Bulb to Octopus - First Octopus bill just arrived and its much more...

JohnB47

Now that you understand how the EPG discount appears on your Octopus bill, you'll need to post actual electricity meter readings here for people to compare.

Post the start and finish readings for a period you were with Bulb and similar readings for the period you've been with Octopus that you think is wrong. Then people here can do the sums.

As I understand it, while you were with Bulb you were charged 31p (after EPG applied) per kWh and 41p daily standing charge. I'm not sure if these are before or after VAT is added.

My recent Octopus bills show the charge as 33.69p (after EPG applied) per kWh and 51p daily standing charge. These figures include VAT.

So your Octopus bill should be slightly more than you expected but not drastically so, unless you've used a lot more electricity while with Octopus.

EssexHebridean

JohnB47 said:

Now that you understand how the EPG discount appears on your Octopus bill, you'll need to post actual electricity meter readings here for people to compare.

Post the start and finish readings for a period you were with Bulb and similar readings for the period you've been with Octopus that you think is wrong. Then people here can do the sums.

As I understand it, while you were with Bulb you were charged 31p (after EPG applied) per kWh and 41p daily standing charge. I'm not sure if these are before or after VAT is added.

My recent Octopus bills show the charge as 33.69p (after EPG applied) per kWh and 51p daily standing charge. These figures include VAT.

So you're Octopus bill should be slightly more than you expected but not drastically so, unless you've used a lot more electricity while with Octopus.

Remember though that these rates are for your region - the OP's will be different unless they live in the same region as you. 

I think the OP has already posted readings for the billing period in question. 

Spoonie_Turtle

Isn't the quickest way just to compare the amount of kWh on each bill?  If they're about the same but the cost is up then something's wrong.  If they're significantly different then that would explain it.

Raxiel

Clarendon58 said:

Hi, I’m with Octopus and this is their current variable rate tariff that I had to go on to when my fixed rate tariff ended last year.  I note though on my account that the rate is only until 1st April so wondering if the rate is changing after that, perhaps downwards with the lower prices for gas and electricity (here’s hoping!).  I am also managing the bills for my late mother’s property and she was with E.on next and their rates are identical to Octopus energy.  What you were paying at Bulb looks as though it was great tariff but perhaps that’s why they went under.

You should have had an email from them, subject "FYI: Energy prices are changing slightly in April" explaining the change, what your new rates will be, and their estimated impact on your bills in an attachment.

Check it's not gone to spam. Your Octopus account should also have a record of all the emails they've sent you.

markin

If you have Gas why is your elec use 24.7 a day? That's high.

Edit: misread it, 2 months 11.5kwh a day.

Disneyfuel

Thanks everyone!

Ok, so the usage is showing:
Bulb: jan-feb 224kw
Octopus feb-mar 446kw

So this explains why the bill is higher, but how the heck have I doubled my usage with no changes at all from month to month? This 446kw is the highest usage out of the last 7 months (I only went back that far)

Thanks everyone for helping me figure this out. I'm not great with things like this as you can tell!

I have my heating set at 13 degrees during the day and 15 in the evening to keep gas price low. Looks like I'll be unplugging every single appliance I own to try and get the electric lower

markin

I misread it, Its 2 months, so 11.5 kwh a day, But could be lower, how many people and fridges, freezers? Chest freezers seem to go faulty and start racking up power.

Are the readings on the bills all yours and not been replaced with Estimates?

JohnB47

As requested earlier, please give us the start and end readings for the two periods in question and tell us if they are all actual readings or estimates (as markin says).

Also, it might help if you gave us todays reading. If you supply the readings yourself, you may have made a simple reading mistake somewhere along the line.

Getferret

My Dad also was with Bulb and was moved to Octopus in the last couple of weeks.  I submit both gas and electric meter readings every month on the last day of each month.

The electric readings history is ok, all readings present. However, on the gas readings history there is readings prior to December (and including December) but no readings for January or February, the gas reading submitted today for March is showing.

Bulb bills for December, January and February are showing in the Octopus app, so Octopus do have the gas readings. Seems like there is data missing in the history for gas.

Kej

Disneyfuel said:

Electric specifically is what has gone up.

Bulb were pretty consistent around 31p per UNIT, and 41p per STANDING between August 2022 - Feb 2023

This new Octopus bill is showing 63p UNIT and 41p STANDING from Feb 2023 - March 2023

(Amounts are rounded)

Hi there

I am right there with you! I am going to explain the bill in the way it helped me, in case you still want that, then I’m going to tell you why I’m still suspicious. 

I have had the same concern and was incredibly frustrated with octopus’ email replies being the same thing over and over— what someone posted here in reply to you—about      

   “octopus billing differently” —especially when they “prefer emails”.

 Except that in writing, practically double the last-known-rate IS being applied.

I asked them to change the way they explain it or add information, they just laughed. I also said I wouldn’t be the only one to complain. They laughed again and said they’ve had no complaints. This attitude and glib response is why people get mad and rude.

Back to my point, and experts might pick at my explanation, but I hope you’ll find it helpful.

Understanding the statement/billing:

This is what was NOT explained properly, which confused me.

First thing not explained well:

 Bulb didn’t want to “scare you with reality.” The cost of energy was going up all this time while we’ve been getting gov intervention (since October, will finish April). Bulb just did the math behind the scenes. And if you look closely you’ll see minute changes in the rates over oct-mar. 

If they had given us this information we could much more easily see the benefits of gov intervention; a chart plotting the actual “real-rate” would be a steady upward line. 

Bottom line, without the EPG intervention the real-rate for me in London with annual avg est 1313 kWh, is today 66p (gulp). 

The EPG: a price for the energy rate was fixed from oct-mar depending on your location, and your estimate annual energy usage. This price was then used to reduce your bill from the ridiculously high “real-rate”, to a more palatable (but still increasing!) “adjusted-rate” closer to what you were paying in September. 

Second thing not explained well: 

The EPG, this “adjusted-rate” is the one that is fixed (by location and usage), not our “real-rate”.

The EPG is a “reduction” meaning an equation/sum: 
        rate w/o EPG (“real-rate”)
      - rate w/ EPG   (Reduction)
      = what you’ll pay w/ VAT (5%)
         (“adjusted/rate”)

EPG is fixed but does not replace your rate. It’s just used to adjust your rate fairly. 

So as an example: my ”real-rate” 66p minus the reduction, 31p gives my “adjusted-rate” amount, the rate I was charged, 35p - which is ultimately what I was paying with bulb. 

The sum octopus does on the 2nd page of your statement should give you a charged rate similar to what you’re used to. Yes it will fluctuate slightly as the energy price does. But the EPG is taking a huge chunk out of that cost to you.

The third thing not explained well:

Here’s what I noticed about the payments/debit scheme. This is actually a problem in our perception, that will adjust with time as we stay with octopus.

Again, where bulb would reflect your credit including the government payment of £67, and the £1 you actually pay, doing the math behind the scenes so you didn’t physically see the jumps.

Whereas octopus show the amount you have in credit after the math. So while it now looks on your dashboard like your credit is decreasing rapidly, it’s not. The amount will recover when the next £67 comes in if you keep an eye on the dashboard. But you will still be earning credit, albeit in smaller jumps, and you are still only paying £1 from oct-mar.

The takeaway is that the cost of energy is more; but both bulb and octopus are doing the same math, they are just displaying it differently, and have explained it, but in a vague way.

Government intervention ends in April, (might be resumed later possibly) so the bills should become more straightforward. Octopus told me I would be at the 35p rate in April’s statement. 

The last thing which is unexplained, and why I remain suspicious:

With all this going on behind the scenes, the displayed tariffs from Octopus all seem to be different. For a company toting “transparency” they could do better. 
(When I told octopus they’re not as transparent as they’d like to think they are, they don’t agree much less care.)

My “different” tariffs as they are displayed:

-2nd page of statement both in the equation and to the right of the equation says 66p.

-Online on my octopus dashboard, 33p. 

-And from the equation (the sum on statement) the rate I am paying worked out to 34/35p

The last letter from bulb said my rate was 36p, up from 35p starting 1 January. 

While I have no record telling me specifically how much my rate is from Octopus. I was given simply a statement of increase, given in percentages. The 4% increase means my “real-rate” is 37p, based on the last information from Bulb.

There was no letter for increases from 37p to the magical octopus number of 66p

Worse still:
The latest letter from Octopus in March doesn’t even venture a percentage, never mind a “real-rate”/“adjusted-rate”. (The letter another reply mentioned previously)

And so I have to point out:
Creating an equation to “explain it” and giving it the title of “We bill you differently” doesn’t make it true that the “real-rate” is 66p.

Using the equation: 
        rate w/o EPG 
      - rate w/ EPG 
      = what you’ll pay w/ VAT (5%)

Where
rate w/o EPG=63p in OP’s post VS

last known rate from Bulb (in OP’s case 31p, with a 4% increase)

(Last-known) rate w/o EPG = 32p

Making the “real-rate” applied essentially double; Therefore dramatically changing the outcome of the equation (sum) and the subsequent cost to the customer.

If Bulb did do this math, why was my credit in my account steadily rising, since government payments were generous and it meant I could save half of the money each month for winter 2023.

Why does Octopus need to do a sum to get to 35p, instead of putting the 35p into the sum itself?

I find the lack of communication about this unacceptable and suspect.

This missing insight/explanation would help my understanding, and is not being given adequate attention.

At some point, the OP’s/ (bulbs customers) Our rate jumped; and it was neither given to us (in writing) as an amount NOR a percentage from Octopus in February or March; whereas we were clear where we stood in January, with Bulb.

Why should we just accept our rate doubled in February and March when we were neither informed nor given evidence for this proposed increase, and when diving deeper, none of the details reflect these changes or add up?