[economy7]

Hello
I am on an Economy7 tariff as I use night storage heaters. This gives me 7 hours electricity charged at a low rate within a 24 hour period; my storage heaters are wired directly to this meter and charge during the Low rate period.
My bills give the code 811 for the Low rate hours (00.30-07.30) BUT a sticker on my meter gives the Low rate hours as 22.30- 00.30 and 2.30-7.30. EON.Next have now told me the code on my bill is incorrect (given to them when they took over my EON account) and the times on my meter are correct.
On this basis, they estimate I have been under-billed and there is a shortfall of over £3000 on my account (dating back to Nov 2021 when EON.Next took over from EON). Despite several requests, they will not explain why or how the exact hours the Low rate is applied affects my bill. Nor how they have calculated this shortfall. Can anyone help to explain this? Many thanks.

[meldrewreborn]

@economy7

Volunteers here do not have access to your account and can only offer general guidance to you. Can you tell us what your meter is like, is it a smart meter At the moment I'm struggling to think how the shortfall has been calculated - if your meter or you has supplied regular readings of the two registers your bills will have been calculated correctly based upon the readings clocked up within the meter.

While I can imagine that Eon Next might say the meter hasn't been recording the consumption against the correct register at the correct times, I'm reasonably certain that they have no grounds for back billing you - and in any event back billing revisions beyond 12 months isn't Legal. You might need to visually check your meter to see which registers are incrementing at the specified time (and a bit either side) to get some certainty on when the reduced rate register is actually operating - you might be surprised.

[economy7]

@meldrewreborn
Thank you so much for responding so quickly and for the reassurance. It is causing me huge amounts of worry and their responses to my queries are almost impossible to follow.
I don't have a Smart meter as there is no mobile reception in my area. I have consistently submitted monthly readings for my Low and Normal rate usage - both of which have been in the range I have expected i.e. my Low (night) rate usage is high in winter as I use storage heaters and low in summer when they are not used.
They sent me a link re back-billing which I thought told me they could only go back 12 months - but they have told me the back-billing team will determine my 'eligibility'.
I can see no logical reason why I have underpaid - if they decide I should have paid for my usage between 0.30 and 2.30 at the Normal rate then surely by the same logic I have overpaid for the hours 22.30 to 0.30 which fall within my allocated Low rate hours?
I will follow your advice and check out my meter at the 'change-over' times . I have monitored and amended my usage to fit my budget, and it seems entirely wrong that they expect me to take financial responsibility for an error they have made.
Again, thanks for your help.

[meldrewreborn]

@economy7

As you do not have functioning smart metering II don’t see how they can determine that you have underpaid - there is no data that they can fall back on to substantiate any different charging basis than what has previously been billed.

If you had a functioning smart meter, then in possession of half hourly readings they might have been able to demonstrate an alternative consumption pattern to that actually charged. But even then if a mistake has been made it’s their mistake and liability for it rests solely with them.

if the hourly pattern is revised for future consumption then you would need to set your time clocks with a high degree of precision to ensure not using your storage heaters at peak times.

[economy7]

@meldrewreborn
Thank you so much for this reply.
I am at a loss to know how they have estimated the shortfall (if indeed there is one). I also fail to understand how they have decided that the sticker on my meter (which states the Low rate hours as split 22.30-0.30 and 2.30-7.30) over-rides the code on my bill (811 for Low rates 0.30-7.30). Especially as I live in the North West and my internet searches (which could have completely misled me) suggest this split pattern is a London pattern.
Thank you so much for the time you spend, voluntarily, supporting consumers like me who feel so alone and ignorant in the face of a big supplier's obfuscation and indifference.
I will try to check my meter tonight at the time I expect it to click-over to the Low rate.

[economy7]

Good morning. I have monitored my meter and established the Low/Normal rates on the sticker on my meter are correct - therefore EON.Next are right to say the code on my bill is wrong. My Low rate meter started to record at 22.30 and was still recording at 6.30 when I checked - but as the Normal rate meter had also advanced between 22.30 and 6.30 I assume it was in use in the 2 hour period 00.30-02.30. Overall, between 22.30 and 7.30 I used one unit at Normal rate (presumably for small undercounter fridge and freezer and wifi router in the period 00.30-2.30) and 49 units at the Low rate (presumably for my water heater, 4 storage heaters, fridge, freezer and router in the periods and 22.30-00.30 and 2.30 to 7.30).
My questions are: Why would the actual hours I am assigned Low rate usage make a difference to my bill? How can EON.Next have calculated a shortfall of over £3000 when I submit monthly readings, pay by Direct Debit and keep my account in credit? How and Why have EON.Next amended my bill to show this outstanding sum when they tell me they have not yet finished their 'assessment@? And what does this say about their customer care?
Any advice or insights gratefully received.

[meldrewreborn]

@economy7

The meter time code on your bill is then apparently incorrect. But the registers on your meter are recording at what Eon Next now say are the correct times and in the past will have recorded correctly. The meter time code error does not have any influence on your billing (the only exception might be if you are actually receiving E10 rather than E7).

I would send them a strongly worded email (so you have a definitive record) and dispute that you owe them anything. Notify them that you will rescind/reverse under the Direct Debit guarantee any attempt by them to bill you for this alleged under payment and are fully prepared to take the matter to the small claims court.