Hi All Thought I'd just confirm, we have decided to close our Staywarm tariff. We've decided it will close as current contracts come to an end from 7 October 13. Staywarm has not been available for customers to switch to since September 12. We'll continue to honour existing contracts with the last customers moving off in October 2014. Unless we're told differently, Staywarm customers will be renewed on to our standard tariff (E.ON Energy Plan). Unlike some other tariffs, our standard plan has no restrictions or tie-ins. This leaves customers free to switch tariff/supplier at any time without penalty. We're trying to contact all customers affected by this decision. We're writing to customers as their contracts end and, where possible, contacting them by phone so we can discuss the options most suitable for their individual needs. We started doing this in August. Hope this is of interest. Malc

Hi tannah You can go on to a single rate tariff without changing the meter. All we do is add the day and night meter readings together and charge as a single rate. Economy 7 tariffs charge a premium day rate and lower night rate. Single rate tariffs have a lower day rate but no cheaper night rate. You can either call us to make the change or, as nottslad says, do it through our website provided, that is, you've registered online. Hope this helps tannah. Give me a shout if you need any more details as happy to help. Malc

Hi martindn Staywarm launched just over 13 years ago. Throughout this time, it's only been available for people aged 60 and over provided they met certain requirements. These requirements have been modified over the years but were things like size of property, number of occupants, absence of non-domestic appliances (swimming pools, Jacuzzis etc) and payment by Monthly Direct Debit. The one constant factor, though, has been the need for all applicants to be aged 60 and over. Hope this helps. Give me a shout if you need any more details as happy to help. Malc

Hi Jan I'm afraid, as we weren't aware of the changed circumstances, we'll have gone ahead and installed a prepayment meter. As I said previously, in these circumstances, we make many attempts to contact customers before applying for a warrant. Where there's no response, we'll then follow the prepayment route to recover the debt. We will, though, only do this after having gone to Court and obtained a warrant. As the circumstances have now changed, you need to talk to us so the situation can be re-examined. However, this will now sit with our Warrants Team and they're the ones to talk to. Contact details will be included in the letter we left. I'd also raise the alarm and freezer issues with them. They're the ones who will have engaged the locksmith and arranged the engineer. Consequently, they'll be able to liaise directly with the people who entered the property and carried out the work. Hope this helps point you in the right direction. Malc

Hi Jan When you moved in during late August, did you or your landlord/letting agent contact us to let us know about the change of responsibility? It usually takes a long time to reach the stage where we obtain a warrant to enter a property and fit a prepayment meter. In this time, we’ll make many attempts to contact a customer. This includes phone calls, letters, emails (where appropriate) and site visits. If no one contacted us to tell us about the change, I suspect we’ve gone ahead and fitted the prepayment meter as we would’ve been unaware of the new circumstances. If this is the case, you’ll need to contact us with proof of the date you took over responsibility. Sight of the Tenancy Agreement will usually be ok. We can then look at reversing this action. Let me know if I'm barking up the wrong tree here as will be happy to advise further. Malc

That's a good point raydetinu. Where there's a number of meters together in a communal area, especially if it's a new build, mix ups can sometimes happen. Would be a good idea for the OP to make sure the Meter Serial Numbers we're billing to actually match those on their meters. Malc

Hi raydetinu The OP's relationship with their Landlord isn't something I can really comment on. What I can say, though, meter readings are the key to understanding their usage and whether or not their monthly payments are adequate. Whilst we try to read a meter at least twice a year (more often in some regions), if access is denied, it can be difficult. In these cases, customers can help by providing their own readings. There are various ways they can do this including online, phone or email. It'll also help them form a better understanding of their ongoing usage and see ways they may be able to control this and keep costs down. Legally, we only need to inspect meters at least once every 2 years but prefer to do this more often. However, as I say, this isn't always possible where access is a problem. The new smart meters we're installing will eventually help with this. They send us readings remotely so need to worry about access. Although we'll still need to see the meter every so often to make sure it's safe and working as it should. Hope this is of interest raydetinu. Please just ignore if not. Malc

Hi Alastrum As nottslad says, no two properties are the same. Levels of insulation, age and size of property, type of heating, individual lifestyles etc all make comparisons difficult. I'd suggest following some of the advice already on this thread and take meter readings. Take them daily for the first week, then weekly for a month and then monthly after that. This will help you build up a picture of your ongoing consumption. Armed with this info, you can then look to see where savings might possibly be made. We can help with this. We've an Energy Efficiency team who specialise in helping people cut back on their usage. Have a chat with these guys. Tell them about your property and appliances. They'll be happy to help. Ask for a copy of a booklet called '100 ways to save money by saving energy.' It's free and contains lots of useful advice to help you save. Check out our website, too. Particularly, the 'Interactive House' and 'Energy Menu.' More good tips here. Firstly, though, if you're bills are estimated, let us have the meter readings. We'll be happy to bill your account up to date and review your payments. Once you've an idea of your usage, pop this on to one of the independent comparison sites. This will show all the tariffs available, both with us and the other suppliers. Make sure you're on the best deal for you. Hope this helps point you in the right direction. Let me know if you need any more info as will be glad to help. Malc

Glad it's sorted Planta genista and many thanks for letting me know. Malc

No problem Corrections34. If you PM me your account details, I'll take a look and see where we're at with your complaint. Malc

Hi Planta genista Sorry for the late reply. Only just spotted your thread. I'm also sorry we haven't been able to resolve the issues you've raised to your satisfaction. To reach deadlock, your account will certainly have gone high up the chain. If I might explain. Advisors aren't allowed to issue deadlock letters independently. They have to go to senior management who will then discuss the issues involved with our Ombudsman Liaison Team. Only after an exhaustive review will this team agree to a deadlock letter being issued and it's they who do this, not the advisor. Before issuing the letter, they'll check the correct escalation process has been followed and that there's nothing more we feel can be achieved by delaying further. The deadlock letter will summarise our final offer and give advice on how to contact the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman service is free and independent and their decision is binding on us. Decisions to go to deadlock aren't taken lightly and must always involve senior management. Hope this explains what happens in a deadlock situation. Malc

Hi Corrections34 I'm sorry we've caused you so much frustration. You've done the right thing in contacting our Director's Office. I do know they've a bit of a backlog at the moment but, to be honest, I would've expected them to have picked up your email by now. They will, though, need to refer your Billing Code claim to a specialist team who determine whether or not the code applies. Basically, the Billing Code applies where we're at fault for not sending a bill. In these cases, we'll not bill for any energy used more than 12 months prior to the billing issue being sorted out and a bill sent. From what you've said, it looks as though the period from 1 March 12 to 1 July 12 may well fall under the code. There'll be notes on the account detailing the times you've contacted us and these will be used to help determine the claim. The complaint handler in the Director's Office will liaise with the Billing Code team and you to explain what has happened and what we propose going forward. As nottslad says, once sorted out, we'll be happy to offer you a payment arrangement to spread the remaining balance over a mutually agreeable period. Also, if you're unhappy with the proposed resolution, after 56 days you can refer the matter to the Ombudsman for an independent review. Let me know if you would like me to take a look and talk to our Director's Office for you as happy to do so. Hope this helps. Malc

Hi Sparkle18 I've picked up your post on MSE and sent an initial reply to the email you kindly sent me earlier. For the benefit of others, thought I'd copy the bulk of my MSE reply here. I'm really sorry for the added distress we've caused you at such a difficult time. In particular, being contacted by Phillips and Cohen so soon after the final bill isn't right. We've a specialist Bereavement Team who should be handling this account for you. They're on hand to guide relatives and executors through the various aspects involved in finalising accounts following a bereavement. Phillips and Cohen are probate and executor specialists who we've partnered with to help us support customers during these difficult times. However, I have to say, they don't usually become involved until much further down the line. As the final bill has only just been issued and there appears to be an open complaint on the account, I'm surprised they've been in touch so soon. As I said above, this isn't right at all. You're doing absolutely the correct thing in complaining. The Bereavement Team I mentioned above are the best placed to take this forward initially. I'd be happy to liaise with them on your behalf if you wish. Again, I'm sorry you've had so many problems. As above, I've picked up this complaint and am currently helping to resolve. Will be back in touch next week. Malc

Hi elector The change to Standing Charges isn't an additional amount but another way of charging for the cost of the connection. We've always charged this but in a different way. Heatwise meters, like the one at your property, are multi-rate set ups. They give 10 hours of cheaper electricity at certain off peak times for heating/water heating purposes. Included in this are a number of cheaper off peak hours for all consumption. As such, these set ups have two supply numbers. One covers the Heatwise circuits for heating/water heating whilst the second is for the remaining circuits. Previously, the Heatwise section carried a Standing Charge but the other part of the set up was charged under the two tier structure. Here, the first 225 kWh per quarter or primary units were charged at a premium rate. This premium was to cover the costs of the connection. We've now changed to a Standing Charge for the connection plus an amount for the electricity used. Before 18 January 13, customers on the Heatwise tariff were charged in the region of £150 per year for their connection. This was a combination of the Heatwise Standing Charge plus the extra charged via the primary rate. This figure is based on customers using in excess of 900 kWh per year. Those using less won't have been paying as much as this. We've now replaced two tier charges with a daily Standing Charge on all our tariffs. Consequently, Heatwise customers will now have two Standing Charges to cover both supply numbers. Going forward, as you say, this will now be a set charge of £142.49. I hope this explains that the switch to a Standing Charge isn't an additional charge. It's something we've always charged but in a different way. Our unit rates, though, did go up on 18 January 13. The online issue isn't related to our tariff changes. I'm aware of a difficulty some customers are currently having when entering meter readings online. This is only affecting certain accounts and isn't specific to particular types of meter. We're working on a fix but, in the meantime, if you let us have up to date readings we'll be happy to re-bill your account accurately. You can call us or email in if you prefer. Sorry about this but all other online services are working. Malc

Hi annr Sorry, I may have misunderstood your first post. Have you not had a gas bill of any sort until the recent one? If this is the case, raydetinu may be right and the Billing Code could come into play here. With the Billing Code, if we're at fault for not providing a bill, we won't charge for energy used more than 12 months prior to when the issue was put right. Can't say if this applies here but certainly worth asking the question. Hope this helps. Malc

Hi annr That's certainly a lot of gas for the type of property described. As a rough estimate, the cost for that amount of gas looks about right. You say, since Dec 11, we didn't read the meter again until May 13. Sounds like this latest bill is a catch up probably after a series of under-estimated bills. In this case, you can ask for a payment arrangement to spread the balance over a similar period to that where we've estimated. May make things a little easier. To check your ongoing usage, I'd take regular meter readings. See if there are any unexplained spikes or a particular pattern. Have a chat with our specialist Consumption Team, too. They'll be happy to go through your past usage as well as advising on the best way forward. Hope this points you in the right direction. Malc

Hi chank As nottslad says, debts are routinely passed to a DCA where we've had no contact from a customer. You can, though, still talk to us about this. Let us know if you believe the debt isn't valid. I'd suggest talking to our Business Debt team. Explain why you don't think you're liable for the energy used during the period in question. The link nottslad has posted has some useful contact numbers. Hope this helps point you in the right direction. Malc

Hi elector From 18 January 2013, we've modified the names of certain tariffs. The name of your tariff has changed from E.ON HeatWise EnergyPlan to E.ON EnergyPlan. The name change is descriptive only and has no impact on your account. This is also unconnected to the online management service. If you're having problems entering meter readings online, this will be another, unrelated issue and you need to talk to us about this. We've a specialist team who look after the online service and they'll be happy to help. Customers managing their accounts online receive quarterly bills. Recently, though, we've been tweaking our systems to make sure billing dates are correctly aligned with meter reader visits. This is to improve accuracy by reducing the number of estimated bills. In some cases, this may result in an interim bill. Not saying this has happened to you but certainly a possibility. If it did, future billing will revert to quarterly. Sorry for any confusion but hope this explains the changes. Malc

Hi Annie71 Customers without formal payment arrangements, will see follow up for outstanding balances after a certain time. Before involving debt collectors, though, we'll send bills, reminders and letters. Wherever possible we also try to phone customers before going down the debt route. As Helena says in the thread dx mentions, depending on the circumstances, charges may be added for late payments. Malc

Hi paolorossi Sorry to be a pain, but can you confirm a Monthly Direct Debit has been set up on the account since May 2012 with no breaks or referrals? If so, I think you're right, we should've been sharing green 0's since then. Malc

Hi guys Sorry for the late reply; not been around much recently. Just thought I would pop something on about our standing charges. We introduced daily standing charges across all our tariffs in January. This isn't an additional charge but replaces the former two tier pricing structure we used previously. Although I do appreciate, those who use little or no energy will probably see an increase. This change means there's now a fixed charge for the connection. Previously, this was covered by the first tier or primary rates. The charge covers things like meter reading, maintenance and certain rental charges where equipment is owned by other operators. It also covers the cost of keeping properties connected to the network. Network costs relate to maintaining the infrastructure. For instance, the upkeep of pipes, cables, pylons, overhead and underground lines, sub stations etc. This infrastructure is run by other companies and they charge us to use their services. We have a duty of care to make sure everything is safe, too. Hope this is of interest. Malc

Hi paolorossi Sorry for the late reply; I've been away from the forum for a week or so. Just had a chat with one of our Data Share guys so thought I'd pop on with a bit of info about how we share data with Credit Reference Agencies. When we share information, we give a true reflection of the status of the account at the time of the share. Even though regular payments are being made, balances will still show as outstanding unless there's a formal arrangement in place. On the picture you've posted, the numbers show the age of the debt in months. They're not missed payments. Reference to a delinquent balance usually means the debt is over 6 months old. If you set up a Direct Debit in May (depending on the date), the next month will be showing green with a 0 the next time we share. The U doesn't really mean anything. It's just that there's been no bill released, so nothing to report on. Hope this is of interest paolorossi. Let me know if you need any more info as will be happy to help. Malc

Hi nottslad I'm sorry we've caused you so much grief with your boiler. We've a particular complaints procedure exclusively for Central Heating issues. There's more details on our website at http://www.homeenergyservices.co.uk/UserFiles/PDFs/Complaints%20Process.pdf Alternatively, if you would like to PM me your details, I'll start the ball rolling for you. Malc

Hi hboss Sorry for the late reply. Only just noticed this thread. We often have situations where we're informed about changes of responsibility at a property long after the actual change. This can result in energy bills being raised after tenants have moved on. However, as you've been paying another provider, this is more unusual. On the bill we've sent, are the address details correct? Do they match the address details on the bills already paid to Green Energy? I do understand you're no longer at the property, but did you keep any meter details? I'm thinking specifically about the serial number. If you have the details, are the serial numbers the same on both our bill and those from Green Energy? With flats, it's possible that meter details can be mixed up. Sometimes, the wrong meter serial numbers are assigned to properties. This is particularly common with new builds. It's possible the builder/agent has passed us the wrong metering details when the development was signed off. Was the flat part of a new development? Even if not a new build, this can still happen. It's known as a crossed meter. I'm not saying this is definitely the case, just a possibility. If it is, we've a specialist team who deal with these issues and they're the ones to deal with. They sort out the mix up and make sure the right meter is attached to the right property and billed accordingly. Sorry for all the questions but trying to establish what might have happened here. Malc

Hi Charfew82 Sounds like the gas meter stopped recording usage in September 2011. We've a specialist stopped meter team who look after this type of situation. These are the people to talk to. They look at each case on an individual basis. Usually, they'll arrange for the meter to be replaced and re-bill the account back to when we believe the meter stopped. This is done by going back to the last known correct reading and estimating usage from there. These estimates are generally based on usage going forward with an allowance built in for seasonal fluctuations. However, as you're no longer at the property, we'll need to do this differently. Generally, in these cases, we'll look at usage before the meter stopped and base our estimates on that. Again, building in an allowance for seasonal fluctuations. The revised bill will be based on the prices current when the gas was actually used. I agree with nottslad. The Billing Code may well come into play here and I would certainly ask if it does apply. Under the Billing Code, where we're at fault, we'll only back bill for 12 months from when the account was corrected. Don't worry about having to pay any remaining balance immediately. We'll be happy to set up a payment arrangement and spread the balance over a similar period that the meter had stopped. Sorry for all the inconvenience Charfew82 but hope this explains what happens with a stopped meter. Give me a shout if you need any more info as will be happy to help. Malc