Bright app - negative cost

Plasticman

I've been using the Bright app for a while and all has been fine but a couple of days ago the "current unit rate" and "standing charge" for electricity changed to negative numbers. Yesterday it cost me -£3.65 (which would be wonderful if it was true) 

While this doesn't really matter, I'm concerned that these numbers have been provided by my utility company - Shell Energy - and that it might cause an issue when Shell come to bill me next time. I've only just got my bill sorted after 3 months of hassle..... Can anybody reassure me that the costs used by the Bright app are completely independent of Shell's billing system? 

Jyana

I have a similar issue with Bright, and it's a meter issue that only Shell can resolve but they quite probably won't is the answer I got from Hildebrand when I asked them about it last month. Getting hold of the right person who is able to do it at the energy provider can be a hassle, and the customer service agents you get when you ring up probably won't know what you are talking about as it's quite specialised. It's a problem they get a lot so they are rolling out a way to set your own tariff on the app soon hopefully due to this being an issue for many.

Shell will not bill you these amounts. Bright retrieves the standing charge and rate from the tariff field on your meter and then applies that to the consumption, whereas Shell use their billing systems to bill you.

Plasticman

Thanks @Jyana

Mstty

I've found Bright very inaccurate and misses data. Still not recovered all data from December and missing some from January so it is no longer accurate. Using loop more now but annoyingly it will only let you set the EPG rates.

chiny

Plasticman said:

Can anybody reassure me that the costs used by the Bright app are completely independent of Shell's billing system? 

There is only one source of kWh (energy) data - your meter - which sends your consumption to a data holding company which calls itself DCC.   Both Bright and Shell get your kWh consumption from DCC.   That might make "the Bright app ... completely independent of Shell's billing system" or not, depending on your viewpoint.

Bright take the figures from DCC; if those are wrong, their app will be wrong.

If you are on a conventional domestic tariff, Shell don't care about the half-hourly readings your meter provides to DCC.   Shell just need a single reading, sometime near billing time, and they can provide an accurate bill.   Missing DCC data is of no interest to Shell and hence they won't fix the problem.

chiny

Mstty said:

Using loop more now but annoyingly it will only let you set the EPG rates.

Interesting... it has been some while since I checked what is available but this app "Loop Energy" also uses DCC data and the T&Cs emphasise that if DCC is wrong, Loop is wrong.

"Hugo Energy" appears to yet another such app, similar features and data from DCC.   Clearly there is money to be made from these apps and it's probably worth ascertaining how an app is making money before signing up, just in case your data is leaking somewhere you would rather it did not.   At the least, it should be clear how to revoke permission for the app to use your DCC data.

Mstty

@chiny Completely agree but without a working IHD I do rely on these type of apps at the moment. I have checked the loop usage against our smart meter and to confirm even though they may use the same source Bright has obviously had two blips in December and January and has never rectified the issue as it is incorrect usage for both months.

Sterlingtimes

Hugo and Loop have recaptured some data which have been lost by Bright.

chiny

@Mstty I'm not sure how you can check Loop against your meter but you could check Loop against Bright (both use DCC data).   For example, do the kWh readings for yesterday agree ?   I've not used Loop but I guess it (like Bright) also permits checks for other periods, such as "last week", "December" and so on.   If Loop and Bright differ, then one or both of them has a problem.

As these apps are important to you, it might be worth visiting the Bright forum and asking there.

Mstty

chiny said:

@Mstty I'm not sure how you can check Loop against your meter but you could check Loop against Bright (both use DCC data).   For example, do the kWh readings for yesterday agree ?   I've not used Loop but I guess it (like Bright) also permits checks for other periods, such as "last week", "December" and so on.   If Loop and Bright differ, then one or both of them has a problem.

As these apps are important to you, it might be worth visiting the Bright forum and asking there.

Hi, I'm quite happy with the calculations from my smart meter/monthly smart readings etc and my ongoing usage spreadsheets so it was more a case of letting anyone know that if they are relying on bright, it is inaccurate.

My message was more a warning for people relying on bright.

Loop however has no missing data.

Keep_pedalling

I have just started using Bright mainly for looking at my gas usage, as I only get a bill every 6 months. If seems to work OK for gas, but electric is way off. I am currently on Octopus Go, and although Bright shows the correct tariffs and the correct time slots  not a single half hour slot matches the real costs as per the Octopus bill. 

For a start it calculates to 03:30 to 04:30 slots at the higher charge rate and then seems to double both unit costs as well, so Bright shows our monthly electricity costs at around 220% of what they actually are.