OT: Energy Company Direct Debits

Well I was responding to Roland whose original query was how to ask for a refund. The thread might have drifted. ;-)

Tim

Tim

Many suppliers will have access to your old consumption data, but even if not, your old bills will tell you this. Even so, it might vary due to weather effects, and variations in your lifestyle. Added to that, is variations in the cost per unit, unless you have taken a fixed constract.

Even cheaper, is the Octopus Tracker - which tracks the wholesale cost of gas, and leccy, based on cost + a margin, cost to the customer, varying each day. It, both gas and leccy, are normally, but not always, much cheaper than fixed, variable and certainly the cap. The customer then takes more of the risk, versus a fix, but it needs smart meters. I've saved lots, on the Tracker, and it has potential to save more, by reducing consumption during expensive says, if you can.

There is a referral link - https://share.octopus.energy/jade-light-417 The thing is, it's easy to switch on to Tracker, easy to come off it, but if you come off, they don't let you back on for 9 months.

After a year on tracker I didn't renew. Several reasons:

1. Tracker electricity is on average cheap in summer but more expensive in winter. If most of your electricity consumption falls in the winter (I have a heat pump) then it skews more expensive on your total bill. I think it was a bit cheaper over the year than paying the equivalent Octopus variable rate (which was near the price cap) but not enormously so. Can't comment for gas as we're off the gas grid.
2. The tracker rate I was on was replaced by a renewal rate which was much worse than what I was previously on.
3. I went to a different supplier who was offering a fixed rate 35% cheaper than Octopus' variable rate.

If your consumption skews towards the summer, or maybe you don't use it for heating (eg you have oil, or your gas is at a different supplier) then I could see it might work for you. It all depends on when your demand happens. I think the gas price tends to vary less than the electricity price, so maybe on average it works out ok over the winter if you have gas heating - I don't have gas usage data to compare.

Yours, I presume?

That means you can't take it for the summer and then switch elsewhere for the winter - well you can, but only every other year. Suppose I could look at that for next year when my fix ends...

Theo

It is not as worthwhile now, as it was a few years ago, but I've been on it a couple of years now, and overall saved hundreds. Last Sunday, for instance, it was less than half the cap, plus there were a couple of hours of entirely free use. The Saturday had an hour of free use.

I'm nearly year on tracker (Oct 24 tariff) and last winter the average price for both electricity and gas was close to the variable capped tariff. Spring and summer when I use a LOT less gas on average the price has been much cheaper. I live in an area where regional gas and electricity prices seem to be higher than the national average.

For the past 3 months gas has been approx 30% (average) and electricity

Today my electricity is 22.41p/kWh, gas is 4.87p/kWh Their current fixed tariff for my region is elect = 25.99p, gas = 5.48p

It seems in winter if the wind doesn't blow prices go up quite a lot and as most of us are aware last winter this happened quite often and for prolonged periods.

The history of the tracker prices can be seen at

As mentioned, there is no penalty (exit fee) for changing tariff but if you leave the tracker tariff you cannot rejoin again for 9 months.

In message <109ppf8$14vq3$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 18:51:36 on Tue, 9 Sep

It needs a *working* smart meter. Mine has been broken about three years.

Set your monthly payment to £1 and wait. I'm not sure if I did this with Bulb or Octopus, but it reduced the amount they owed me with as little stress as possible.

My electric meter has been broken since before Covid. The funny thing is that gas meter readings are sent via this electric meter and they work fine. So I suspect the meter is fine, just misconfigured.

In message <109rpuf$1nm56$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, at 13:11:59 on Wed, 10 Sep

The gas readings are sent via a hub which is co-located with the electricity meter. So your hub is working, but the electricity meter itself isn't.

In my case I think it's the hub which has failed, but that's just as fatal when it comes to getting onto one of Octopus's self-congratulatory tariffs.

Depends on the meters, my old ones the hub wasn't separate, it was part of the elec meter. Now the hub is a "bolt-on" to the new elec meter.

It doesn't matter if the hub is separate, or in the same box as the electricity meter. The same diagnosis applies.

The electricity meter is working, in so far as it reports readings to a digital display, which can be read manually.

It seems surprising to me that both the hub and electricity meter work but don't communicate, given that they are co-located and the connection should be relatively simple. Hence, I suspect configuration, rather than a physical fault.

Yes, it is irritating. Five years+ and not fixed.