Bristol Energy, - On economy 10 but being charged economy 7?

[SolarStan]

 

 

I began on Bristol Energy at £40 per month.

This has steadily increased to £211 per month.

Bristol Energy have confirmed I am on an Economy 10 plan and I asked for and received the actual off peak times.

 

My home is all electric.

No gas or solid fuel etc.

I have night storage heaters.  

I have 2 immersion heaters in the hot water cylinder.

One on off peak, one on standard.

 

In order to check that I was receiving the correct 10 off peak hours as per the times Bristol Energy gave me, I wired a timer with a tell tale light into the off peak immersion heater. Before anyone jumps in, I did this purely to check that I was getting the 10 off peak hours at the stipulated times (not to use as a timer, which would not work anyway because the clock would keep stopping). In effect the tell tale light in the timer comes on during the off peak periods (of course, you have to turn on the off peak immersion immersion heater switch to check this) and goes off outside those periods.

 

According to the timer tell tale light, I am getting the 10 off peak hours at the stipulated times.

 

I have 2 concerns.

 

1) The amount I am paying seems far too high.

I live in a 2 bed bungalow, just myself and my partner.

 

We have 1 storage heater on during the winter months.

Hot water is just 1 hour every 2 days on the off peak immersion heater. (Standard immersion is never used).

We are mostly in the same room, so just 1 light.

Washing machine and shower used only in off peak times.

I can't see how we could use less electricity.

 

2) The Bristol Energy bills are stating Economy 7.

 

So I believe I am being charged 3 hours per day at standard rate that should be off peak rate.

I can see no other explanation.

 

I will be most grateful for people's thoughs and any advice on how I should proceed.

 

[SolarStan]

@BankFodderThanks for response.

 

Can I use a common or garden electrician for this, or does it require an electrician with specialist equipment etc?

 

@dx100uk Many thanks for response.

 

I have been taking readings over the last 3 months or so, rather intermittently I admit.

I am now taking daily readings and keeping a record.

 

I have been with Bristol Energy about 1 year.

[SolarStan]

Bankfodder,

 

Thanks. I will start looking for a relevant electrician.

 

I have been with Bristol Energy since I moved into the property, one year, I was initially paying £40 per month. This has steadily increased to £211 now.

 

dx100uk

 

Bristol Energy seem to be reading the meter every second bill.

 

It is not a smart meter

[SolarStan]

How exactly do I find an electrician to give an independent report?

I have tried and can find no local electricians offering this service.

 

It seems you have to contact the supplier and demand they organize an independent report.

 

I am not happy about that because if I am right, there could be a few thousand pounds involved and I would rather have my own independent report before I contact the supplier.

 

Can anyone advise how I find an electrical contractor who will provide this service?

 

Thanks

[SolarStan]

OK Bank Fodder

 

Thanks

[SolarStan]

Apologies for not keeping this thread live. Other problems.

 

OK. Today, I did the most obvious thing.

 

I turned off the power. 2 mains switches. One for the NSH circuit and one for all the rest.

 

I then took the 2 readings. Left everything off for 1 hour. Then took the readings again.

 

They were both exactly the same.

 

It would have been to good to be true if the readings had increased I know.

 

Tomorrow, I will do an appliance test, starting with the immersion heater.

I will again turn off both mains switches.

Then turn off all the MCB switches. 

Take readings again.

Then turn on the mains switch controlling everything except the NSH's.

Then turn on the immersion heater MCB only and then turn on the actual immersion heater itself for 1 hour.

 

Then turn off the immersion heater and take readings again.

 

And then do the following:

 

Deduct the first reading from the second and compare it to the wattage of the appliance you turned on for one hour.

The difference between the two readings should equal the wattage on the label of your appliance if the meter is working accurately. Expect the answer to vary by plus or minus 5 percent. 

[SolarStan]

Thanks BankFodder,

 

Both the immersion heater (3Kw)  and the shower (7.5Kw) returned accurate readings.

 

I haven't got around to testing the oven/hob yet but will do so next week.

 

I understand I can also run a test on the meter with a multimeter. I often use a multimeter but I don't fancy connecting the leads to live terminals on the meter so will leave that to the electrician.

 

It seems it is not that easy to get an electrician for this particular problem I have. I have called several, but they basically didn't want to know.

 

I will persevere.

[SolarStan]

I have been at the property for 4 years. 

I switched from EON a year ago.

 

The immersion heater is not used on a timer. The timer is merely used to see and check when the off peak periods kick in and out. (the tell tale light indicates this.)*  Only the off peak immersion heater is used. (for approximately 1 hour every 2 days.)

 

An electrician is attending today. I will post his opinion.

 

* It is indicating that the off peak periods are not accurate

 

[SolarStan]

The electrician attended and tested and found no fault with the meter (no leakage).

He highlighted the fact that a large NSH in the lounge was very old and that the controls no longer worked efficiently if at all.

This obviously contributes to the large bills, but of course, does not solve E7/E10 issue.

 

Having checked the bills, I am in fact, being charged for E7 when I should be charged for E10 (3 off peak hours per day difference), which was the agreed tariff.

 

All my calls, incoming and outgoing are recorded via the ACR app.

I revisited all my calls to and from Bristol Energy, particularly the call in which I explicitly asked for the breakdown of the exact of the off peak times. All these calls with the exception of two, were me calling them on their 0845 number.

Both sides of the conversations are crystal clear.

 

However, the most relevant one, in which they gave me the E10 times, is a callback from them to me.

Playing back this call, I can hear only myself and not the other party.

I don't know if this is a feature of the ACR app or something built in to Bristol Energy's system.

I will be grateful for opinions regarding this.

 

As that call appears to be the only evidence that I have in which Bristol Energy admit I should be on Economy 7, could I demand a transcript of that call, as I have the exact date, time and duration of it?

[SolarStan]

Excuse my ignorance, dx 100uk,

 

an sar?

[SolarStan]

Thanks honeybee13.

 

Is there a recommended template for the wording of the SAR?

[SolarStan]

OK.

 

I have read a great many of the posts relating to sars (not all of them, there's more 4000) and googled for information.

 

Phone call transcripts can be requested.

 

As I have stated the only evidence I have that I am supposed to be on E10 are two incoming calls from Bristol Energy in which this was confirmed  and the actual times of the 10 off peak hours stated (GMT and BST). And I have recorded and archived both calls, so I have the exact dates, times and durations of the calls. 

 

ButI have read that Banks, for instance, record all calls, but only keep the ones they are not archiving, for 6 months. Do power companies do the same?

 

My worry is that the two relevant calls were more than a year ago. So Bristol Energy may say they have been deleted (assuming they recorded the calls in the first place.)

 

Before anyone states the obvious i.e: The only way I will find out is by sending the sar. I fully intend to do that tomorrow, but in the meantime, anyone's thoughts, opinions?

Edited June 21, 2020 by SolarStan
missing letters

[SolarStan]

I sent BE a SAR for the phone transcripts.

 

I received an acknowledgement saying they are looking into it and will arrange to have the relevant phone call transcripts sent to me. (So that was a good result yes? They could have said they don't keep records I suppose).

 

Their letter was dated 7th of July. One month ago. I am still waiting for the transcripts.

 

In the meantime, I have reduced the DD to £100 (from £211).

 

An electrician friend suggests I request the installation of a side meter to test the original meter while I am waiting for the transcripts.

 

I will report progress

[SolarStan]

Thanks Bankfodder,

 

I have today sent a warning letter by special delivery to BE re their failure to comply with the statutory request. I have also requested a second meter to be installed beside the existing meter and used to monitor the accuracy of the existing meter, as per the electrician's advice.

 

Thank you, also, UncleBulgaria67,

 

Interesting. But would BE be able to use that to excuse their not complying with the statutory request time limit?

[SolarStan]

I have heard nothing more from Bristol Energy since my last update.

 

But have received a standard letter from Together saying they have now taken over BE.

 

I am wondering what to do next. The Ombudsman?

 

Very grateful for any thoughts

[SolarStan]

Another twist. I have received notification that Together have not actually taken over BE. Rather they have become partners.

 

So I take it that my SAE is still valid?

 

BankFodder, 

 

I take your point. But I am not a solicitor. They did acknowledge the SAR and said it would be passed to the relevant department. 

 

As I said, I have heard nothing since.

 

Where do I go from here? To be honest, I don't have the greatest faith in Ombudsmen