Energy websites crash as customers rush to submit their meter readings - DON'T panic, you have time

MSE_Emily

Customers of British Gas, EDF, E.on, Shell and Octopus have been unable to submit meter readings as people rush to do so before the 1 April price hike. But if you can't do so DON'T panic - just make sure you take a picture of your reading and submit it as soon as you can...

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British Gas, EDF, E.on, Octopus and Shell websites crash as customers rush to submit their meter readings - but DON'T panic you still have time to do so

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MWT

It is the wrong day for Octopus anyway...

born_again

Nice to see Eon Next blaming Martin Lewis for the fact that their website & app can not cope... Did they seriously think that people would let them (under) estimate you usage, so you would be paying a higher price for already used energy....
Martin should not have need to tell anyone to read meters. It is plain common sense...

Sea_Shell

Just goes to show how many people don't already routinely submit end of month meter readings!!

How many of today's readings will produce an unexpected level of bill?

How many over or under estimates will they "correct"?

Brewer21

Am I missing something? 1) if you have a smart meter they know how much you are using and they can take readings anytime. 2) you may have fixed you tariff or already be on one that's still running or like me on a variable.
So whichever applies all you need do for your own reference is take readings at the end of today so you can check on your next bill it has been correctly billed.
I'm not supplying readings today or tomorrow or the next day, they'll get them when asked for, usually mid month, so around 15th April.
BTW I'm already on the new tariff, variable with Eon.Next, already had a split bill, old tariff/new tariff it is seemingly seamless transition to the new rates.

The_Green_Hornet

Don't panic says the website that helped cause the panic in the first place.

It has highlighted a couple of things though.

1) The suppliers' websites are woefully under specified for traffic volumes
2) Customers don't regularly submit end of month meter readings

Sea_Shell

I wonder how many people will be kicking themselves after submitting meter readings that were actually less than those that would be (or have already recently been) estimated by their supplier.

Yes they'll get a credit at today's prices, but at what cost at tomorrow's.

flossy_splodge

In case it helps: I was with Bristol Energy before being swapped to British Gas.

Having no joy submitting meter readings to BG I went onto Bristol Energy site which is still operational and allowed me to put in todays readings, no trouble, no hassle.

 It confirms these readings will be used to calculate last bill from them.

Shame they went out of business, it all just worked with them.

So previous Bristol energy users put your meter readings for today on Bristol energy's original site. Job done.

k_man

The_Green_Hornet said:

Don't panic says the website that helped cause the panic in the first place.

It has highlighted a couple of things though.

1) The suppliers' websites are woefully under specified for traffic volumes
2) Customers don't regularly submit end of month meter readings

Designing a system with enough capacity for the spike of traffic today would be overkill for the rest of the year.

Especially when the traffic increased again, as a result of the MSM coverage of this, as previously unaware users rush to submit before the perceived deadline.

The next price cap rise may include a line item for increasing system capacity to cope with the next rise date!

With hindsight the message from MSE should have been to make a note of the meter reading, just in case, rather than make sure you submit today (which is actually a day early anyway).
And the power companies should have sent out a message in anticipation.

Carrot007

The_Green_Hornet said:

Don't panic says the website that helped cause the panic in the first place.

It has highlighted a couple of things though.

1) The suppliers' websites are woefully under specified for traffic volumes
2) Customers don't regularly submit end of month meter readings

1. Not at all. You do not provision for once in a lifetime panic nonsence. UNness of course you want a further increase ;-)

2. Surely most bills would be aligned to the day you sign up, not month end. All mine have always been. And seldom monthly. Never been on monthly billing either.

Archie_Duke

The_Green_Hornet said:

Don't panic says the website that helped cause the panic in the first place.

It has highlighted a couple of things though.

1) The suppliers' websites are woefully under specified for traffic volumes
2) Customers don't regularly submit end of month meter readings

Not everyone’s billing cycle is fixed to the end of the calendar month. I submit regular ones for my own usage tracking interests, around weekly, let’s just get that out of the way. But my billing cycle is based around a DD date of the 10th of the month to fit in with regular pension payments, so Shell want my readings on the 5th of the month.