EON HEAT DEBACLE

aura2020

Would love some advice on below.

So I lived in a property from 28 March 2023 for one year. I received a welcome letter from the lettings agent that "EON" was the energy provder for the property as below:

Please find below the Utility Companies and contact details

Electricity – Eon

Water – Thames Water

Heating, Hot Water and Cooling - Eon

Council tax –Newham Council

I received correspondence with the lettings agent to register with EON Next and direct correspondence with EON Next. At the time I thought okay job done I've registered to EON now without knowing that EON has two separate entities (EON Next and EON Heat). I did not receive any correspondence (in writing or mail) from my lettings agent nor from EON Heat with regards to registration to pay for Heating. Now over a year later after I have moved out of the property I have received correspondence from EON Heat that I need to pay a bill of nearly £900.

Now I would understand this if I had been told that there were two separate EON entities at least during my tenancy. But EON Heat have mentioned that they did not know I was living there in the property until 18th May 2024. The lettings agent failed to notify them I was living there and EON Heat was just sending correspondence to the landlord. I don't see how any of this is my fault?

Can anything be done here? EON Heat sympathise with my situation but legally after recieving the tenancy agreement I am liable is what they have told me. I just think it's wrong I'm recieving this now without being aware that they even existed in the first place. The lettings agent have just dropped the ball and now I am required to pay.

Has anyone experienced something similar here, can anything be done?

Swipe

To be fair, £900 is pretty cheap for 12 months heating. How much were your monthly E.ON Next bills? How did you think it was being heated?

MeteredOut

You are legally obliged to pay for the energy you used but usage prior to 12 months before the date of the final bill can be challenged via back billing rules (check the Ofgem website for details). 

Have you just been provided with a final bill and what is the date of that bill? You could look to challenge the usage from March 2023 to 1 year before that date, and request having that usage removed from your bill. Mention back-billing rules to them.

Note the above is assuming that EON Heat falls under the same consumer protection as "standard" energy supplies.

TheElectricCow

At first glance I’d say your complaint should be with the lettings agent rather than either of the Eons, although practically speaking that may not really help the situation at hand.

Presumably this is a heat network system of some kind (e.g. where one boiler supplies multiple properties)? If so that’s the sort of quite basic yet important property detail that I’d expect the agent to be aware of and explain clearly to any incoming residents. Did you have a dedicated “heat meter” or something similar as well as your electric meter? On what basis have Eon Heat produced the £900 bill (have they used actual reading or is it all estimates)?

gm0

Energy supplier. (or in this context "heat")

Focus on bill accuracy.  Billing dates vs your liability start/end tenancy (fixed months etc).  So they aren't billing periods pre arrival, post leaving
 
Then accuracy of any measured vs estimated usage element and how calculated.  You likely don't have readings for specific dates so this is not going to be about 100% accuracy.

Validate any regulatory back billing limit is "in date" for having billed it. If one applies to this form of heat supply (as it does to electricity supply).

Then you can argue (if you want) cashflow hardship so offer a payment in 3/6/12 stages.  Getting them to suppress debt follow up actions and chasers may be a bridge too far as quite often "computer says no" and continues to send it all out regardless of what customer services may choose to agree with a customer this week. 
So this last piece may be more trouble (for you) than it is worth in easing cashflow.

Scot_39

In the end if happy you used the power, and you have the funds you should probably just pay the £900.

And chalk it up as a valuable life lesson.

It's messy and so harsh, as 

It's a catalogue of errors
- you failure to enquire about energy and heating before renting
- your failure to understand the seperated listing for electric and heating on moving in letter
- the agents for not listing EOn by division EOnNext, EOnHeat ? on that letter
- the agents or landlord or EOnHeat in not registering changes of tennancy and any interim void periods - so liability for bills and then sending new  bills to you or occupier
- the agents or landlords for not processing and so forwarding the bills as sent to them
- your failure to notice you were probably paying unrealistically low energy bills to EOnNext.
Etc


You might have some come back against the agents for giving inaccurate details if you are sure it just says EOn for both.

Or for them or landlords retaing bills and not making you aware etc.


You could run these potential failure past say Citizens advice or your own legal or debt advisor if unable or unwilling to find cash.

As you say it is not right, but as above its not a single clear isolated point of failure either.


As even if do challange the failures - potentialky the landlord or agent might then simply pursue you. And in so doing unlikely agency or landlord will give you a glowing reference.

And you risk getting credit file markers if EOn Heat register you for non payment now they have billed you.

I know it all seems very unfair - but life isn't always fair - and so you need to learn to be wary - to ask and clarify - before committing.

Many people would not have rented a property with a community or heat network heating system. The costs are often far higher than normal domestic direct metered supply.  Standing Charges and unit rates. And are not protected by Ofgem cap and so last years EPG £2500 pro rata unit rate discounts.

Scot_39

MeteredOut said:

You are legally obliged to pay for the energy you used but usage prior to 12 months before the date of the final bill can be challenged via back billing rules (check the Ofgem website for details). 

Have you just been provided with a final bill and what is the date of that bill? You could look to challenge the usage from March 2023 to 1 year before that date, and request having that usage removed from your bill. Mention back-billing rules to them.

Note the above is assuming that EON Heat falls under the same consumer protection as "standard" energy supplies.

Does back billing apply to heat networks ?

The whole issue of lack of regulation came to the fore during the recent price spikes, no Ofgem cap or  epg etc and so upto wholesale rate charges etc.

There was an Ofgem consultation exercise on it - but probably too late for those who have suffered as unlikely to apply retrospectively if they do decide to act.

MeteredOut

Scot_39 said:

MeteredOut said:

You are legally obliged to pay for the energy you used but usage prior to 12 months before the date of the final bill can be challenged via back billing rules (check the Ofgem website for details). 

Have you just been provided with a final bill and what is the date of that bill? You could look to challenge the usage from March 2023 to 1 year before that date, and request having that usage removed from your bill. Mention back-billing rules to them.

Note the above is assuming that EON Heat falls under the same consumer protection as "standard" energy supplies.

Does back billing apply to heat networks ?

The whole issue of lack of regulation came to the fore during the recent price spikes, no Ofgem cap or  epg etc and so upto wholesale rate charges etc.

There was an Ofgem consultation exercise on it - but probably too late for those who have suffered as unlikely to apply retrospectively if they do decide to act.

I don't know, hence my last paragraph. I left that as homework for the OP.

aura2020

So I have recieved a bill under my name for the first time dated 18th May 2024, previously all documentation was addressed to the landlord. I moved out of the property on 28th March 2024. I moved into the property on the 29th March 2023.

Yes, it was a catalogue of errors but to be honest just does not feel right. They definitely did not differentiate between the EON entities as I mentioned above. 

Maybe I can challenge the dates on the bill for the exact term of residency 29 March 2023---28 March 2024.

I think my complaint can only be with the lettings agent as EON Heat don't seem to be at fault here either but it's a bit strange they were sending letters or emails out to the landlord without recieving any money but maybe it was underneath their threshold for them to escalate. The landlord lives abroad so I suppose they just want their property to be managed properly without be hassled and dealing with anything.

But then again the lettings agent should have got in touch with me and mentioned we've recieved a few of these bills now. 

Interestingly I did speak with EON Heat and they mentioned they were only up and running to start charging us by Oct 2023. That might not make sense to you guys as I'm not an expert and don't really understand how the energy works in that building to be honest.