SO Energy - Estimated Annual Usage

PaulMonk

I switched to SO Energy in July and have now had an email increasing my Direct Debit by £30 a month. When checking my forecast calculation they seem to be massively overestimating my Electricity usage. My 18 month average for the annual estimate with my previous supplier was 1660 kWh but SO Energy have estimated 2972 kWh in each of my first three bills. Now that a review has taken place the 2972 kWh means I need to pay £30 more - but history shows I'm not going to use 2972 kWh.

Oddly my father switched at the same time and his annual usage is also estimated at.....2972 kWh, where his 18 month average was 1781 kWh.

Anyone else with So Energy and anyone else estimted to use 2972 kWh of Electricity in the next 12 months??

[Both of our Gas estimates have used the previous supplier final month estimate usage as a starting point!]

elsien

You can contact them and tell them you don’t want that level of increase. 

PaulMonk

I have but I shouldn't need to if they use the correct figures and I'll have to spend 30 minutes on hold each time they get it wrong. They have an obligation to use correct data and to charge us accordingly. £30 isn't a fortune but it's a lot of interest for them if they get everyone wrong by the same.

Scot_39

So energy do not work on 18 months averages now - if they ever did -  they work on the basis of keeping the account in credit at all time.  See 3.4.1 of 

https://www.so.energy/terms

So if you have just joined - and your using the energy supplied for heating over winter - they can also adjust it upwards accordingly - as described in 3.4.3

I dont know if they still do it - but they certainly used to do a form of it you like seasonal DD billing - 6 months at summer rate - 6 months at winter rate.  I had to look it up when a customer quoted the 2 separate DD figures many years ago.

Under debt guidance many suppliers have jumped to these always in credit terms - like Ovo and Octopus - on annualized DD.  And in order to drag some accounts up to their targets - calculated large offsets to the annual / 12 costs. The days of 0 average balance that some still expect on annualized DD have gone at many Suppliers.

Scot_39

Just did a google - and this dated May 2025 - gives an estimate of how much they might vary the DD from the annual average

https://justsoyouknow.so.energy/posts/2110475-what-are-seasonal-payments-and-how-are-they-calculated

Average -25% average + 25% in that post / example graph

And sounds like they are upping your fathers DD by much more - your £30 - relative to what ?

But not sure what you mean by 18 month average - as that could be low (two summers and one winter) or high (two winters and one summer) if a rolling 18 month as well.

WiserMiser

Just switch to Monthly Variable Direct Debit, problem solved.  Of course, bills will be higher in winter and lower in summer but you'll always be in full control.

Scot_39

Do SO support mvdd - it doesn't align with 3.4.1.

That accounts paid by DD are kept in credit- electricity paid for in advance.

Most mvdd schemes described here pay in arrears - but could be tweeked to hold say 1 months winter use credit.

But given many have switched to stop firms holding credit -  it might defeat the attraction.

molerat

Anyone remember the old Symbio billing ?  They started with a 1/12th AEC payment in advance on opening account then at the end of the first month the actual use was reconciled with a debit / credit set against the following month estimated bill and so on .  Still some wiggle room for over estimating but it worked fairly well.  Did need some rocket scientist ability to understand the bill though 

matelodave

molerat said:

Anyone remember the old Symbio billing ?  They started with a 1/12th AEC payment in advance on opening account then at the end of the first month the actual use was reconciled with a debit / credit set against the following month estimated bill and so on .  Still some wiggle room for over estimating but it worked fairly well.  Did need some rocket scientist ability to understand the bill though 

Yes it was interesting to sit and work it all out every month but it seemed to work out OK for us.

We were with another company, can't remember who (we've been through quite a few who went bust over the years), but they did the 1/12th calculation for the DD and then added 50% from Oct-March and -50% from April to September. It also worked out pretty well for us as we do use 70% of our annual energy between November -March.

Swipe

molerat said:

Anyone remember the old Symbio billing ?  They started with a 1/12th AEC payment in advance on opening account then at the end of the first month the actual use was reconciled with a debit / credit set against the following month estimated bill and so on .  Still some wiggle room for over estimating but it worked fairly well.  Did need some rocket scientist ability to understand the bill though 

It didn't stop them going under though 

WiserMiser

Scot_39 said:

Do SO support mvdd

Yes, they do.