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Your Paying For Those Who Don't

There are many thousands of people who use electricity who have "fell off" the records and do not pay for the electricity they use.

There is a problem with new build houses not being on the distribution companies records, usually due to changes in the layout plans of an estate from original proposals.

There is no incentive to get these back on the records as the cost of the electricity they use is recovered from all of us that do pay through what is called "system losses".

Anyone know if any action is being taken to recover these costs

Comments

  • Terrylw1
    Terrylw1 Posts: 7,038 Forumite
    This has been around prior to privatisation in terms of elec.

    This was caused more years ago when Distribution companies did a lot of "one shotting" and dealt with their own registration of the site.

    Since July 2000, the registration process changed to make Suppliers register the site to the MPAN in their ID before thy fit any meter. So, the consumer can't use the elec until thi happens.

    This also means that whilst these issues still continue to occur, there is a registered Supplier. Where there is a registered Supplier, there is also an appointed Meter Operator and Data Collector. The DC's are out there checking these meters per their readings schedules so they do come to light.

    Whether the Suppleir chooses to find out who is there, is their responsibility since they will still get charged for their consumption on the supply point.

    So, thesedays it's nowhere near as bad as it was and someone always pays back into the system.

    Where have you heard this from anyway? From my utility experience (which for years was directly on these types of issues from the coldface to various largescale projects to tackle them) utilities tackle these sites. It's also true though that some people get away with free elec for a while until they are discovered.

    The elec industry is a messy one in terms of data issues. There are and have been big data problems for years which mean Suppliers are spending a lot more than they should for things that they should have sorted at market start up.

    This then all adds to the costs of running their business and ultimately onto your bills.
    :rotfl: It's better to live 1 year as a tiger than a lifetime as a worm...but then, whoever heard of a wormskin rug!!!:rotfl:
  • Terrylw1 wrote: »
    This has been around prior to privatisation in terms of elec.

    This was caused more years ago when Distribution companies did a lot of "one shotting" and dealt with their own registration of the site.]


    I have worked on projects to find those not on the distribution companies records, but the size of the problem seemed to be too big to overcome, and all parties seemed to be happy to pass the costs on in system losses.

    Prior to privatisation the meter reader walked down the street and recorded those premises he did not have any instructions to visit as well as those on his records. These "missing" properties were then followed up. With so many data collectors around now this check does not take place.
  • Terrylw1
    Terrylw1 Posts: 7,038 Forumite
    I see where you are coming from now. You mean ones not registered to any Supplier.

    All Suppliers were told to mass register everything in their old board regions in July 2000 but it sounds like some didn't do it. There was also still a culture in LDSO's to one shot without a registration for a while after so I'll bet you have been seeing things like that.

    In those cases if no Supplier is registered, the Distributor would be passing the costs on hidden in their prices. The Suppliers only pays against registered MPAN's and Distribution agents don't set the payment schedule, the Data Aggregator passes it from the Data Collector.

    Are Elexon doing anything with the Distributors on this? I'm a bit out of the loop on Elexon's key projects for the last year but de-energised sites were it's highest priority with all Suppliers for the past few years. It was a major problem and Suppliers were charging customers and then not paying for their elec to the Distributor as the sites were de-energised in their records.
    :rotfl: It's better to live 1 year as a tiger than a lifetime as a worm...but then, whoever heard of a wormskin rug!!!:rotfl:
  • Cardew
    Cardew Posts: 29,048 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Rampant Recycler
    From quite a few posts on this Board it would appear that new builds are often not registered.

    Given the 12 month backbilling rule it is in the customers interests to keep quiet.
  • Terrylw1
    Terrylw1 Posts: 7,038 Forumite
    If thats the case then it's the Distributor breaching their own BSC.

    Only Suppliers are supposed to request MPAN's for new builds. Distributors should only set them up if they logicall disconnect a Suppliers site in error.

    The Supplier won't be paying for the elec use to the Distributor so I wonder how they would pass the costs on? I would image they would just absorb them.

    The Supplier legally can only bill from their registration date so regardless of the backbilling rule, the consumer is covered.

    If a site was discovered or the consumer contacted a Supplier they wanted, the Supplier can then register but they cannot backdate the registration date hence the bill starts from that registration date and reading from the consumer.

    Seen it happen, but it was happening a lot more prior to 2000 when the industry rules changed.
    :rotfl: It's better to live 1 year as a tiger than a lifetime as a worm...but then, whoever heard of a wormskin rug!!!:rotfl:
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