Scottish Power email "Action required: Please provide your meter readings on 30th June"

digitaltoast

But when I came off 2 year fixed tariff in March, and my unit price tripled, they billed exactly like you're saying they won't when prices fall. They can't have it both ways!

Ok, to rephrase the question:
Why is it that everyone, including MSE, are saying to enter readings on 1st July to save lots, but Scottish Power are nagging me to enter them on the 30th June?

mmmmikey

digitaltoast said:

But when I came off 2 year fixed tariff in March, and my unit price tripled, they billed exactly like you're saying they won't when prices fall. They can't have it both ways!

Ok, to rephrase the question:
Why is it that everyone, including MSE, are saying to enter readings on 1st July to save lots, but Scottish Power are nagging me to enter them on the 30th June?

If you enter the readings on 30th June rather than the 1st July you'll get one more day at the lower rate and one less at the higher rate. I don't know why they're saying 30th not the 1st but it's to your advantage so not something to be concerned about. There really isn't an issue here - it's very easy (and sometimes reasonable!) to be suspicious of energy suppliers but this isn't one of those occasions.

Gerry1

As previously explained (Baker's Dozen), it's just a simple precaution against overcharging.

If you're buying pears, peaches or potatoes by weight from a market trader still using scales and they can't get an exact balance, they'll make sure the bowl is lower than the weights to avoid any risk of giving short measure.

You're really overthinking this !

QrizB

digitaltoast said:

But when I came off 2 year fixed tariff in March, and my unit price tripled, they billed exactly like you're saying they won't when prices fall.

That sounds unlikely. SP will have made an estimate for your readings on tariff changeover day, and will have billed up to that date at your fixed rate. Only units used after then will have been charged at the SVT.

digitaltoast said:

Why is it that everyone, including MSE, are saying to enter readings on 1st July to save lots

 Nobody (not even MSE) is saying that you will save lots by providing a reading on the 1st of July. We're just saying it will avoid any confusion over your readings on tariff changeover day.

Jyana

I've had a Google and can only find quotes in various newspapers from Martin which say (my bold):

Martin is also urging all households on a standard tariff to take a meter reading before July 1.

He explained, “Virtually all households on standard tariffs will see prices change when the Price Cap falls on 1 July. So unless you’re on a smart meter which does it for you, it’s worth doing a meter reading around that date to draw a line in the sand to show how much energy you actually used on the current higher rate, and how much you used on the new cheaper rates.”

He added: “It stops your supplier from estimating usage and potentially assuming that you’ve used more at the higher rate than you actually have."

The only customers he's urging to take action on the 1st July are old pre-pay meter one's, who he recommends topping up on that date so that they get the new prices downloaded onto their keys. That way they won't be overcharged at the current prices after they go down at the end of the month.

CSI_Yorkshire

Please do come back and let us know what your legal advisor says.

Scot_39

digitaltoast said:

The new rates are lower. By entering metre readings for the last 2 months on the 30th of June I would be paying the higher price if I wait till the 1st of July I would be paying the lower price. I suspect this is why they are nagging me to enter it on the 30th of June!

In short -

NO. 

You will always pay the old rates for the usage upto July 1st. The billing date or meter reading date is irrelevent to the rate charged.

The reading is only so they know accurately how many units you used at the old rate.

Long answer

People rode across annual price changes - for decades without bothering to.  Accepting the estimated splits from the suppliers.

With domestic energy in UK - you pay - based on the units used in the period that those unit rates apply to.

So for SVT thats now 3 monthly periods - for a fix the fix duration - for specials tariffs like tracker that's daily - for agile that's 1/2 hourly etc.

Sure on a 3m or 6m credit billing cycle there is more room for error in an intermediate date use estimate - months from start and end manual readings - and that is why suppliers now ask for readings. 

To provide customers with as accurate a bill as possible - and I suspect to avoid accusations of miss-billing.

But how significant on average (for some it may be over - for others under actual) those errors are in reality ?

Accurate does not mean cheaper - it means accurate.

So its really simple

- if you want the most accurate bill - and are able - provide the reading - in the time slot recommended by your supplier.

Qyburn

digitaltoast said:

Why is it that everyone, including MSE, are saying to enter readings on 1st July to save lots, but Scottish Power are nagging me to enter them on the 30th June?

Suppliers vary on how they treat manual meter readings. I think every one that I've been with would treat a reading on 30th June to mean your energy use up to and including 30th. 

Octopus treat it as the end of the day before. A meter reading submitted on 30th June would be treated as the figure at midnight on 29th. So for Octopus to match the tariff  change you'd take your reading on the 1st July.

[Deleted User]

digitaltoast said:

But when I came off 2 year fixed tariff in March, and my unit price tripled, they billed exactly like you're saying they won't when prices fall. They can't have it both ways!

Ok, to rephrase the question:
Why is it that everyone, including MSE, are saying to enter readings on 1st July to save lots, but Scottish Power are nagging me to enter them on the 30th June?

Because that was what they were saying when prices were increasing. When prices are decreasing you can save a few pence by giving a reading on the 30th that the supplier lists as the reading for midnight on the 30th when the unit price drops. 

If you are not happy then just give them a reading on the 1st or, if you want 100% accuracy, stay up to midnight on the 30th and give them a reading at that time.

You are making a heck of a fuss over just a few pence. 

dogshome

The new prices will apply from 00.01am on 1st of July, and the suppliers will Guess Estimate your meter reading at the moment of the tariff change, UNLESS THAT IS YOU HAVE GIVEN THEM A METER READING ON 30th JUNE

In past tariff changes when the price was always going up. it was best to give them a reading as late in the day as possible so as use the bulk of that days power at old, cheaper rate price.

This time it works in reverse because the prices are going down - On June 30th give a meter read as early in the day as possible and get the bulk of of that days power at the cheaper price