak’ rate. ..

Until yesterday had Horstmann digital meter with 3 active read-outs covering ‘day’ with 25p tariff, ‘night’ which should have 12p tariff, and ‘off-peak’ which should have 20p tariff.

Economy 7 has (and always has had) two tariffs, a day and as night. There is no third "off-peak" rate and no afternoon boost. I had E7 in the 80s and the 90s and there are many other MSErs here who will confirm how it works.

From the sound of it, you previously had a complex-metered tariff. This has now been replaced by a straightforward E7 arrangement.

You might need to get an electrician in to ensure that your night-time circuits (I guess storage heaters?) are connected to the "night only" supply rather than, as it currently sounds, to the 24h one.

coquet01669

Do not wish this thread to become a discussion on nomenclature.

Issue is that Eon are overcharging by considerable amounts and refusing to recognise the problem and make refunds, as part of drive to get rid of legacy tariffs. This may be affecting others who do not realise what’s happening - the system (whatever it is/was called) was installed widely in this region (old Northern Electric). Current media references to impending raising of ‘price cap’ and increasing tariffs inure consumers to price rises to the extent that they may be accepting incorrect/high bills that are not yet justified by that……..and suffering unnecessarily.

Gerry1

coquet01669 said:

Do not wish this thread to become a discussion on nomenclature.

If you're going to complain it's important to get your facts 100% correct, especially if you make allegations about overcharging.

QrizB

coquet01669 said:

Do not wish this thread to become a discussion on nomenclature.

That's OK. You still need to get a qualified electrician out to check your wiring and make sure your as-yet-unspecified electric space heating makes best use of your seven cheap-rate hours.

This may be affecting others who do not realise what’s happening - the system (whatever it is/was called) was installed widely in this region (old Northern Electric).

Legacy multi-rate tariffs are exactly that, a legacy product. They are all due to be withdrawn over the next few years as the switching and metering equipment becomes obsolete.

Current media references to impending raising of ‘price cap’ and increasing tariffs inure consumers to price rises to the extent that they may be accepting incorrect/high bills that are not yet justified by that……..and suffering unnecessarily.

It should go without saying that all consumers should check their bills. This applies equally to energy bills, home improvements, garages and supermarket checkouts.

EssexHebridean

coquet01669 said:

Do not wish this thread to become a discussion on nomenclature.

It’s not. You have given information which has turned out to be incorrect - people are trying to encourage you to find out what your situation REALLY is. It makes sense to understand the tariffs you’ve been on previously before you take this further, as then you may have a realistic chance of actually persuading Eon to take you seriously, rather than leaving them wondering what on Earth you’re talking about!