E-on Electicity, Heat, And Tariffs

[Mark]

It seems there is still much confusion amongst residents with regard to E-on's electricity and heat supply to the Square, and I hope, with this post, to clear this up. The first thing to say is that although E-on, by default, supply both, electricity supply & heat supply (for heating and hot water) are quite separate.

First off, electricity. As with any other household in the UK, you are free to choose whichever supplier you care to select. E-on offer a wide range of tariffs (including discounts for OAP's), but, if you can find a better deal with another supplier you are free to switch at any time. If you think you are paying too much for your power, I suggest giving E-on a call (0845 052 0000) to see which of their tariffs they believe is best for you (they will look at your usage records and made recommendations - I have always found their customer service agents to be very helpful), and then compare that with any other provider you may wish to consider. Simples.

Then there is heat. When it comes to our heat supply (which powers our central heating and supplies us with our hot water), we are locked in with E-on. In the basement/car parking area beneath the towers on the eastern side of the square we have a large power plant, owned and maintained by E-on, which supplies these services to the whole Dalston Square development (including the towers still under construction). We have no choice of supplier, but, again, E-on do offer a choice of tariffs: a choice a 3 to be precise. The attachment below (click the link to download to your computer for viewing) is the official paperwork from E-on which lists these and gives the details of the current prices. Which tariff is best for you will depend solely on your usage. Basically, each tariff is broken down into 2 parts: a daily charge, and a per unit of heat charge. Tariff A (the 'Standard Heat Tariff' and what you will be on unless you have contacted them to switch to one of the others) includes the highest daily charge (with the largest daily heat allowance) coupled with the lowest per unit of heat charge should you go over your allowance. Tariff B (the 'Low Energy Service Charge') has a lower daily charge (with an accordingly lower heat allowance) coupled with a higher per unit of heat charge if you go over your allowance. And tariff C ('Pay-As-You-Go) has no daily charge but the highest per unit of heat charge. So what does this mean? If you use a lot of heat you are best with tariff A. If you use very little, tariff C if your best option. If your usage is somewhere in the middle, tariff B could well be your best bet.

I have spoken with James Gunn (E-on's Customer Account Manager for Dalston Square) and he and his team would be more than happy to discuss which tariff is best for you. They will look back through your past usage and can tell you which tariff would be best for you, based on that usage. To talk to them, give them a call on 0345 3024312.

I should just mention that during my conversation with James I learnt some interesting facts about the heat usage of residents of Dalston Square. Apparently the average 1 bed flat uses 2,500 units of heat per year, and the average 3 bed flat uses 5,500. The reason I found this interesting is that my partner and I have a 3 bed in Gaumont. We heat when we need to (this winter we heated for 4 months), and we have enough hot water for us to both shower each morning with enough left over for washing-up etc. in the evening. My usage for the period 01/05/2011 - 30/04/2012 was 2,200 units! Less than the average 1 bed!

Anyhow, I hope this post is both informative and helpful, and I strongly suggest giving E-on a call on 0845 302 4312 to ensure you are not paying more than you need to for your heat, and 0845 052 0000 to see you are on the most appropriate electricity tariff.

Attachments:

[tine]

Awesome bit of research, thank you so much.

[bob]

For a company that make a big deal about how 'green' they are, they sure send a lot of crap to my address. Today I received 2 heating bills, both the same!

[adam]

Hi mark,
I recently called Eon to discuss most appropriate tariff (we have a three bed as well) and discovered a number of errors, including a meter swap (already) where I wasn't notified. W seem to be using about 30 units/day during the winter (nearly double the average, but I recognise it is the height of winter).

Was wondering if what tariff you were on and if James is the best person to speak with (the other service people have been less than helpful).

Any help would be hugely appreciated
Cheers

[balconysu]

Is it possible to switch the heating off? the timer does not seem to switch it right off

[Mark]

Hmm. Can only assume you have a different timer unit to the ones I have seen in several different apartments throughout the development, because these have 3 modes: On (permanently on, controlled by the thermostat), Auto (on at the times set in the timer, and controlled by the thermostat), and Off (completely off).

I suggest your best bet would be to pop in to see the guys in the Barrat sales office: If they cannot help you themselves, they will definitely be able to hook you up with someone who can. Good luck.

[fizzkakz]

Hi all,

Just wondering what everyone's average spend on heating was? We live in a 2 bed with 2 people. Hot water is on the standard timer (on for a couple of hours in the morning and again at night) and we have not used any heating for a number of months. I have emailed E-on and requested they review my tariff and they have advised the one I am on is the most cost effective. My bills are continuing to come in at £100+ each month. This is far in excess of double what I paid in my last flat in the middle of Winter. I have queried the bill with them previously and they assured me everything was fine but something doesn't feel right...

[paul]

hi we are in a 3 bed with 3 people and the bills average between £50 in the summer through to about £120 per month in winter when the heating is on. For the hot water we only have this on for 30mins am and about 45mins pm -its enough for 3 of us to have showers, wash etc. so as a 1st step i'd drastically reduce the time you have the hot water on for and see how you go! Paul

[Mark]

Excellent advice Paul. Water heating is expensive but efficient: 45 mins am and pm gives us all the piping hot water we need. Definitely the place to start.

[fizzkakz]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'll give that a go. Cheers!

[mikeb]

Jun 7, 2013 17:27:26 GMT Mark said:

Excellent advice Paul. Water heating is expensive but efficient: 45 mins am and pm gives us all the piping hot water we need. Definitely the place to start.

This is good to know. I've been having unusually high bills and was ready to blame the insulation, but now that the heating is off... that only leaves the water heater.

At some point I also calculated my heat bill with all of the three tariffs and lo and behold, there was only a marginal difference. I think only people that spend days away from home and switch everything off might profit at all.

Is there a way to have the high pay as go 5 KWh clause reviewed?

[jen81]

Hi,
I am sorry to hijack your forum but I currently going through the same problems your development has been having and I was wondering how far you have got with eon.
We are a new development in south London and have been signed up to a 25 year deal with eon. The standing charge is extortionate and many residents can not afford their bills. Have you ever questioned the legality of being tied in to a contract that was signed on your behalf? If yes, how did you get on? The residents here had no idea of how much heating would cost before we signed up, we were effectively told we had cheap energy and 1 bill both of which are not true as many residents are reporting bills higher than in previous properties!!
Any help on this would be gratefully appreciated, please contact me if you can help.
Many thanks
Jen

[Mark]

Hello jen81.

It seems that after writing this post you also sent me a personal message with much the same questions. I will just answer here.

Nov 13, 2013 12:46:54 GMT jen81 said:

I currently going through the same problems your development has been having

Problems? What 'problems'? I have no problems with E.On at all. I know some people had issues with high bills but as far as I know, correctly adjusting thermostats and timers, and getting on the right tariff cured those issues. I know my own bills are quite a bit lower than friends and family with comparable sized properties.

Nov 13, 2013 12:46:54 GMT jen81 said:

We are a new development in south London and have been signed up to a 25 year deal with eon. The standing charge is extortionate and many residents can not afford their bills. Have you ever questioned the legality of being tied in to a contract that was signed on your behalf?

Am thinking it would of been tricky to sell the flats with no access to heating or hot water. If people didn't like the arrangement, why did they buy the flats? With regard the standing charge, are you sure there is no scale of tariffs available? As you probably read further up this thread, different tariffs work better for different users: I find it hard to believe E.On provide us a scale and not other developments with the same system.

I am sorry I cannot help but I have heard these complaints so many times and always it was the same story: Wrong tariff, water heating running 24 hours a day, heating on with windows open, etc, etc. In conversation with an E.On customer care agent I have learned that the bills for my 3 bed apartment are roughly equal to the average 1 bed apartment's bills here on Dalston Square. I always have hot water when I need it, and never have a cold apartment. I can only assume people have money to burn or cannot spare the time to set their system up properly.

Perhaps you and your neighbours have a genuine problem, but I do not believe we do.

[Mark]

Speaking of E.On, after the recent government investigation into pricing, etc, of the big six energy firms, there have been articles galore in the press regarding pretty much all aspects of their businesses. This article - www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/nov/15/energy-firms-green-measures-big-six - in yesterdays Guardian, actually shows that in one way at least, E.on are actually leading the way.

[mhardman]

As much as i love the encouragement by Mark to be more fuel efficient (and i agree)as a solution to this arrangement i disagree. Mark you comment about "why would you buy a flat knowing this arrangement" well anyone in London who wants to buy a new development will encounter the same problem. Its part of the London Plan, being enforced on developers by the Mayor of London and planners.

I have been carrying out a 5 month research project on this very subject. Specifically the impact of ESCos (E.On for this development) on fuel poverty in London on decentralised energy schemes....exciting dont you think.

Using E.On figures alone. They claim a 23% an overall saving to you guys in their literature. This is based over a 15 year period and includes usage and capital cost of boiler repair in the 15th year. However this simply is wrong from my research.

E.On state that a consumer should park away £256.00 annually as a sinking fund for a boiler replacement in 15 years (total £3,840) This is a boiler of 1,500 quid in year 15 and £13 a month on boiler maintenance plan (that everyone takes out, except for me and everyone i speak too). This is the annual value to add onto a normal internet comparison quote to compare apples for apples against a heat network.

If we take this as a monthly "bill" so to speak that we should add onto a big-six quote if we were able to go elsewhere then this would equate too 18.42 a month. (or our £256 a year) For your development I have found quotes from E.On on their website, (if we could go elsewhere)

So here we go.

For the reccomended usage E.On state you will use on your development i give you the following figure.

2,500 units - E.On quote of 183.88 + 256 (allowance stated above) = 439.88 OR 509.22 (Based on Tariff 2 of the 3 tariff option - cheapest)
4,000 units - E.On quote of 249.25 + 256 (allowance stated above) = 505.25 OR 637.69 (Based on Tariff 1 - Standard)
5,500 units - E.On quote of 314.61 + 256 (allowance stated above) = 570.61 OR 752.51 (Based on Tariff 1 - Standard)

Those are the benchmark quoted usage figures for this scheme as mark mentioned. However, your still getting ripped off. Also, i think the inclusion of the £256 is a "healthy" amount. Realistically this is lower with the discounting of the £ in future years. (we wont get into that)

You have no option on price adjustments. Complain all you like. you will deal with it. This is an unregulated monopoly with no consumer option. Is it E.On fault. No. In my view a very innovative company willing to take this technology onwards. This is down to Government policy.

My advice, contact Which? if your not happy. (They are already investigating) and like Mark says. Be super super efficient, ring E.On and request they attend your house to show you how things work. They will have an obligation in their agreement with Barratt to do this.

Good luck all.