ENERGY MATTERS

[Stanley]

See THIS BBC report that Ithica Oil is to develop the Cambo oil field. Surprise surprise!

[Big Kev]

The elec smart meter did its thing with the price change on April 1st

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[Big Kev]

Brent Crude prices are down to $102 a barrel, I bet we won't see that reflected on the forecourts any time soon.

[Whyperion]

Eon's previous variable tariff rate they said I would be on from April 1st soon changed once April 1st arrived
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Got this a few weeks ago

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Today, on the app, it shows this.

Dont know if anyone wants to lobby on the standing charge increasing BY what, £72 a year if my maths works out. There were all kind of justifications made by politicians on question time over a two or three weeks. One was part of the standing charge paid the costs of taking over the energy companies' that had gone broke customers - which seems odd capitalism / consumer choice to me, why should I pay for someone who attempted to get cheaper energy in the past and I have to pay to bail them out ?

[Stanley]

Ineos offer to drill an experimental fracking well to show it can be done safely. Another surprise.....
It won't be long before we hear that the regs on fracking will change.
As for general energy prices, the government is actually doing sod all, they're just sitting back to see what happens.
It takes a lot to get the British out on the streets protesting but I fear we might see that change......

[Stanley]

BG hadn't taken any money out of the variable DD on my account since February 2nd and I was getting worried in case when they did take money it would be at the new rate and not my fixed rate. So I decided to devite as long as it took to getting a resolution to this chaos in my account that has been happening since October 2021.
I might have got a resolution. I Tried the chat line with someone called Reshma who told me the connection was so slow because he/she was working from home. It transpires that for some unknown reason my account was changed from monthly to quarterly last year. I have got it changed back. I have also got a complaint in about the 'smart meter' that isn't and will be given an appointment as soon as one is available.
I sincerely hope things improve!

[Stanley]

The signs are that Reshma actually did some good. My account is now monthly and they will take the payment for energy used to yesterday's date later in the month. My fixed tariff ends at the end of the month and I shall make sure they have meter readings for that day!

[Tizer]

I Tried the chat line with someone called Reshma...

I'm glad to hear you are using the chat line!

[Stanley]

It was my only alternative Peter. The last time I used it it was a disaster but this time I evidently got hold of an intelligent agent who actually wanted to help.

[Tizer]

With a chat line you should also be able to get a transcript of the conversation by email or some other method. Just ask when you are coming to the end of the chat.

[PanBiker]

Whenever I use chat there is usually a copy option for the transcript. Failing that just highlight the lot and copy and paste to a text editor.

[Tizer]

Yes. I've done it both ways, very useful.

[Big Kev]

45 days until my fixed gas tariff expires, I must have miscalculated on my previous usage. I reckoned £76 a month on the variable but Eon are saying £65. I'll go with that for the time being.

[Stanley]

12 Days for me Kev. I never bothered to work out how much it is going to cost me as I can do nothing about it. I shall just thank God it's summer and hope for better news in the back end of the year.

[Stanley]

I got an email from BG this morning that sent me into a rage! After 90 minutes on the chat line I really thought we had the account sorted. This morning's mail announced that i no longer get 'Smart Monthly Billing'. My first interpretation of this was that this meant a return to quarterly billing which caused all my problems in the first place.
However, after a calming down period I believe this is the computer's response to being told my smart meters aren't working as they should and therefore are not being used to bill me. That's OK, what I need to do now is concentrate on getting my second generation meters commissioned and working. I shall do nothing as my fixed tariff ends at the end of this month anyway and no doubt there will be another flurry of activity from the BG computers.....

[Big Kev]

Rolls look to be moving on with their SMRs
https://www.euractiv.com/section/energy ... -mid-2024/

[Stanley]

That can't be seen as anything but good news Kev.....

[Whyperion]

45 days until my fixed gas tariff expires, I must have miscalculated on my previous usage. I reckoned £76 a month on the variable but Eon are saying £65. I'll go with that for the time being.

With mums Electric, the fixed rate finished 31/03 (EDF) Put in Meter Reading , which was accepted by their software system. Get bill 16/04. Estimated and split over the fixed rate and the new SVR rate (which is approx double all round the previous rates).

[Stanley]

See April 19th. I was wrong, they had put me back on quarterly billing even though i have never asked for it and have tried to get it changed back. I have been on the chart line for another hour and once more have been assured that it has been sorted out. I'll believe it when I see it! (And I have told them so....)

[Big Kev]

See April 19th. I was wrong, they had put me back on quarterly billing even though i have never asked for it and have tried to get it changed back. I have been on the chart line for another hour and once more have been assured that it has been sorted out. I'll believe it when I see it! (And I have told them so....)

Have they recommissioned your gas meter yet?

[Stanley]

No, that was another part of the chat and another promise was made. I found out why I couldn't record the chat yesterday. I noticed some very faint symbols at the bottom, just ghost images with no explanation. One was an email button and sure enough I got an email transcript of the chat. They don't want you to find that button!

[Tizer]

Surely you don't expect them to help customers, do you?
Mrs Tiz took an item in to M&S yesterday to return because it doesn't fit. They've completely changed the system and you now have to arrive with a printout from your PC or phone and do it electronically. She didn't know this of course and had waited in a queue and then held up other people while she tried to figure out what was going on. Had to get help and found she'd wasted a journey into town.

I had similar frustrations in the library when I tried to pay the £5 I owe for books they'd ordered for me from other libraries. I couldn't get the machine to accept the digits correctly and didn't want to end up paying them £500! When I asked for help I got an intolerant woman who treated me like a fool because I didn't know I shouldn't input the number on the key pad but press a payment button that would automatically know how much I had to pay. I increasingly feel that I'm being relegated to second class citizen.

[Stanley]

I recognise that syndrome Peter and of course you are a second class citizen, you're old and no longer economically active. Therefore you are obviously of sub normal intelligence. I get the same treatment, they have no idea of our experience and knowledge.
However that is off piste! The energy matter today is that my fixed tariff ends at midnight and in essence my energy charges double. Deep joy........
(I think Kev has another month of freedom!)

[Big Kev]

The energy matter today is that my fixed tariff ends at midnight and in essence my energy charges double. Deep joy........
(I think Kev has another month of freedom!)

Another month of 'cheaper' gas, the electric tariff changed at the beginning of April. The cost increased by just over 50% from £50 a month to £80 and gas will go up from £40 to £65 from June 1st.

[Stanley]

I still wait for BG to take money from for gas since February 2nd.... I downloaded the latest bill and they promise to take money on or just after April 27th. I shall be watching them like a hawk.
Can you remember the eccentric idea I had of taking the knob off the hot tap to save money on firing the boiler up just to swill a pot? This Bill covers the period after I bowed to the clamour and put the knob back on on the grounds it would aid hand washing to fight Covid. My gas consumption February to April 2021 was 2157kWh, this year it was 3355kWh. Guess what, the knob has come off again. And in case you're wondering, the increase in Leccy for the same period (Electric Kettle for hot water when needed.) was only 6kWh.
Perhaps it wasn't such an eccentric idea.....