Energy Company Suggestions - see my criteria

Spoonie_Turtle

Genuine question: how are smart meters currently incompatible with your visual impairment, that traditional meters are not?  Is it the reading of them, the idea that you'd have to use an inaccessible app, the IHD being inaccessible, something else entirely?

The good news is that you won't be forced to have smart meters until your electricity meter's certification period runs out.  Unfortunately the document with the list of meter models and certification periods is a PDF which as far as I'm aware still isn't an accessible format.  Well, I'll link the gov.uk page for it anyway just in case https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schedule-4-uk-nationally-approved-electricity-meters 

The other good news is that most suppliers make it possible to manage one's account online, not requiring their app.  Even when we have smart meters.

Also for when you do have smart meters in the future, there is an accessible IHD, the Trio.  I don't know if other suppliers have them available but Octopus are currently trialling them https://octopus.energy/accessibility/#accessibleIHD

MikeJXE

Another vote for Octopus

I chose the date of my direct debit

I choose the date I give them readings, 1st of the month 

They choose when to send the bill, sometimes the same day sometimes a couple of days later 

Never estimated 

I have a dumb meter and have not been pressed to go smart 

molerat

MikeJXE said:

Another vote for Octopus

I chose the date of my direct debit

I choose the date I give them readings, 1st of the month 

They choose when to send the bill, sometimes the same day sometimes a couple of days later 

Never estimated 

I have a dumb meter and have not been pressed to go smart 

But are you paying by variable (whole of bill)  DD or fixed (monthly budget) DD ?

The former generally takes the DD a couple of weeks after billing, the latter is generally a fairly relaxed arrangement.

FreeBear

Gerry1 said:

Octopus offer Monthly Variable Direct Debit and have good customer service so they should definitely be your first choice. Their app is brilliant.  I doubt that you'll find anyone that's better.

Yet I found the octopus app to be next to useless when trying to set up a Home Mini - Had to jump through hoops and set up a fake geolocation to get it to work. Octopus didn't appear to be that interested and wouldn't answer the question of why the app needed geolocation. Not that any of this helps the OP.

pseudodox

EDF also offer MVDD and apart from a glitch when I first joined them (quickly sorted) and a glitch when I was moved to Kraken billing (again quickly sorted and with a generous ££ apology) I have found customer service as good as one might hope these days.

But if paying MVDD you WILL have the DD taken 10 working days from billing date, which usually means mine goes out on 17th of month as my bills are from 1st-30th/31st.  For payment to be taken on 30th you would need to submit readings mid month to mid month.  AFAIK every company operates on the DD standard of 10 working days from bill, which offers plenty of time after notification of the amount if you feel your bill is incorrect and can ask for review.

You have no choice, unless you pay FDD at whatever date suits you.  But this will not match your actual consumption cost month on month.

As others have said you will not get all 8 of your requirements so some compromises will have to be made.

Gerry1

If dozy Ofgem were any good they'd have mandated that all suppliers must offer MVDD / Whole Bill Payment.  You'd think Ofgem would have learned their lesson after about 30 suppliers went bust when wholesales prices increased; some such as Avro had been using inflated fixed DDs to fund their businesses, Ponzi style.

The OP could investigate some of the smaller suppliers such as Fuse and Rebel to see whether they'd play ball, but I suspect the reality is that it'll be Octopus or bust.

Note that you have to contact Octopus to get MVDD, it's not an option shown online.

MikeJXE

molerat said:

MikeJXE said:

Another vote for Octopus

I chose the date of my direct debit

I choose the date I give them readings, 1st of the month 

They choose when to send the bill, sometimes the same day sometimes a couple of days later 

Never estimated 

I have a dumb meter and have not been pressed to go smart 

But are you paying by variable (whole of bill)  DD or fixed (monthly budget) DD ?

The former generally takes the DD a couple of weeks after billing, the latter is generally a fairly relaxed arrangement.

I pay fixed direct debit but because I have a credit balance the whole bill is paid each month

If I wanted whole bill monthly I would choose a date to give the readings to so as to coincide with my preferred direct debit date 

It’s not rocket science 

Spoonie_Turtle

MikeJXE said:

molerat said:

MikeJXE said:

Another vote for Octopus

I chose the date of my direct debit

I choose the date I give them readings, 1st of the month 

They choose when to send the bill, sometimes the same day sometimes a couple of days later 

Never estimated 

I have a dumb meter and have not been pressed to go smart 

But are you paying by variable (whole of bill)  DD or fixed (monthly budget) DD ?

The former generally takes the DD a couple of weeks after billing, the latter is generally a fairly relaxed arrangement.

If I wanted whole bill monthly I would choose a date to give the readings to so as to coincide with my preferred direct debit date 

It’s not rocket science 

Hence requirements 2 and 4 of the OP being incompatible.

"2. I want my variable direct debit to go out about a week before the end of the month as I have several other payments going out earlier in the month.

4. I want my bills to run from the first of the month to the end of the month regardless of the number of days, i.e. 1st to 31st or 1st to 29th or 1st to 30th or 1st to 28th.."

bob2302

FreeBear said:

Gerry1 said:

Octopus offer Monthly Variable Direct Debit and have good customer service so they should definitely be your first choice. Their app is brilliant.  I doubt that you'll find anyone that's better.

Yet I found the octopus app to be next to useless when trying to set up a Home Mini - Had to jump through hoops and set up a fake geolocation to get it to work. Octopus didn't appear to be that interested and wouldn't answer the question of why the app needed geolocation. Not that any of this helps the OP.

I just turned it on for the duration of the set-up and then removed the permission. Octopus already knows my address, so I didn't see this as a problem.

FreeBear

bob2302 said:

FreeBear said:

Gerry1 said:

Octopus offer Monthly Variable Direct Debit and have good customer service so they should definitely be your first choice. Their app is brilliant.  I doubt that you'll find anyone that's better.

Yet I found the octopus app to be next to useless when trying to set up a Home Mini - Had to jump through hoops and set up a fake geolocation to get it to work. Octopus didn't appear to be that interested and wouldn't answer the question of why the app needed geolocation. Not that any of this helps the OP.

I just turned it on for the duration of the set-up and then removed the permission. Octopus already knows my address, so I didn't see this as a problem.

My tablet doesn't have GPS, so I have to fake it. And as you say, Octopus already knows the address, so why does the app need geolocation - It doesn't in my opinion.