Top Tips to Avoid Energy Billing Overcharges
🕑 2 minutes read
- Check that your renewal date is correct and that your new contract starts on time. This will avoid potential expensive out of contract default rates;
- On gas and smaller (non-half-hourly) electricity meters, suppliers are only legally obliged to take a meter reading once every 2 years, so take regular weekly or monthly readings and pass them on to the supplier;
- If your contract is renewing, take a meter reading on the new start date (if you can) to make sure your old closing reading matches your new start reading on the first invoice of the new contract. Often both suppliers will agree a “deemed” reading which is not an actual read and may be vastly different from the real reading. Once these readings are caught up in the future it will cost more if your rates have increased;
- Check your new contract terms and rates concur with your first bill;
- Make sure consumptions are similar to the same period 12 months prior, by keeping a spreadsheet of day/night consumptions and total costs;
- If your school is Foundation, VA/VC, Trust or an Academy you should pay VAT at 5%. The VAT side is irrelevant as you can claim this back however; by paying 5% VAT it negates the requirement for the supplier to charge Climate Change Levy – CCL (recently changed to Equivalent) – CCE.
- The rate from April 14 – March 15 on electricity is 0.541p/kWh and gas is 0.188p/kWh. Hence if your annual consumption was 1million kWh on each utility, the CCE saving on electricity would be £5,240 and for gas £1,880.
We hope you find this impartial information useful but do give us a call on 0845 873 4463 if you would like to know more or discuss your current arrangements.
