Are fixed tarrifs a scam?

Scot_39

Lolly1626 said:

debitcardmayhem said:

Lolly1626 said:

Thanks for all your comments. I do understand that house A may have different usage to house B, but they had a year of readings from me previously as I stayed with the same company. Also, I don't understand how having my heating on for 4 hours a day equates to £200 a month!? I live on my own so I feel that is a lot of money. 

Have to checked the number of kWh used by each fuel , you could tell us how much of each, oh and are your bills showing actual readings or estimates.

They've only had 1 reading since October because that's when they fitted my smart meter but apparently that's not working. I gave them a reading a few days ago and that's when all this has come to light

@Lolly1626 Is it possible the £200 is total outstanding rarher just tfe month given recebt manual readings submitted - is it really just for one month- or in reality accumulated underestimates - as could well contain catch up for estimation errors for Oct-> Nov -> Dec etc - a common problem with estimated bilking.

gpman

Ildhund said:

[OT - sorry!]

QrizB said:
Your bills will all show your Estimated Annual Consumption, in kilowatt-hours of each fuel.

I've often seen this assertion, but I can't find any basis for it. I only know that I've not seen an estimated annual consumption figure on any of the monthly bills/statements OVO have provided me with over the past six years. Is it a statutory or regulatory requirement?

I can easily find a similar number in my online account, just not on an actual bill.
  

My understanding is that it has been a regulatory requirement to include this data on every bill since 01-Jul-2010, except where the customer has been with the supplier for less than 12 months, but most suppliers include the data for new customers too. The supplier must have a value to provide the annual cost assumption also required (and the newer requirement to now provide personalised information as to the best deal the supplier can offer the customer, if any) 

Better information on bills

Where a customer receives regular bills, each bill will display the following information:
 • the name of the customer’s current tariff;
 • the customer’s consumption for the past 12 months in kilowatt hours (kWh), except where the customer has been with the supplier for less than 12 months; and
 • an estimated cost in pounds per year of the customer’s supply for the next 12 months if the customer remains on the same tariff, if the tariff rate is unchanged, and if the customer uses the same amount of energy.

 Where the customer does not receive regular bills, for example prepayment meter customers, this information must be provided at least once a year in an annual statement. 

source: ***seems I'm not allowed to post links yet, so you'll need to search for ' supply-probe-qa_0.pdf ' ***

Just checked a So Energy statement, and can confirm they comply with this requirement too.

No idea why Ovo feel they are exempt from this requirement. I've not been supplied by Ovo since about the time this requirement was introduced ... and they only launched in 2009.

Ildhund

gpman said:
source: 

helping domestic customers get the most out the energy market https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2010/01/supply-probe-qa_0.pdf

Thank you - I knew I'd read it somewhere, but I'm not at all sure how current this document is. The fact that a figure for annual consumption has never been shown on bills since OVO adopted a new billing system seven or eight years ago tells me that Ofgem no longer insist on it. What they do require is laid out in SLC 31H.4, but note 31H.14, which may have varied the previous terms without triggering a change to the SLC themselves.

The information covered by 31H.4 (b) - consumption in the corresponding period the previous year - does appear in my OVO bills.