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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that i have been screwed over by Utility Warehouse and their fucking smart meter?

76 replies

malificent7 · 04/09/2017 16:45

I joined Utility Warehouse 18 months as i was quoted gas, electric and broadband for £95 a month. Bargain.

The theory was when bundled together, utilities are cheaper.

All was tickedy boo until they installed a smart meter and my bills shot up to £150 pcm.

They said its because the meter calculated i had used more electric than i was paying so they calculated how much i owed from the start and spread the cost.

I immediately went on compare the market and switched to EDF who charge me 50 a month. Happy days.

However, in July i paid EDF 50 then 180 by Utility Warehouse. Plus got another bill from Utility Warehouse fir 240. I HAVE FRICKING left them!

Phoned them up and apparently it's all areas.

Aibu to think if an energy company quotes me 95pcm ig should be that?

I woukd like to add i live in a well insulated, 2 bed terraced modern house and havnt used heating since January. We also had no cooker for 6 months but i do have a tumbler.

Am waifung for a catch with EDF.

OP posts:
Original poster
malificent7 · 04/09/2017 18:56

I was told to have one would bring my bills down.
Well EDF have only charged me 50 pcm so far. I am waiting for the nasty surprise.
Tbh i am fuming as i was billed 95 pcm for 12 months before the meter. Then the smart meter apparently calculated what i had spent IN RETROSPECT. I didnt blardy know i was using more as i had been charged 95. I hadnt budgeted for the leap.

OP posts:
pigsDOfly · 04/09/2017 18:57

Yeah. Doesn't sound like you had much choice tbh but accept what they said, unless you wanted a fight.

dementedpixie · 04/09/2017 18:57

Did you never provide readings prior to the smart meter. My direct debit amount will change depending on how much I have used and whether the amount I currently pay is sufficient to cover my usage

NotACleverName · 04/09/2017 18:58

Whoever told you that was chatting out of their backside, Adalind.

I [attempt to] arrange smart meter appointments for a living and we're told to tell customers that it's not compulsory at the moment. It isn't and we don't even know if it will become so in/after 2020.

pigsDOfly · 04/09/2017 19:00

A smart meter will only bring your bills down if you see what your spending and adjust your usage accordingly e.g. lower the heating temperature. And they add the cost of the meter to your bill.

dementedpixie · 04/09/2017 19:01

They can't force you to have a smart meter and I don't want one until they are actually smart and can be used after switching to another supplier.

pigsDOfly · 04/09/2017 19:02

That's what I thought NotACleverName. I didn't think they could force it.

MojoMoon · 04/09/2017 19:03

You pay per unit used. If you had a fixed bill per month, you could just go mad and install a hot tub in every room, turn all the heating on full and open all the windows without any consequences. Imagine if everyone did that.

If people's bills are going up when they get a smart meter, then they are consuming more than expected for the property. Even with an old meter, you would still have to pay for it eventually, it just may have taken years for them to come and read your meter and then you would have been landed with a massive unexpected bill to make up for the difference.

Smart meters are good, they will prevent that from happening.

UW are sharks though.

unfortunateevents · 04/09/2017 19:04

OP, do you realise how the fixed charge for utilities works? They are basing it on the estimated usage, if you are not supplying them with actual readings you will find yourself in exactly the same situation down the line. You need to give EDF an actual reading from your meter and get them to calculate what you owe. You might get a pleasant surprise and find you are in credit but, based on your usage to date, probably not.

pigsDOfly · 04/09/2017 19:05

I don't really understand why the whole system has been rolled out tbh. What's the point?

It's almost as if someone invented the smart meters, thought they seemed like a good idea and then decided everyone should have one. Bloody waste of time and money as far as I can see.

pigsDOfly · 04/09/2017 19:10

Why should it take years for them to come and read someone's meter MojoMoon. I thought, by law they're supposed to do it at least every two years and there's nothing to stop you sending them up to date reading every few months.

Okay, the readings won't be as up to date as a smart meter, but no having a smart meter certainly doesn't have to leave you with massive bills at some time in the distant future

unfortunateevents · 04/09/2017 19:18

there's nothing to stop you sending them up to date reading every few months - indeed, but loads of people don't bother and then end up owing loads when the meter is finally read. Lots of people don't even seem to understand that utilities are billed on usage and assume because they are paying a fixed amount per month that they can use as much as they want.

dementedpixie · 04/09/2017 19:19

It's easy enough to read a meter and if you do it regularly you wont get hit with a big unexpected bill. Utility companies reel you in with a low direct debit amount and then increase it in line with the energy you actually use

MojoMoon · 04/09/2017 19:19

They should read the meter every two years but if your meter is inside your flat, and you aren't there when they call, and you don't proactively follow up, then years can easily pass.

I agree, you can submit your readings yourself as regularly as you want but if you are still using more than expected, your bills will be higher than expected. You just won't risk getting a one off large bill to cover the difference accrued over a longer time.

If you want to submit your readings once a month, then you don't need a smart meter. But I would be confident in saying most people won't be that organised, hence the need to automate.

Not having a smart meter also means you cannot make use of time of use tariffs. For example British Gas had a tariff offering free electricity on Saturdays and Sundays. You would need a smart meter installed to make use of this so they know exactly when you consume power not just the volume consumed

These sort of tariffs will be widely available in the next few years to encourage what they call "load shifting" which is making it attractive to consume power when demand is lower, such as weekends. So if you have loads of tumble drying to do, it will make sense to do it on Sunday at noon, when demand is low, rather than 6pm on Monday which is when national power demand is highest.

dementedpixie · 04/09/2017 19:25

But the smart meters are still a bit shit and a lot can't be transferred between utility companies so what was the point in installing them before they work properly?

user1490607838 · 04/09/2017 19:25

@AdalindSchade

I was forced to have a smart meter. Fuckers said they would get a court order if I didn't let them come and fit it. Apparently that's legit as my meters were so old.

You cannot be forced to have a smart meter.

Whoever told you that is full of shit. If you have it in writing that they would 'take you to court' if you wouldn't have one, I would be threatening legal action, and demanding they switch it to normal meters. If they don't switch it to normal meters, I would be taking legal action.

www.ofgem.gov.uk/consumers/household-gas-and-electricity-guide/understand-smart-prepayment-and-other-energy-meters/smart-meters-your-rights

You can be made to have a new one if your old one is dangerous, but they cannot force a smart meter on you.

I also wonder what the point of them is. 'Oh but you can see how much leccie you are using when you boil the kettle.'

I couldn't give a shit.

IMO a prepayment meter is better than a smart meter, as you are a lot more conscious of your usage, as you can see the credit you put in going down.

They are not the cheapest alternative, but because you are conscious of what you are using, you end up using less IYSWIM.

My neighbour has prepayment for gas and electric, (3 bed house,) and she puts a tenner a week in each. Just over £80 a month for gas and electric, and 5 of them live in the house (including 2 teenagers.)

TheCuriousOwl · 04/09/2017 19:25

Lots of people not getting how power works here.

I am with UW. I went through the numbers with a fine tooth comb to work out if it was cheaper. Overall it is. I'm paying less than £80 a month for all utilities and I have a smartmeter. I also got the free lightbulbs; once the 'you need to pay us money for your bulbs if you leave' thing runs out I'll look at changing but till then I'm happy to stay with them if they're comparably priced to other providers which for me they seem to be.

pigsDOfly · 04/09/2017 19:28

I'm not convinced that adjusting the time you do your tumble drying is going to make a massive difference to the overall bill.

The biggest expense surely is heating and unless you're prepared to sit and freeze in order to save money I can't see how having a smart meter is going to change that.

GrumpyOldBag · 04/09/2017 19:37

A smart meter is a really good way to hep you understand how much energy you are using - and when you are wasting it.

And because it provides your supplier with an accurate reading when they need to send out a bill, it puts an end to estimated bills - and you don't need to send in a meter reading any more.

Obviously for some people who may actually be using more energy than they think it can be a shock, especially if you have been paying less than you really owe on an estimated basis. You need to look at where you are using too much and how you can reduce it.

By the way, it's the fridge not the tumble drier that uses the most energy in a house. Because it's on all the time.

pigsDOfly · 04/09/2017 19:40

So are people going to turn off their fridges to save money? I suspect not.

GrumpyOldBag · 04/09/2017 19:46

No, but in the future people will have "smart fridges" which turn themselves off for small amounts of time when energy prices are high - without affecting the efficiency of the fridge.

Probably the easiest way to cut bills if you haven't yet done it is to switch all your lightbulbs to LEDs. They use less than 1/10th the electricity of normal light bulbs, payback time is quick.

Good source of advice: www.energysavingtrust.org.uk

GrumpyOldBag · 04/09/2017 19:47

pigsDOfly you are right about smart meters not being able to help with heating bills - because most people in the UK use gas for that. And a smart meter only measures electricity.

pigsDOfly · 04/09/2017 19:50

Ooops. Oh dear, I was getting carried away with my arguments Blush

lovemylover · 04/09/2017 19:50

I am with First Utility [not UW] .and very pleased, I got £400 rebate, but i paid over the amount they asked for, which was £56 a month,
I am in a 3 bed, semi, but only me and my son here
Also have an English staff. who are very pleasant when you need to speak to them
Someone once tried to get me to change to UW, so glad i didnt after hearing these stories,
I have not been offered a smart meter,but wouldnt have one if i was

pigsDOfly · 04/09/2017 19:56

I've just google this Grumpy and according to everything I've read a smartmeter reads gas and electricity consumption.

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