Another Advantage Of My New Plumbing
I’ve just read the meter readings for the switchover to Ovo.
Before the new plumbing was installed, the electricity meter was half hidden behind the washing machine and to be read properly needed a step ladder.
Now I just walk into the cupboard, switch the light on and read the meter at eye level.
How did Jerry manage to get so many things wrong?
The readings I’ve submitted are 33235 and 0778257 for electricity and gas respectively.
Incidentally, this supplier changeover seems to be taking forever. I assume this has been designed into the system, to discourage people from changing. After all, if you could change instantly, that would drive prices down. I said why here.
nPower Says Sorry
I’m leaving nPower after three years to go to OVO Energy. This is mainly because I want to try out one of these new energy suppliers and see how easy it is to swap from one supplier to another.
I will save myself just over a hundred pounds a year, although the price changes announced by the Government may mean that this figure changes.
Today though, I received an apology from nPower for bad service. Here’s the start of it.
We look after 5.4 million customer accounts in the UK. Our aim is to make sure everyone has the best possible experience as an npower customer.
However, we’ve let many of you down recently in the overall levels of customer service we’ve been providing. We apologise unreservedly. We promise that if you have been impacted by the billing system problems we’ve had, you will not lose out financially as a direct result.
It goes on to give a good explanation of their problems.
I should say though, that I’ve not had one negative issue with the company.
So even if prices aren’t as low as we’d like, the customer service of one of the Big Six power companies is doing things properly.
nPower’s Job Losses
There is a story today about job losses at nPower.
I have just left the company after good service for three years.
I read about Ovo and moved there mainly because they would save me over a hundred pounds a year, as I wouldn’t have to pay the Green Levy.
Since their customer service has been very good, something I couldn’t complain about for nPower.
The biggest difference though, is that the literature and web site of Ovo is a lot better than nPower. As I said in this post, I have a single A4 sheet of paper, which summarises everything. It’s only a small point, but it just shows how large companies don’t think.
Perhaps this is why nPower is getting rid of so many expensive customer support staff.
After all in a few years time, virtually all of us will be managing our energy suppliers through the Internet. So support is all about design of the web site.
It would be interesting to see a league table of the ratings of web sites of energy companies!
Are Wind Turbines Not What They’re Cracked Up To Be?
The news this morning that RWE Innogy are not going ahead with the Atlantic Array of 240 wind turbines is to some surprising.
The developers cite engineering difficulties and that it is not the right time for the project, although others are saying that there are financial problems with the project.
If we are going to have wind turbines, which I’ll admit, I think are an eyesore in the British landscape, then offshore is probably the best place for them.
I think that this array might well be built at some time, but only after new and better technology has arrived.
It would be wrong to increase the subsidy for the project to get it built.
If subsidies go anywhere they should go into energy research.
1. We should try to find better ways of getting the gas out that is there, that would otherwise use crude fracking techniques.
2. Our buildings are notoriously badly insulated and research should be directed to find better ways of cutting energy use.
3. Research could also be directed towards better ways of generating heat and power, to widen some of the techniques used at places like the Bunhill Energy Centre.
Just using subsidies to put up wind turbines, is like giving an alcoholic or drug addict, money to fund their habit. It might give some a good feeling, but it does nothing for the overall good of society.
A Small Advantage Of Switching To OVO Energy
I’ve just received my contract with OVO Energy, to which I recently switched.
When I switched, my previous supplier was a bit secretive about my Electricity Supply Number or MPAN and it took a couple of phone calls to find it. I don’t think the difficulty was deliberate, but it could have been designed into the system, as a hoop for leavers to jump through!
I’ve now got a one-page A4 sheet of paper, with all my details. So if I find OVO don’t live up to their publicity, I at least have all the details about my supply handy, so switching might be even easier.
So my first advantage is that it will be easier to leave.
More Hot Air For Bunhill
During Open House in September, I visited the Bunhill Energy Centre, which provides heat and power for homes in Islington.
There are now reports like this one on ITV, that they will be taking in the waste heat from the Underground and an electricity sub-station. I would assume the latter is the massive one between the Regent’s Canal and City Road, that provides power to the City of London.
Perhaps they should build a centre like Bunhill close to the Houses of Parliament to heat homes n Westminster!
I’ve Just Switched To Ovo Energy
I will save myself a hundred and sixteen pounds a year, by swapping to Ovo Energy. Perhaps not much, but if I refer a friend and they sign up, we both get a twenty.
So if you want me to recommend you, I’m happy to do that. We could have a nice meal either by ourselves or together on the bonus!
Incidentally, I’ve found that I’ve got a lot in credit with my previous supplier. So hopefully, I’ll have that in my account in a few weeks. After all, it’s my money and it looks better in my bank account or wallet.
Is This The Reason Why You Should Swap To A Small Energy Supplier?
I’ve just been reading this article in The Times about the new energy supplier Ovo.
This is the paragraph, that caught my eye.
Ovo offers only two tariffs and has one structural advantage over its bigger rivals: in common with fellow start-ups such as Ecotricity and First Utility, it doesn’t have to put a government- mandated “green levy” on consumers’ bills because it has fewer than 250,000 customers. That means its customers are exempt from an average surcharge of £112 a year.
So it would seem that by changing to a small supplier, you’ll save over a hundred pounds a year. Obviously, if your chosen small supplier gets bigger than 250,000 customers, you’ll need to change to another small one.
Incidentally, I’m not in favour of green levies, as insulating houses is the responsibility of the property owner and wind turbines that of the builders! Not me!
This all sounds a good deal to me. I shall be investigating! Especially, as the fixed price deal with my current supplier runs out next year.
Brent Bans Fracking
This story about how Brent Council is going to ban fracking, must be the most silly of the weekend. It’s a bit like me saying, I won’t allow someone like Kate Moss to come round to my house for a cup of tea and some scones. Fracking needing to take place in Brent, is probably just as likely! Or should that be unlikely?
The Anonymous Widower 