Fixed but threatened with withdrawal of fix

kjh511

I am with British Gas and fixed to June 2023 but on two occasions recently they have sent me a nice message with a barb within it.  They say (as copied below) I am safe as long as my electricity usage does not increase.  I did not sign up to such a clause and i recently bought an electric vehicle which will increase my usage.  Is this lawful?

Hello As you may have heard in the news, the energy regulator, Ofgem is expected to announce the new price cap later this week. This means customers who are on standard variable tariffs will pay more for their energy from October. We wanted to reassure you that this price rise won’t affect you because you are on a fixed tariff until June 2023. Being on a fixed tariff means the unit price and standing charge for your energy are exactly that – fixed. You’re fully protected against price rises for the length of your contract and your bill will only go up if you use more energy. We know this is a really challenging time for lots of people, so we hope this update brings you a little peace of mind.

What happens now You don’t need to do anything. We’ll be in touch again before your tariff ends in June 2023.

gj373

That's not what they are saying.
Your bill will go up the more energy you use, your unit rate will not.

Martico

Indeed. The fix is the unit cost, and there's no threat to change that at all.

"Being on a fixed tariff means the unit price and standing charge for your energy are exactly that – fixed."

pochase

Welcome to the forum.

Where exactly are they threatening you with withdrawal of the fixed tariff?

They are just telling you that if you use more energy your bill will go up, which should be clear in itself. Or did you think it is "all you can eat" electricity?

[Deleted User]

Hi,

fixed tariff means unit rate and standing charge are fixed, the more you use the more you pay.

Brie

I don't read that as a threat of any sort.  It's simply that if you use more energy you will be charged for that but at your fixed rate.  So no withdrawal but simply a warning that your DD may need to increase to keep pace with the amount you use.

pochase

What they are saying is that you pay a fixed standing charge of x per day and a unit rate of y per KWh you use.

If your unit rate is 40p and you use 1000KWh you will pay £0.4 x 1000 = £400, If you use 10000KWh you will pay £0.4 x 10000 = £4000.

QrizB

Welcome to the forum.

kjh511 said:

They say (as copied below) I am safe as long as my electricity usage does not increase.  I did not sign up to such a clause and i recently bought an electric vehicle which will increase my usage.  Is this lawful?

As others have said, you've fixed your daily standing charge and unit price. You haven't fixed your bill, this isn't an all-you-can-eat deal.

If you use more units, you pay more.

On the other hand, if you use fewer units, you pay less.

jimjames

kjh511 said:

  I did not sign up to such a clause and i recently bought an electric vehicle which will increase my usage.  Is this lawful?

You would have signed up to that clause and it is entirely lawful. If you use more you pay more.

elsien

Think the OP has probably had it explained enough times now without any more repetition needed from anyone else. 

Not the first to make that mistake and probably won’t be the last. 

[Deleted User]

It could prove to be quite an expensive ‘schoolboy error’ if the OP thought that he was going to get free electricity for his EV.

Seriously, the OP now needs to review his future usage and check to see whether an EV tariff - such as Go or Go Faster offered by Octopus - would lead to a cheaper overall electricity cost. Plan on 3miles/kWh as a starter - EVs are notoriously power hungry when it gets cold.