My bill will rocket from £89 per month to £270!!!! How is that fair or legal?

Bignick47

We have paid £89 for ages with EDF, but they just told us it would increase to £270 - almost TREBLE!!!!!
As a couple of pensioners on PIP, this is ridiculous, in fact, I call it THEFT.
Any suggestions?

The_Fat_Controller

Do you mean your Direct Debit or the ACTUAL bill ?

What is the current status of your account, credit/debit ?

Are you currently moving from a fixed tariff and if so, have you opted for a new fix or a move to the Standard Variable tariff ?

It is entirely possible if that is their estimate of your new DD it is correct if covering arrears and a different tariff going forward.

TheMilkmansDad

With very little to go on, not a lot anyone can suggest s to why the increase?
Fixed tariff coming to an end?
Is the £270 based on a new fixed deal rather then the SVT?
Are you currently paying enough - is your account in debit/credit?
Are you bills accurate?
Who's your supplier?
Do you submit regular meter readings?
Is the property all electric or is their gas also? What is your estimated usage per year?

pochase

Do you come off a fixed tariff?

If so is the 270£ another fixed tariff or the the standard variable rate? Treble sounds a bit to high for a move from a fixed tariff to SVT, but could be possible if you are for example currently in debt. If they are offering a new fixed tariff at this rate don't go for it, compare first the cost for SVT.

The direct debit amounts are pretty meaningless. What are your current unit rates and what have you been offered for SVT and potentially a fixed tariff.

What was you usage in KWH for electricity and gas, or if you don't have gas for day and night rate on a E7 tariff, also are you currently in credit or debt and by how much?

No it is not theft. The supplier is not really benefitting that much, as they are no longer make big profits even by charging prices that high. I assume they have earned more on your old tariff when they offered it to you a few years ago. Energy prices have just increased that much.

QrizB

Bignick47 said:

We have paid £89 for ages with EDF, but they just told us it would increase to £270 - almost TREBLE!!!!!

I'm guessing you've been on a fixed-rate deal and £270 is the monthly cost on the new fixed-rate deal they've offered to follow it.

As a couple of pensioners on PIP, this is ridiculous, in fact, I call it THEFT.

You can call it what you want, but it's definitely not theft. It will be EDF's cheapest fixed-rate offer.

There's a good chance that the standard variable rate will be cheaper.

Any suggestions?

Take a good look at your options. You will probably find the standard variable rate is cheaper now and there's a good chance it will remain cheaper even after October's increase.

Also, take a good look at your energy use.

prowla

You could look at it from the perspective that you've been saving loads due to a deal, but the discount has now expired and is no longer available.

bagand96

Bignick47 said:

Any suggestions?

- Take a look at your bill. Is it accurate, is it based on actual meter readings or estimates?
- Is the account in credit or debit? Has that £89 per month been covering what you use? 
- What tariff are you on? Are you on a fix that is ending?
- What is your annual use? From there you can work out your annual cost based on your Tariff unit rates

If you've been paying £89 "for ages" then unfortunately a big rise is almost certain. The energy costs crisis has been very well publicised. 

LADYXXMACBETH

Yep unfortunately it's the reality now. I was paying People's energy £105 when they went bust my 3 months energy bill was £611. 
I've reduced my energy by about half but I still pay British gas £273 a month. I have no idea if I'm paying the right amount as I haven't had a bill yet. 

PZ19

LADYXXMACBETH said:

Yep unfortunately it's the reality now. I was paying People's energy £105 when they went bust my 3 months energy bill was £611. 
I've reduced my energy by about half but I still pay British gas £273 a month. I have no idea if I'm paying the right amount as I haven't had a bill yet. 

It’s pretty straight forward to work out your costs if you have been taking meter readings.  Take your usage in units and multiply it by your tariff.  Then work out number of Days since your last bill and multiply by the standing charge rate

rp1974

OP,this will likely sound fairly harsh,it's not intended to,it's legal because it's regulated by law,it's fair because it's exactly the same situation that thousands,hundreds of thousands,in fact millions of other people are facing at the present time or will be in the near future.

As your of pensionable age and recieving pip you should be on your suppliers Priority Service Register,and it would be advisable to check which,if any other benefits or entitlements you may be able to get,probably can get help doing this if your not confident in doing so by yourself.

Uncertain as to what applies here,but on many forums you should be aware that you are accountable legally for your postings,so maybe worthwhile bearing that in mind before throwing around casual accusations of "THEFT",etc.

[Deleted User]

I fear that we are going to see a lot more posts like this as people begin to realise just how much the cost of energy has risen over the past 12 months, with further increases over the horizon. 

The first thing to check is whether the estimate that EDF is using is correct. If this is wrong, then so will future estimated costs and the monthly DD payment. I had a brief sojourn with EDF earlier this year. As I had a smart meter fitted almost a year to the day that the transfer took place, I was able to give them an annual usage figure of 7071kWh/year. My first bill had estimated annual usage of over 11000kWh/year. When I switched to another supplier, my estimated annual usage fell back to 7800kWh/year. 

I had a conversation with my daughter about this only yesterday as she is also struggling to understand EDF’s estimated annual usage figure post an enforced transfer from the failed Utility Point. Whatever algorithm EDF or its data collector is using to calculate estimated annual usage needs to be reviewed. 

The ‘good news’ - as others have said - all DD payments are payments on account from which actual charges for the energy used are deducted. For this reason, it isn’t fraud or theft. However, it is something that Ofgem is currently interested in, so if the estimated annual usage figure is extraordinarily high then I would inform Ofgem - consumer.affairs@ofgem.gov.uk