EDF tariff end, charges less than on fixed rate - why?

weezie7

Currently on a fixed rate gas and electricity tariff, with EDF, due to end at end of October. Am in the process of trying to work out what tariff to go with and who!
Cannot find my annual actual useage from EDF......seems a minefied (!) may have to phone them. Does anyone know how to see acutal useage? Do not want estimated.......always way above what we actually used.
Also, when took tariff out, accepted £ for kwh and standing charge. In trying to compare new tariffs, noticed that over the last few months the actual amount we have been charged, for kwh and standing charge is lower for both gas and electricity......don't understand why? I thought tixed tariff meant fixed prices?

la531983

Really not sure what you mean by your last statement. Can you post numbers?

EssexHebridean

Annual use is an easy one - find two bills 12 months apart, with actual meter reads on them (so from a smart meter, or reads taken by either you or a meter reader) and you can then work it out from those. Straightforward on electric, a little trickier on gas but IIRC if you take your annual use in m3 and multiply by 11 it will give you an approximation of your kWh use, at least. 

MWT

weezie7 said:

Also, when took tariff out, accepted £ for kwh and standing charge. In trying to compare new tariffs, noticed that over the last few months the actual amount we have been charged, for kwh and standing charge is lower for both gas and electricity......don't understand why? I thought tixed tariff meant fixed prices?

Make sure you are including the 5% VAT as some parts of your bills will show the rates net of VAT.

Ayr_Rage

EDF have your estimated annual usage in kWh an every bill, it's on the RHS.

As I've been a customer for a few years I find it is accurate as it is based on a lot of bills and is updated regularly.

Brie

I had read at one point about a tariff that is fixed but would go down if the company offered a better deal at any point.  This might explain why your rates had decreased.

molerat

weezie7 said:

Currently on a fixed rate gas and electricity tariff, with EDF, due to end at end of October. Am in the process of trying to work out what tariff to go with and who!
Cannot find my annual actual useage from EDF......seems a minefied (!) may have to phone them. Does anyone know how to see acutal useage? Do not want estimated.......always way above what we actually used.
Also, when took tariff out, accepted £ for kwh and standing charge. In trying to compare new tariffs, noticed that over the last few months the actual amount we have been charged, for kwh and standing charge is lower for both gas and electricity......don't understand why? I thought tixed tariff meant fixed prices?

Your actual annual usage is not available anywhere and I very much doubt EDF will be able to give you that figure either, all they will have is the estimated use as seen on the bill.  You need to work it out yourself from 2 bills 12 months apart.  My actual electric use for the past 12 months is 2613 kWh but my EAC as seen on the bills is 2790 so a fair difference.

matelodave

Molerat's annual estimate is much closer than Eon-Next managed for me.

My actual leccy consumption for last year was 7119kWh and the year before it was 7208. However Eon's latest random EAC guess comes out at 8689 which is miles out.

Especially considering that they've got smart meter readings going back over several years. Even I can do better than that just by looking at my smart meter history.

If I let them adjust my DD to suit their guesstimate I'd be paying them an extra £28 a month and then be around £340 in credit by the end of the year. That's why I do my own sums, read my meter regularly and tell them what I should be paying.

weezie7

Thanks for all the replies! Have phoned EDF, whilst helpful, they could not tell me what my annual consumption actually has been!!
Thanks to this forum, have looked at two bills, 12 months apart and, hey presto, the difference in meter readings is my actual consumption for this year!! Wonderful! Now I can work with actual figures instead of made up ones.
I agree with all the comments about 'estimated', they have assessed my useage and are always way out and DD has been put up......have asked them to take it down several times, which they do.
Brie - Still cannot find a good reason that the SC and kwh are lower...........maybe they did have something that if they had a cheaper tariff my bills would go down, but can't find it....!

Scot_39

I hate to say it but were you on a full blown fix or a partial fixed / tracker - for fixed period.

Scotish Power do or did a pseudo fix - flexi ? - where only the price components related to wholesale prices are fixed - but not total - as other charges are on a "pass through basis".

EOn Next does a cap tracker - so it follows the Ofgem cap. 

EDF did at least two versions of their cap tracker - £100 below cap on SC iirc.

And from Jan to July - my regional electric standing charge dropped 10p+ - but goes back up next week by 2-3p iirc.  (Edit : Both a flexi I hope and a cap tracker would follow)

weezie7

Thanks Scot_39, no idea what sort of tariff, apart that it was fixed! Will look into this when next change tariff.......which is soon!