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Post by moonraker on Mar 31, 2022 15:24:08 GMT
Entering readings now which are higher than the real figures means you will pay less. Not sure if the companies plan to take action or just ignore it. A lot of people will be putting in false readings. I didn't bother but it makes sense financially. Let it be confessed that I slightly over-estimated when I was asked to submit my readings on-line (which I seem to be asked to do every month, though I expect it's probably every two months).
The next day I got an email pointing out that with that usage I would be £600 in debt to the company by the year's end. (My monthly diredt-debit payments had been too low over the winter.) The company suggested that I increase my payments by a significant amount, which I dutifully did. So I guess that I'll have a reasonable credit balance by the end of the summer. (Aren't we due for another price hike then?)
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Greenwood2
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Post by Greenwood2 on Mar 31, 2022 15:36:46 GMT
I guess this is the risk the suppliers take when they do away with meter readers. They haven't done away with meter readers: they have just distributed the work to millions of independently employed meter readers. I used to get the meter reader company (not the electric/gas provider) ringing up asking me to give them the readings there and then. When I said I would do it online at my convenience they were quite put out, I assume they get paid to take the readings and can still claim to have taken the readings themselves even if you do it for them (seems a pretty pointless exercise if the purpose of independent readings is to make sure you are providing correct info). They seem to have given up even that pretence of taking readings since Covid, all seems to be online or estimated now.
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mogish
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Post by mogish on Mar 31, 2022 16:04:30 GMT
Virtual que on bulb!
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Post by bracknellboy on Mar 31, 2022 21:36:39 GMT
Is it ? Are you sure about that. Entering lower figures is closer to fraud. I'm sure you know damn well it is fraud. Oh, and in case you weren't sure, Martin Lewis has now felt obliged to comment on it. Not that I would think you would have needed him to say so. www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/dont-break-law-taking-meter-6885057I have a lot of time for ML, but the hysteria that has been generated around taking your meter readings today!!!!! is irresponsible anxiety inducing unnecessary boll*x for some people.
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travolta
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Post by travolta on Mar 31, 2022 21:52:29 GMT
Octopus has been the best thing since sliced bread (well, better, 'cos we make our own bread).They are efficient and beyond reproach. That and a rack of solar panels.They were covered with snow today ,so not so good, until wiped off with a long arm wiper.
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Post by overthehill on Mar 31, 2022 21:54:14 GMT
Is it ? Are you sure about that. Entering lower figures is closer to fraud. I'm sure you know damn well it is fraud. Oh, and in case you weren't sure, Martin Lewis has now felt obliged to comment on it. Not that I would think you would have needed him to say so. www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/dont-break-law-taking-meter-6885057I have a lot of time for ML, but the hysteria that has been generated around taking your meter readings today!!!!! is irresponsible anxiety inducing unnecessary boll*x for some people.
Fraud is breaking the law, so is speeding at 80 when the police let you off and so were parties during covid. How does the best lawyer in the UK prove a single incorrect meter reading is fraud? With great difficulty.
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keitha
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2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
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Post by keitha on Mar 31, 2022 22:11:43 GMT
Octopus has been the best thing since sliced bread (well, better, 'cos we make our own bread).They are efficient and beyond reproach. That and a rack of solar panels.They were covered with snow today ,so not so good, until wiped off with a long arm wiper. LOL I've ended up with an impossible combination Go for import with 5p 0:30 to 04:30, 24.5 p rest of day Agile export where I'm averaging about 17pkWh I have battery so am topping up at 5P overnight
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Post by bracknellboy on Apr 1, 2022 6:53:24 GMT
I'm sure you know damn well it is fraud. Oh, and in case you weren't sure, Martin Lewis has now felt obliged to comment on it. Not that I would think you would have needed him to say so. www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/cost-of-living/dont-break-law-taking-meter-6885057I have a lot of time for ML, but the hysteria that has been generated around taking your meter readings today!!!!! is irresponsible anxiety inducing unnecessary boll*x for some people.
Fraud is breaking the law, so is speeding at 80 when the police let you off and so were parties during covid. How does the best lawyer in the UK prove a single incorrect meter reading is fraud? With great difficulty.
Yes, but that is a different matter entirely. You were questioning - whether tongue in cheek or not - whether it was fraud. If I wasn't on smart meters, of course I might have been tempted to submit a reading which was a touch inflated: that's the risk of delegating responsibility to your own customers. But I'd be under no illusion that if I was doing it deliberately it would be fraud. On the other hand, if it was an honest mistake in either data entry or reading my meter having temporarily mislaid my spectacles, it would be no more than an innocent error. Which noone would know about, and even less be able to discern that nature of.
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mogish
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Post by mogish on Apr 1, 2022 7:21:21 GMT
Octopus has been the best thing since sliced bread (well, better, 'cos we make our own bread).They are efficient and beyond reproach. That and a rack of solar panels.They were covered with snow today ,so not so good, until wiped off with a long arm wiper. LOL I've ended up with an impossible combination Go for import with 5p 0:30 to 04:30, 24.5 p rest of day Agile export where I'm averaging about 17pkWh I have battery so am topping up at 5P overnight Way to go. I'm so jealous. Our longer term plan will to adopt this system when we decide to buy our last home.probably somewhere sunny. To me the future is to be as self sufficient as possible and not rely on corporations.
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benaj
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Post by benaj on Apr 1, 2022 7:39:54 GMT
Of course, they can disable the smart reading in real time. 😅 It’s rare, but seen often in the administration process. It’s easier for them create an “estimate” billing for the time being. They can also take your actual reading and then bill you for the “estimate”. Annoying. 🤬
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keitha
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2024, hopefully the year I get out of P2P
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Post by keitha on Apr 1, 2022 10:08:56 GMT
LOL I've ended up with an impossible combination Go for import with 5p 0:30 to 04:30, 24.5 p rest of day Agile export where I'm averaging about 17pkWh I have battery so am topping up at 5P overnight Way to go. I'm so jealous. Our longer term plan will to adopt this system when we decide to buy our last home.probably somewhere sunny. To me the future is to be as self sufficient as possible and not rely on corporations. Living alone 4.8kWh of battery covers most days, my March bill less export is £35 of credit. In fact checking back Since the end of November with my export and cheap import i'm £10 in credit I do run the Dishwasher and Washing machine overnight at the 5p rate. If I look at my usage of just over 800kWh I'd have paid at least £250 for electricity over those 4 months so a £260 return on the investment.
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adrianc
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Post by adrianc on Apr 1, 2022 10:16:01 GMT
Living alone 4.8kWh of battery covers most days, my March bill less export is £35 of credit. In fact checking back Since the end of November with my export and cheap import i'm £10 in credit I do run the Dishwasher and Washing machine overnight at the 5p rate. If I look at my usage of just over 800kWh I'd have paid at least £250 for electricity over those 4 months so a £260 return on the investment. At £65/mo, how long to recoup your investment?
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travolta
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Post by travolta on Apr 1, 2022 13:11:48 GMT
Never in my lifetime and the fuzzy warm glowof self righteous virtue is not enough to heat the 3' of bathtub every night :-{
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Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2022 13:25:46 GMT
I was reminded today of a law in place during the 70s energy crisis. It was illegal to heat Government buildings to greater than 19C.
Now of course people can stop work if it falls below 20C
how things change,,,,
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Post by overthehill on Apr 1, 2022 15:01:16 GMT
Never in my lifetime and the fuzzy warm glowof self righteous virtue is not enough to heat the 3' of bathtub every night :-{
Haven't had a bath for years!
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