Submit a meter reading today

Sam Vimes

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Sep 7, 2020
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We're being encouraged to submit our meter readings today before prices go up tomorrow. It's occurred to me that maybe we should enter a much higher reading and get cheaper energy for the following month as well.
 
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Nov 11, 2009
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We are still on the April 2021 rates until 30 April 2023 so it would confuse BG no end if I put in a reading half way through the monthly billing cycle. And the last thing I need is a confused BG.😂
 
Mar 27, 2011
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It’s already been mentioned in the press that it is illegal to enter false readings, no idea they would be able to check it unless you’ve got a smart meter or they send meter readers going everywhere which is highly unlikely.
Bhp
 
Jul 18, 2017
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We are still on the April 2021 rates until 30 April 2023 so it would confuse BG no end if I put in a reading half way through the monthly billing cycle. And the last thing I need is a confused BG.😂

I think the original suggestion to consumers was to take a photo of the electric meter reading tonight so that the supplier does not charge you for electric at the new price that you actually used in Sept.
We are with BG and are in contract until Aug 2023 however as we are currently paying more that the £0.34 kwh, I will need to take that photo tonight even though we have a Smart meter.
No way can BG read millions of meters for reads tonight and they will use estimates which may be a little or way out. They estimate using historical data.
 
Nov 11, 2009
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It’s already been mentioned in the press that it is illegal to enter false readings, no idea they would be able to check it unless you’ve got a smart meter or they send meter readers going everywhere which is highly unlikely.
Bhp
A sudden large rise compared to previous months/years could attract attention however it is submitted. I can see each months usage graphically displayed for this year and last. My billing statement tells me if I have used more or less compared to the same period 12 months ago. I can tell you precisely when our visitors come by just looking at the usage graph.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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It’s already been mentioned in the press that it is illegal to enter false readings, no idea they would be able to check it unless you’ve got a smart meter or they send meter readers going everywhere which is highly unlikely.
Bhp
As mentioned by OC they work on historical data. However normally we would put heating on in mid Sept, but have left it until 2 - 3 days ago. In our case we do not want to be paying Sept prices for Oct when the cost per kwh is lower for us.
 

Sam Vimes

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I wont be playing the system but we have done more energy consuming things today instead of tomorrow. I can't make up my mind what to do with the savings :)

Just tried to enter our reading and got the message that I was in a queue to get into my account - wait time 45 minutes. Fortunately they have a backdoor method to enter the reading without going into your account - which I did and got an email confirmation.

As for the use of historical data I think they are selective in what they look at. Many a time in the past when in the depths of winter when usage is high we've been contacted to increase our direct debit, even on a fixed price contract and despite the fact that the historical data shows that in the following months there will be a significant decrease as usage gets less and the solar panel kicks in more. We've always declined the suggested increase.

As for getting a Smart Meter that's another saga for another thread.
 
Nov 16, 2015
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We have drastically, cut back on our gas and electricity usage, over the last 3 months, last month Bulb sent a breakdown of last year's usage as compared to this year's, and it is very noticeable on the savings.
Instead of having the hot water on for 3 hours in the morning, we now only heat the water for 1 hour. And we leave the airing cupboard door open to heat the house instead of having the central heating on.
Bulb asked us to increase the payments from £250 to £300, when we were £700 in credit, so I have kept the payment to £270 and see where we are in January next year.
 
Mar 14, 2005
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If you have a smart meter, then you shouldn't need to submit your own reading, as it should be collected automatically - that's one of the prime reasons for smart metering.

However there is no harm to take your own reading, just in case the supplier fails to manage it correctly so do check your bills accordingly.
 
Jul 18, 2017
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If you have a smart meter, then you shouldn't need to submit your own reading, as it should be collected automatically - that's one of the prime reasons for smart metering.

However there is no harm to take your own reading, just in case the supplier fails to manage it correctly so do check your bills accordingly.

That is correct, but the chances of them being able to read your meter tonight at midnight are probably close to zero. The other issue is processing millions of invoices to take into account the change will take a very long time even if it is all computer generated.

Although we have a Smart meter my gut feeing is to take the photo tonight and wait for the bill. If it is horribly out then one can argue the toss.
 

Sam Vimes

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I don't have a smart meter. Over the years we've been on fixed price contracts but in recent months and because of the cost crisis we've gone onto the standard online variable tariff.

Also I record my readings on a weekly basis and have an energy monitor. However, its very old and inconveniently placed.

Because there are rumours of various plans that may be more beneficial to those with smart meters I've tried to get one and its proving impossible. Its been months since my request and there's nothing but silence from our energy company. So much so that two days ago I asked our local MSP to get involved and also lodged a complaint with the ombudsman service.

Our local MSP has contacted the energy company and I await a response. The ombudsman service was something of a Catch 22 situation since they expect you to lodge a complaint with the supplier first and there is no way to do that on their web site and no numbers you can call to get to speak to someone. I managed to get around the fact that we couldn't lodge a complaint so that was my first complaint - the second being no smart meter supply.

True to form the first response from the obudsman service was " you should speak to your supplier first". However they did say that since I'd managed to register a complaint with them they would follow it up.
 
Mar 27, 2011
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I’ve got a smart meter and I was not completely sure the reading were going to EON as needed, the meters for both gas and electric are so confusing so I called eon while having access to the meters so I could tell how to read the meters for today and the future, going forward they will take a reading on the 19th, monthly, I pressed the buttons on both meters at the times I was told and they got the readings there and then and I can now manage to read both easily for the future readings on the 19th just so I can check my manual readings match the reading they receive.
Everyone should have started the £65 or thereabouts monthly payment so I’m not expecting to pay too much for next few months.

BP
 
Jul 19, 2021
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I don't have a smart meter. Over the years we've been on fixed price contracts but in recent months and because of the cost crisis we've gone onto the standard online variable tariff.

Also I record my readings on a weekly basis and have an energy monitor. However, its very old and inconveniently placed.

Because there are rumours of various plans that may be more beneficial to those with smart meters I've tried to get one and its proving impossible. Its been months since my request and there's nothing but silence from our energy company. So much so that two days ago I asked our local MSP to get involved and also lodged a complaint with the ombudsman service.

Our local MSP has contacted the energy company and I await a response. The ombudsman service was something of a Catch 22 situation since they expect you to lodge a complaint with the supplier first and there is no way to do that on their web site and no numbers you can call to get to speak to someone. I managed to get around the fact that we couldn't lodge a complaint so that was my first complaint - the second being no smart meter supply.

True to form the first response from the obudsman service was " you should speak to your supplier first". However they did say that since I'd managed to register a complaint with them they would follow it up.
I (thankfully) ignored advice and fixed my tarif back in March , but one of the requirements for the new contract from E.On was that I have a smart meter fitted. I dragged my heels for several months, but had to have it fitted last week.
Not to derail the thread, but it worried me that at some point we will be charged at different rates throughout the day and hit hard if you want to cook a meal at 6pm etc
 
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I (thankfully) ignored advice and fixed my tarif back in March , but one of the requirements for the new contract from E.On was that I have a smart meter fitted. I dragged my heels for several months, but had to have it fitted last week.
Not to derail the thread, but it worried me that at some point we will be charged at different rates throughout the day and hit hard if you want to cook a meal at 6pm etc
What you surmise is an active discussion, and some suppliers are moving in that direction to encourage wider use of appliances during the night. Akin to the white meter tariff 7. We would take done persuading having cooker, washing machine or tumble dryer on at night. We don’t even have them running during the day if we are out.
 
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Sam Vimes

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My tariff ended in about April this year but the 'suggested' change to my direct debit was ludicrous and the unit rate much higher than on the standard variable at the the time or even tomorrows rate. So, I went onto the standard online variable for which I had about 5months at a reasonable rate and then from tomorrow I'll still be paying less per unit that the previously offered fixed term deal.

If variable rate deals are only going to be able for those with smart meters this strikes me as being unfair if your power company drags its heels in getting you one. Or being cynical it might seem that they are reluctant to put many people onto a cheaper tariff.

Many years back we had E7 rates and fitted some appliances such as washing machine etc to come on during the cheaper period. It seemed to work ok for us but lifestyles vary.
 
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Sam Vimes

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That is correct, but the chances of them being able to read your meter tonight at midnight are probably close to zero. The other issue is processing millions of invoices to take into account the change will take a very long time even if it is all computer generated.

Although we have a Smart meter my gut feeing is to take the photo tonight and wait for the bill. If it is horribly out then one can argue the toss.

I don't know exactly how the system works but I don't think there'd be a problem collecting the data from smart meters. As long as its stored centrally they can process it at their leisure. Even with manually submitted readings they are saying if it take you a few days to get the reading to them they'll back date it to the end of this month.
 
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I (thankfully) ignored advice and fixed my tarif back in March , but one of the requirements for the new contract from E.On was that I have a smart meter fitted. I dragged my heels for several months, but had to have it fitted last week.
Not to derail the thread, but it worried me that at some point we will be charged at different rates throughout the day and hit hard if you want to cook a meal at 6pm etc
If you have NOT opted for multiple rates such as Economy 7 or similar in your contract, they can't just switch you to it without giving you proper notice, and if they do give notice they have to advise you of what options are available.

As with such things both your and your suppliers obligations and limitations will be controlled by your contract, and each company's approach may be different.

However it is certainly one of the reasons the industry/Government is for moving to "smart" meters is so that variable rates may be applied to encourage users to move their energy usage to cheaper periods of the day.
 
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I stockpiled electricity by charging my EV today and then submitting a reading once it was full.

We have a regular meter but having a smart one fitted in a few days time. Sadly a lot of the EV tariffs have gone and most advice is to stick where you are rather than switch, but I would still really like to get a dual-rate tariff so we can move as much energy usage to the low tariff as possible.
 

Sam Vimes

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One of the other potential uses for smart meters and one which was mentioned briefly in the press and one I've been touting for a long term is to vary the rate depending on the mix of renewable vs fossil fuel generation.

There are days when the power from wind far exceeds that from fossil fuels but wind is still charged at 'gas' rates.
 

Sam Vimes

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I stockpiled electricity by charging my EV today and then submitting a reading once it was full.

We have a regular meter but having a smart one fitted in a few days time. Sadly a lot of the EV tariffs have gone and most advice is to stick where you are rather than switch, but I would still really like to get a dual-rate tariff so we can move as much energy usage to the low tariff as possible.
I'd be interested to know how long after you applied for your meter the installation was and also the power company if you don't mind.

Thanks
 
Jul 18, 2017
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What you surmise is an active discussion, and some suppliers are moving in that direction to encourage wider use of appliances during the night. Akin to the white meter tariff 7. We would take done persuading having cooker, washing machine or tumble dryer on at night. We don’t even have them running during the day if we are out.
There may be a concern that at peak hours like morning before 8am and again about 6pm that the network may not be able to cope due to the heavy load imposed on it especially in the winter month mornings and evenings.
We were on E7 initially and then E10 at current address due to having storage heating which have since been replaced with air source heating. For 2 - 3 years we stayed on E10 before switching to standard rate. Doing so, our electric bills came down as on E7 together with the day rate worked out higher than the standard rate.
 
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We have a smart meter put in by Octopus energy and paying £200 a month on a variable rate however from October to March your payment will be reduced by £67 soon but we are in credit of £450
 
Nov 16, 2015
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We have a smart meter on both gas and electricity, also E7 tariff for night usage of washing machine, dishwasher and the very occasionally the tumbler drier.
I will trust the power companies to get my readings?
How long does two pints of mulled wine take in a slow cooker?
 

Sam Vimes

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I think I read somewhere that the idea of the variable tariff was not to be the same times as E7 but to move some loading to the daytime when many people are not at home.

When many people get up or get home at roughly the same time this can cause a peak in the loading.
 

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