How does new renter set up energy payments?

Mr.Generous

Ultrasonic said:

sarahm73 said:

Alnat1 said:

She should read the water meter too if there is one.

Yes we’re not sure if there is one or not. I’ve never seen one. What do they look like and where are they usually located?

Water meters are usually under the pavement in front of a property but check with the landlord/letting agent whether there is one and where it is if not obvious. 

Or near the stoptap, possibly under the sink.

pochase

If you cannot find it you can always check with the water supplier if the flat is metered or not.

kroggy

Here are a few tips for your daughter:

1. Take a photo of both the meters and make sure they include the meter number

2. Search online at CAB link below to find your supplier 

citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/energy/energy-supply/moving-home-your-energy-supply/find-out-who-your-gas-or-electricity-supplier-is/

3. Have your daughter call the supplier, give them her details and the meter readings, also have her ask to be put on Direct Debit but NOT the BUDGET Direct Debit where you store money for the winter, ask to pay only for what has been used.

4. I suggest your daughter avoid a smart meter if one is not fitted, if one is already fitted then have her monitor it closely, have her use the energy company app and make sure that they are taking readings from both meters (if they fail to take gas they can run up a huge bill).

5. Have your daughter turn the heating off and disable any thermostat setting that tell it to come on at specific times.

6. Have her set the boiler to the lowest temperature for hot water that she can tolerate (mine is at 40 degrees, also have her set the heating temperature in the boiler to the lowest it has in the range, mine is 20 degrees (not all boilers work have two setting so have her search youtube for the details of how to do these things on her model of thermostat and her model of boiler).  These will save any nasty surprises in bills.

7. Have her ask her energy supplier for anonymous reads for the last 5 years, this data is recorded and can be obtained through a subject access request (see ICO website) if they are stroppy.

On the water meter argument above, have her call the water supplier and confirm the water meter number, then request they do an immediate reading, ask them where the meter is located.  The answer might be a bit bizarre, I was told it was 3 meters from the entrance to the property, it was under a cover I could not remove and there were five of them.  A friend did it for me, the meters were covered in mud but so deep that my friend had to use a stick with a cloth on the end to wipe each meter (there were several meters in each hole) then take photos with zoom of all of them to try and figure out which was mine.  Of course it was the last one in the last hole.

If she is in a block of flats where her service charge pays for communal energy have her look for a meter on the ground floor and make a note of the readings for that meter too.  It is not unheard of for one flat to tap into that energy supply and get their neighbours to contribute to their energy.

When she gets her first bill have her check it against the historic reads, if the Landlord provided a fridge have her turn it to lowest possible setting and use a fridge thermometer to make sure temp is OK. 

turnitround

In one property I rented the water meter was half way up the front path and in the last one it was in the back garden by the greenhouse door!  The landlord / agent should be giving the information though.

kroggy

turnitround said:

In one property I rented the water meter was half way up the front path and in the last one it was in the back garden by the greenhouse door!  The landlord / agent should be giving the information though.

I think it is best to ask the water company not the Landlord, the Water company have a database and will give directions that one can hold them to.

sarahm73

Robin9 said:

w



What is the heating in the flat ?  

Gas I believe

Robin9

Typical consumption figures 2900 KWh for electric, 12,000 KWh for gas.

Mstty

Ultrasonic said:

Mstty said:

Ultrasonic said:

I'll just add that the energy company may encourage your daughter to sign up to a fixed term tariff but sticking to the standard variable rate that is subject to price cap is probably the best advice in this situation.

Unless they are with EDF, British Gas and Eon who do offer price cap beating rates for October 2022.

Advice updated here

https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/-are-there-any-cheap--fixed-energy-deals-currently-worth-it--/

For info. I was specifically trying to keep things simple under the circumstances.

That's not really what the forum is about and I don't know if you are being simplistic or not.

More info the better and that link is updating all the time as fix deals and switches close.

sarahm73

Thanks for all your replies, it is really helpful.  I now know gas supplier (Ovo) and electric (Octopus) and assume from previous comments that unlikely to be any better fixed rates to switch to?  Have also found water supplier (Eswater) and sewerage (Anglian).  I have same company for both water and sewerage so assume she will need to register with and pay both?  So far she can’t find gas meter but there are some cupboard doors outside flat that she can’t open, so assume will be in there but doesn’t seem right that she can’t access it.

Mstty

sarahm73 said:

Thanks for all your replies, it is really helpful.  I now know gas supplier (Ovo) and electric (Octopus) and assume from previous comments that unlikely to be any better fixed rates to switch to?  Have also found water supplier (Eswater) and sewerage (Anglian).  I have same company for both water and sewerage so assume she will need to register with and pay both?  So far she can’t find gas meter but there are some cupboard doors outside flat that she can’t open, so assume will be in there but doesn’t seem right that she can’t access it.

Ask Octopus about their Agile tariff. Currently capped at 35p kWh and should be capped at that rate for 12 months. Check that is the case before signing up.

Much better than the anticipated 42-44p October electricity rate