PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information

[Amethyst]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Petitions - Petition to: Abolish the Standing Charge for all Gas Electric Pre Payment Meters.

As we pay our fuel bills in advance on a Pay As You Go Basis, we ask that the government make it illegal for energy companies to discriminate against it's prepayment customers, and instead, offer them the same discounted rates that Direct Debit customers receive.

[Amethyst]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Rightio - plan of action ?


1: Write to MP
2: Write to energy suppliers
3: Write to OFGem
3: Sign Petition

Can't see that having a great deal of impact tbh but its something.

Any ideas peeps ?

[TANZARELLI]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Thanks Amethyst,

A usefull thread. I moved into a house in may 06 and had gas and elec meters when we moved in. TBH I want them out and want to pay by bill however once they are in you have to pay to get them removed, another scam.

[Amethyst]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Do you have a key meter ?

They put them in for people who have debts, charge you more whilst you have them, and then charge you to remove them... they don't update the kwH rates and send you bills for stupid amounts through their own fault for not updating the meters, sinking you further into debt. Theres no way of keeping track on them and I'm typing fast cause theres 32p on mine now and I really should be getting me and the ruffians dressed to go up shop and get some more. £30 this week sunday to sunday. not bad I guess, but its been bloody cold, and its a 2 up 2 down terrace.

Sorry lol.

so we need to look how easy/expensive it it to transfer over to standard meters after prepayment meters.....also payment method comparisons.

[calamity jane]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

I'm on prepayment meter with Npower due to a debt. Their service booklet states that if you have been supplied by them for more than a year and wish to change to a credit meter they will normally agree, provided that, if it was installed to recover a debt this has been paid in full. If it has been installed for less than a year they MAY charge to change the meter. Before agreeing to a meter change they may check your credit history and may require you to join one of their payment plans to help with budgeting.

This might apply to Tanzarelli - If you move into a property with a prepayment meter and want to change to a credit meter they look at your payment history before making a decision. If you have not previously been a customer of Npower we would not normally agree to a change unless special circumstances apply.
Don't know who your supplier is but you could try asking for their customer service booklet to see what their terms are.(hope this helps)

[Mochamoos]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Note for people who move into a house with a meter.

We moved in to the house in september it had a electricity meter (key thing).

Scottish and Southern said we could not remve it for 6 months to prove we were 'good' customers.

We switched to our current people forget who they are (I will look it up) they said we had to have the meter for 2 months before they removed it. ANy way the evil machine took £20 a week...£80 a month on electricity alone!!!!!!

When eventually the bloke came to remove it and have us just on your everyday electric quartly bill he noted that the machine had been set up to pay off a debt and it was automatically taking £5 off the key everyweek to pay a £600 debt that belonged to thwe lady we brought the house off!!!!

We had a new key sent out to us the day we moved in yet the ******s were still taking money from us that we didn't owe them.... still fighting to get this back. Its a small amount but that's not the point.

If you move somewhere and there is a meter call up and check it doesnt have a debt attached to it.

[Mochamoos]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Oh and they charged me £200 to have the blooming thing removed

[Happyolddog]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Oh and they charged me £200 to have the blooming thing removed

Charging for the meters removal I can understand but charging you for past tennant/owners electricity is underhand and I guess against the law. If it were me I would be issueing them with a court order to justify this action.

Best wishes,
Hod..Liam..

[Mochamoos]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Last Updated: Wednesday, 12 March 2008, 16:44 GMT
E-mail this to a friend Printable version
Budget measures target fuel poor

Direct debit bills can be 31% less than pre-payment meters

Energy suppliers must give customers who have pre-payment meters to pay for gas and electricity a "fairer deal", the chancellor has said. The government says pre-payment households are charged an average of £144 a year more than those who pay by direct debit.
It will also give nine million pensioners a one-off increase in the winter fuel payment this year.
But a further Budget measure may cause future energy prices to rise.
Winter help
The winter fuel payment to the over-60s will increase from £200 to £250 in 2008-9.
Those over 80 will receive an extra £100, taking their total to £400.
If the Government is serious about winning the battle on fuel and child poverty then this was a missed opportunity


Jenny Saunders, National Energy Action


"I have decided to help pensioners who are facing pressures such as higher energy bills," Chancellor Alistair Darling said.
Age Concern, however, said a one-off boost was insufficient.
"Whilst increases to the winter fuel payment this year are good news in the short-term, we need to see a long-term solution for the estimated 2.25 million older people in fuel poverty," Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern said.
Campaigners National Energy Action said the chancellor should have extended the fuel payment to other low income families and people with disabilities.
"If the Government is serious about winning the battle on fuel and child poverty then this was a missed opportunity," chief executive Jenny Saunders said.
Social tariffs
The government also wants energy suppliers to triple the amount they spend on social tariffs to £150m to reduce the bills of the poorest customers.
Consumer group Energywatch recently said social tariffs reached only one in 15 of the most vulnerable households.

The government should have learned by now is that relying on voluntary action by suppliers will not deliver the goods


Energywatch


Mr Darling said the government would work with energy suppliers to find the best ways to help those struggling with higher bills, but would introduce legislation if necessary
Energywatch warned negotiations may not result in significant falls in fuel poverty.
"Companies like EDF Energy and British Gas have made significant efforts [with social tariffs]," it said.
"But one thing the government should have learned by now is that relying on voluntary action by suppliers will not deliver the goods," Energywatch said.
But British Gas owner Centrica said it was happy the government had not imposed its own solution to fuel poverty on the suppliers.
"We are pleased the chancellor has left the way open for further discussions with the industry on this issue," Centrica chief executive Sam Laidlaw said.
'Discriminating'
The government has given the energy companies until next winter to find a way of treating the five million customers on pre-payment meters more fairly.
READ THE BUDGET IN FULL


Budget statement [112KB]
Complete report [4.06MB]
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More Budget documents


It believes households who pre-pay are twice as likely to be on low incomes as those who pay by direct debit.
Energywatch claims the companies are "discriminating" against this group of customers and have made £400m in extra revenue from them.
But regulator Ofgem says it costs suppliers about £85 a year more to supply pre-pay meters, compared with people on a standard direct debit.
Generating profits
However, the Chancellor talked about one further change in his Budget speech which could result in higher, not lower energy bills.
There had been speculation the government was considering a windfall tax on energy generators, in order to raise money to help those struggling to pay their gas and electricity bills.

HAVE YOUR SAY

People over 60 get £250 for fuel, even if they're still working. I am disabled and at home all day but get no help towards my fuel

Graham Walton
Send us your comments


Prime Minister Gordon Brown has spoken of the billions of pounds of "windfall profits" the companies made after receiving free pollution permits under the European Emissions Trading Scheme.
Instead of a windfall tax, the chancellor confirmed that the energy generators would have to buy all of their allowances in an auction from 2013 - a move that was announced by the European Commission in January.
It is hoped that if companies have to buy permits to emit carbon dioxide above their set limits, this will encourage them to be more energy-efficient.
But David Porter, chief executive of the Association of Electricity Producers, said having to buy permits might push up households' gas and electricity bills.
"It is pretty obvious," he told the BBC. "It pushes costs up. And these costs - some of them - will reach the customer."

[Amethyst]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

People over 60 get £250 for fuel, even if they're still working. I am disabled and at home all day but get no help towards my fuel

good point actually. A relative of mine gets a winter warming allowance but his heatings all paid for in his rent anyway, so he uses it to get christmas presents. hmmmm I suppose his heatings averaged in his rent over annual useage, so just defeated my own argument.

I don't get any extra help for my heating in the winter, I do think families with young kids should be helped a bit with heat if they are on very low incomes, and those on incapacity benefits, as well as the elderly - and the elderly should be those who aren't working, earning good pensions etc, just those who can't afford to warm their homes to a bearable, healthy level in cold periods. It does make you ill and depressed being cold all the time. So I guess I'm saying means and need (ie those who really suffer without it) tested as opposed to blanketed age benefits.

[cinders]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

ok, I need to check this up but... I am pretty sure that if your fuel bill takes up 10% or more of your income then you are considered as fuel poor and I think you can get help towards your bill, a rough guide at someone living on benefits getting 120 quid a week and who spends 50quid a month on fuel would be eligible (50quid is nothing)... Ill have a dig round and see what I can get....

[Amethyst]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

From E-Ons website



The accepted definition of 'fuel poverty' is the need for a household to spend more than 10% of its income on fuel. More than six million households in the UK suffer from fuel poverty and are unable to afford adequate heat and light. Powergen is committed to helping eradicate fuel poverty, which arises from the combination of low incomes and poor energy efficiency in homes.
Powergen tackles fuel poverty in a number of ways, including retail initiatives, energy efficiency projects and community schemes. Some of these are detailed below plus links to other areas of the Report.
National Energy Action
We are a leading supporter of the charity National Energy Action (NEA) and work closely with them to tackle the problem of fuel poverty in the East Midlands. Since 1992, we have provided over £1 million to long-term projects providing practical and detailed energy advice to the communities that need it most. During 2001, these projects included:

• The Leicester Warm and Healthy Homes Project which is funded by Powergen, with support from Leicester City Council. It aims to demonstrate how improved energy efficiency can help tackle health problems caused by living in cold and damp homes. The project has particularly targeted ethnic minority communities and families with young children
• The Mansfield WARM Project which is a three-year joint project with Mansfield District Council that aims to demonstrate the contribution energy efficiency can make in tackling fuel poverty within a coalfield community
• NEA Powergen Energy Champions Scheme which was launched in September 2001 by NEA and sponsored by Powergen and the Civic Trust’s Environmental Action Fund. The scheme assists volunteers, health professionals and social workers who provide services to low-income households. Research has shown one-to-one advice is the most effective way of helping clients reduce their fuel bills and enjoy warmer homes. The awards provide up to £2,200 each to successful applicants who want to increase their energy awareness and share this information with the local community. It is anticipated that up to 13 Energy Champions will receive an award during the first year of the project.

Providing help
We have undertaken a host of further initiatives aimed at assisting the disadvantaged, in particular the fuel poor.

• Shelter's 'Homeless to Home' project attracted the largest-ever single donation to a charity from the National Lottery Charities Board. Powergen, in association with Shelter, is providing energy efficiency advice and appliances to the 600 families expected to form part of the project
• In 2001 we undertook research into debt prevention and debt management, resulting in a major report published with Ofgem. This established the 'do's and don'ts' for suppliers in managing customers in debt. 'Scope for better Prevention and Management of Debt', Feb 2001
• We have worked with the Severn Trent Trust Fund, an independent charity which provides debt relief to low income families. A pilot arrangement provides a limited amount of energy debt write-off and energy efficiency advice to selected clients of the Fund
• We have established a pilot arrangement with an independent specialist organisation to provide benefits advice to Powergen customers
• The Department of Health has published a booklet, Keep Warm Keep Well, with advice on keeping warm and well during winter. Powergen supported the campaign (which runs from October to March) and publicised the winter warmth advice number in Age Concern welcome packs. In addition, our energy efficiency advisers and home advisers have been promoting the campaign.

Age Concern
Powergen has an alliance with Age Concern that helps the elderly.
Energy Efficiency
Many of Powergen's energy efficiency initiatives assist the fuel poor.

[Amethyst]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Cold Weather Payment
If you or your partner are getting Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, and have a child under 5, or you are disabled, or are aged 60 or over find out more about Cold Weather Payment.

Cold Weather Payment
Cold Weather payment £8.50



whooop that'd keep you warm for all of 4 hours in my house lol


http://www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk/JCP/...dev_012146.pdf
More information can be found in the Help with extra heating costs from the Social Fund leaflet (202kb).




from DWP

[Amethyst]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Prepay energy meters are 'unjust'



Malcolm Wicks could introduce new laws to force energy providers to lower charges

Millions of UK households are paying energy tariffs that are "unjust", the Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks has said.
Mr Wicks said he would be prepared to legislate to force energy providers to lower their charges for the four million people on pre-payment meters.
Pre-payment tariffs can be up to 70% higher than the lowest rates available, said charity National Energy Action.
Mr Wicks said he had asked energy watchdog Ofgem to investigate the matter and report back.

Meter misery

The extra costs that people on pre-payment meters are now having to meet seem totally disproportionate


Malcolm Wicks, Energy Minister

Mr Wicks said: "The extra costs that people on pre-payment meters are now having to meet seem totally disproportionate.
"The gap between what they're paying and what other people are paying has grown to a very unjust extent.
"Depending on what the report says, we're well prepared to legislate to ensure this injustice doesn't occur in the future."
Soaring oil prices could push energy bills up by more than 60% within the next few years, according to a report for the energy supplier Centrica.
This has led to concerns that consumers are having pre-payment meters installed because they cannot afford their energy bills.
Fuel poverty
Joanne Carr, from the energy charity National Energy Action, said: "About 1,000 people a day are being put forcibly onto pre-payment meters because of debt."
The charity said it expects the number of people struggling to pay bills to rise as energy prices soar.
"We're expecting them to go up by about 40% which is going to be dreadful for those who are in fuel poverty," she added.
One customer, Stuart Page, claimed he was forced onto a pre-payment system after his supplier underestimated his electricity usage and set his direct debit too low.
Mr Page was then told owed more than £1,000. When he could not pay, the supplier told him he would have to have a pre-payment meter installed.
"We've had to cut corners everywhere to pay for the electricity and it's wrong," he said.
The National Housing Federation, which represents 1,300 housing associations, estimated the difference between the best regular tariffs and the worst pre-payment tariffs was about £330 a year.
However, the energy suppliers' association said that pre-payments meters cost more to provide and that some tariffs had been reduced.

[setmefree]

Re: PrePayment Electricity / Gas Meters Information/Press/Research

Cold Weather Payment
If you or your partner are getting Income Support or income-based Jobseeker's Allowance, and have a child under 5, or you are disabled, or are aged 60 or over find out more about Cold Weather Payment.

Cold Weather Payment
Cold Weather payment £8.50



whooop that'd keep you warm for all of 4 hours in my house lol

That's really nice of the Government, a whole £8.50.. now how Much is Thatchers funeral going to cost...Mmm £3 million.
How many homes would that keep warm based on their £8.50 payment???