Some more Info on Utitlities

[AwakeNow]

As I've been going through my electric bills I thought I would check what else is out there for people like me - in debt to the eyeballs and drowning.

Here is what I have found if anyone is interested;

The link below is from National Energy Action which provides loads of links, some of which I am sure can benefit many users of The Consumer Forums:

National Energy Action : Grants & Help : Helpful links

So much info here just make it impossible to list them all - so take a look with a nice cuppa and browse when u have a spare hour or two.

Found on the S.W.A.L.E.C website a copy of their cutomer charter:

http://www.swalec.co.uk/Help/ForYour...erCharter.aspx

Swalec Domsetic Charter

1. We will look after your best interests from day one
2. We will make it easy for you to sort out any problems
3. We will make it easy for you to speak to a real person in the UK
4. We will do our best to base your bill on the energy you have used
5. We will make it easy for you to manage your energy account
6. We will carry out a check on your account each year
7. We will give you a choice of payment options
8. We will help all we can if you are having difficulty paying
9. We will make it easy for you to transfer your account when you move home
10. We will respect your decision to move to another supplier
11. We will provide special help and advice for our most vulnerable customers
12. We will quickly and without fuss, solve any problems you tell us about


So I would think Number 11: provision of special help and advice for the most vulnerable customer means they must help you if you are suffering from Fuel Poverty or have a problem paying the fuel bills held with them. Be funny if they say 'No - can't help' - just quote them their charter because that's what I intend doing when they next call : - )

Next is the energy savings Grants site :

For those over 60; Parents with children under 16 and/or pregenant, this site could be useful if your home needs insulation or you need help with cutting down fuel bills by installing energy saving light bulbs etc - useful info for everyone I think in ways to cut energy costs as well as leading onto other links.

Energy saving grants and offers - What you can do today to conserve energy - Energy Saving Trust

[AwakeNow]

Found this for Edinburgh, Scotland. It’s called Edinburgh's Affordable Warmth StrategyThe site states it will help all householders (note it does not clarify that only house owners and/or private tenants so I would think this applies to all that meets the criteria) save energy which should equal lower fuel bills as well as offering advice about which grants may be available to you.

http://www.changeworks.org.uk/content.php?linkid=323


Someone mentioned elsewhere that some grants and help provided may not be available to council tenants. I found a page on the Wandsworth Council site which might be of interest to all.

http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/Home/CommunityServices/Housing/Counciltenants/WarmthAndEnergyEfficency. htm

If you are a council tenant and feel your home may not be energy efficient, make an appointment with your local Housing Manager. If you have a Tenants Association ask them if they can help support a case for getting funding from your local council to help insulate your home and make it more energy efficient.

Check for what your own council can provide by searching their site on the web – look for the Community Services Section with anything to do with Housing and Energy in the titles, this should direct you to the pages which serve you as their customer.

[Lula]

This bit made me laugh out loud

4. We will do our best to base your bill on the energy you have used

What do they usually base the bill on

[AwakeNow]

I know - it sounds daft. It just shows that even a striaghtforward looking bill is not what it seems.

I think they mean they are actually sur-charging for the energy we contribute after eating a tin of baked beans because we can't afford to cook a meal after paying the last bill Say no more ....

[AwakeNow]

Loads of info from Kenny : - 0

Warm Front: Grants for insulation and new heating systems

[AwakeNow]

I don't really know where to post updates concerning debt with Swalec so as I started this thread thought this might be the best place.

In the first instance Swalec do not have any Trust Funds running to help their customers in debt with them, I got this from the Debt Management Officer and here is the sum of that visit.

In the past week that ‘nice man’ from Swalec Electric called round again, and again without an appointment, but to be fair he is nice and he tends to be sympathetic.

As I had sent a letter to Swalec the week before I had expected to hear news of when I might receive hard copies of my bills, instead he told me he had yet to receive the letter (I had sent it to their main office instead of the local one) so he duly read my letter and informed me that Swalec do not run any Trust Funds which might help alleviate those in debt with their utilities with Swalec.

Swalec are however looking at the feasibility of running a Fuel Poverty Tariff but at present nothing like that exists for their current customers so I remain one and half grand in debt with them – sigh.

There was some positive news however. As far as I am aware he has stopped Swalec from putting in a pre-payment meter simply because the meter is situated inside a dangerous outbuilding (I have already suffered an accident a year ago due to the dilapidation of the property I am currently residing in) and he will put forward a claim for the DSS payment scheme, which I have duly signed, to see if I can get the electric bill paid that way. At the moment I am paying £20 per week so I hope it will not be much more than this. I will then see how much I can add to my payments for the gas which also needs to be higher than it currently is.

I shall keep you posted but at this time Swalec have not disconnected me - fingers crossed they won't.

[kennythecelt]

Hi There

Did you mention Energy Care Plus to them? It seems like blatant discrimination treating customers differently.

If you get energy direct ie social to pay towards the debt, most are quite happy with the arrangement and it can be spread over a longer period. This might be an option for you as suggested by the person who visited you.

Have a look at this:

BBC NEWS | Business | Extra £225m to beat fuel poverty

Swalec not mentioned specifically but they are part of Scottish and Southern.

"Up to 100,000 households could be helped with their fuel bills under a deal agreed between the UK's big six energy companies and the government.
The energy firms have agreed to boost their collective annual spending on social assistance programmes by £225m over the next three years.
Spending will go up from £50m in the past financial year to £100m this year, £125m in 2009-10 and £150m in 2010-11.
The deal was brokered by Energy Secretary John Hutton.
'Eradicating fuel poverty'
If all the extra money was used to offset bills it could remove up to 100,000 homes from fuel poverty.
A home is judged to be in fuel poverty if 10% or more of the household income is spent on energy bills. The big six energy firms are British Gas, E.On, Scottish Power, Scottish & Southern, EDF, and NPower. "

The money will not go far given the fact that rising fuels bills will continue to impact on more and more people and families.

The government will not meet its targets.

[AwakeNow]

Hello Kenny : - )

Nice to see you again. I did mention Care plus and said there were many names these schemes go under but he said Swalec do not have any schemes in place although are looking at the Fuel Poverty issue. I have to admit most of the bill is made up of arrears when my daughters lived with me and one in particular loved to fill the bath with hot water (old house, very, very old system) with water from the old shower - so in effect she was boiling a kettle at around 7KW energy for however long it took to fill the bath!

Needless to say as soon as I realised what was going on I tried to put a stop to it - in the end she moved in with her boyfriend so the problem has stopped lol.

The Swalec guy did agree that our energy consumption has dropped a lot since my eldest daughters have moved so in the future bills will be lower to some extent.

[kennythecelt]

Originally Posted by AwakeNow

Hello Kenny : - )

when my daughters lived with me and one in particular loved to fill the bath with hot water (old house, very, very old system) .

Nice to catch up with you too.

Ah the joys, I have too daughters and high bills..........

This link gives details in tables 1 and 2 of all current social tariffs that are currently available

http://www.energywatch.org.uk/upload...9_May_2007.pdf

[AwakeNow]

Originally Posted by kennythecelt

Nice to catch up with you too.

Ah the joys, I have too daughters and high bills..........

This link gives details in tables 1 and 2 of all current social tariffs that are currently available

http://www.energywatch.org.uk/upload...9_May_2007.pdf

Thank you very much for this Kenny : - ) I can arm myself with more info now and see what I can do to get my bills lower.