E.On Electricity

Chinchilla321

Please could someone help me.....??.E.On is our electricity supplier.  Today they sent out their 4th engineer to fit a smart meter.  They know full well that a smart meter cannot be fitted at our property because there is no signal.  We live in a remote farmhouse - no longer a working farm.

Our "estimated" electricity charge on 27th October last year was a wopping £36,586.32 for the year, yet charges show the following Electricity estimated:
 9 April -30 June 2024           £43.43 debit
1 July - 30 September 2024  £45.93 debit
1 Oct - 24 Oct 2024               £12.20 debit

Our account was in credit by £142.30 on 7 April 2024.  We paid by direct debit £888.48 on the 10th of each month.  Our account was therefore in CREDIT by £6260.10 by 26th October 2024.  I contacted E.On to advise them I was stopping the direct debit, as we were in credit.  They advised an engineer would come out to read the meter.

Fast forward to 4 February 2025 (today).  Said Engineer came out and couldn't fit the smart meter. Meanwhile, our E.On Statement shows a credit carried forward of £6260.10, with a series of credits from 27th October 2024, going back to July 2023, giving us an additional sum of £9,976.17 in credit.  So we now have a total of £16,236.27 credit with E.On, who now state that our estimated electricity usage per annum is £39,075.99. YOU COULD NOT MAKE THIS STUFF UP!!  The imbeciles I speak to at E.On are incapable of sorting this out!  

What are we meant to do?  I have Stage 4 terminal cancer.  My husband has Parkinson's and prostate cancer.  Thank goodness, though, are brains still work, certainly better than that of any member of staff at E.On.  Does someone have some advice? We would be very grateful.

Mark_d

If you don't like their service then switch supplier.  You can still pursue a complaint against them after you've left.  And you will get back any money that's owed to you.

born_again

Have you been supplying reading to them on a monthly basis, or any at all?

Monthly DD is not paying the bill. It is simply banking the money. Until they get a reading.
Estimated is just that.

Chinchilla321

Thank you born_again.  We have not been supplying them with a reading on a monthly basis, but rely on an engineer to come out and take a reading.  Two thus far, have self-confessed, they don't know how to take a reading of the meter, as it is so archaic. - it beggars belief.

tim_p

I’d suggest submitting a reading you’ve taken today. 

QrizB

Chinchilla321 said:

Thank you born_again.  We have not been supplying them with a reading on a monthly basis, but rely on an engineer to come out and take a reading.  Two thus far, have self-confessed, they don't know how to take a reading of the meter, as it is so archaic.

I agree with tum_p that you need to supply a reading, urgently.

If you don't know how to read it, share a photo here. Someone will have seen your type of meter before and will be able to advise you.

Scot_39

Chinchilla321 said:

Please could someone help me.....??.E.On is our electricity supplier.  Today they sent out their 4th engineer to fit a smart meter.  They know full well that a smart meter cannot be fitted at our property because there is no signal.  We live in a remote farmhouse - no longer a working farm.

Our "estimated" electricity charge on 27th October last year was a wopping £36,586.32 for the year, yet charges show the following Electricity estimated:
 9 April -30 June 2024           £43.43 debit
1 July - 30 September 2024  £45.93 debit
1 Oct - 24 Oct 2024               £12.20 debit

Our account was in credit by £142.30 on 7 April 2024.  We paid by direct debit £888.48 on the 10th of each month.  Our account was therefore in CREDIT by £6260.10 by 26th October 2024.  I contacted E.On to advise them I was stopping the direct debit, as we were in credit.  They advised an engineer would come out to read the meter.

Fast forward to 4 February 2025 (today).  Said Engineer came out and couldn't fit the smart meter. Meanwhile, our E.On Statement shows a credit carried forward of £6260.10, with a series of credits from 27th October 2024, going back to July 2023, giving us an additional sum of £9,976.17 in credit.  So we now have a total of £16,236.27 credit with E.On, who now state that our estimated electricity usage per annum is £39,075.99. YOU COULD NOT MAKE THIS STUFF UP!!  The imbeciles I speak to at E.On are incapable of sorting this out!  

What are we meant to do?  I have Stage 4 terminal cancer.  My husband has Parkinson's and prostate cancer.  Thank goodness, though, are brains still work, certainly better than that of any member of staff at E.On.  Does someone have some advice? We would be very grateful.

The only way to get that resolved - sadly is a series of readings - starting with current vs last estimate on bills.  Cost is gernerally only ever the outcome of bad data - not the driver of it - it follows - or should follow - regular readings - if costs and even the annualised DD  is to represent reality.

(EOn now ask for monthly on many new tariffs - if not smart - but going to guess if your getting regular reads - you might just be on PSR as unable to)

I cannot think in terms of bills of c£900 pm - its frightening - some here pay less than that a year.  And at £10800pa - is about 6x the cap level.  The £39000 - more like 20x the median TDCV cap level.

But it should be remembered £900 is only accurate if backed by past good measurements - for them to base annual estimate on accurate data - it's only ever an estimate - on an annualised plan - a payment on account per se - not an accurate bill.

And even at cap levels - letting estimates run for a couple of years - can end up with errors in the £100s - sometimes £1000s accumulating.

Cancelling DD

I can understand the frustration - but you may have put yourself on to standard credit rates - which are the most expensive way of paying.  (About 5-6% on current cap iirc).

And as above its the readings driving this not the DD payment - they could - just issue a bill - possibly even for immediate payment - for a large outstanding debit.  Possibly now immediately.

So I'd make sure your clearly in complaint mode.

That £39k current estimate

£39,000 per annum at an average SR SVT of 25p - is 156,000 kWh per annum - probably enough for 10 large - 20 standard houses.

Last years £35k not much smaller - but as you say - doesnt align with the £20 or so a month on charges.

The most likely conclusion is a mis read - either pulling in part kWh dials - or a significant digit misread - so current lower than last - so an assumed wrap at say 100,000 somewhere in play.  (60,000 followed by 50000 cannot be -10000 so needs to be 90,000 (50-60+100 for wrap 90) type logic) 

Or if your on two rate electric - more than 1 meter / reading / rate on bills  - some RTS or economy 7 tariff - have the readings ever swapped over between day and night registers / rates on your bills ?

Before this current £39,000 annual estimate - and I assume a bill to go with it - when was the last bill with an actual reading - not an estimated one.  OR when do you have two bills based on real measurements - in your set

Are you getting meter reads because on PSR / unable to read yourself - or just the repeated failure of meter swaps ?  

If so is there a friend or relative nearby who could do it for you - so can compare it to the last meter read used by EOn for their estimated £39k - assuming it's based on the recent meter visit - or to supply them with one now so they can recalculate it(see(*)

Past History

(*) Do you have on line access to your account - can you download any past bills still there - if not kept (EOn only email me - no paper involved).  Try to get a current set - in case EOn delete and reissue.

Any chance you can go back through past bills and show summary of dates / readings (marked real or estimate etc ) and balances etc following engineer reads.

Even just two real reads might give us a realistic picture of your consumption.

And post them here in a simple list form - at whatever frequency - monthly - 6 monthly etc. to give you or us if post them an idea of your likely consumption.

Date  / Acc Balance  / Reading(s) and Type(Act/Est) / Use kWh / Use £s / Account Credit

Bills get messy very quickly - often when you get large reading anomalies - bills are re-issued and old ones are cancelled.  I have seen suppliers re-issue bills for periods repeatedly - including my parents accounts I managed under POA after fault.  About 4 sets in case of SG over 2.5 years

Complaint

It might be good for you - as the basis for a formal complaint (complaining on the phone to CS is not the same thing - unless you specifically ask them to register as a complaint - it's probably not treated the same way - last time the experienced CS operator asked me if I wanted it registered as a complaint - the time before they didn't ask) and 8 weeks later if still not resolved -  escalating that to the Energy Ombudsman

Help (Professional)

And if your struggling - talk to a help organisation - like Citizens advice or at local council / energy charity - to help you out.   CA etc will often even liase with supplier (EOn Next) with / for you to get any additional information - you may not have.  Its clearly the last thing you need to be stressing about right now.