I am moving out of my parents and in to my first flat at the end of next week. The flat is owned by my boss and he has told me the gas is on a coin meter and the electric is a top up card, this is all I know about the setup.

I don’t really understand what I need to do when I move in, I will obviously want to shop around for the cheapest deals but I also want to get rid of these meters as I’ve heard they’re much more expensive.

Do I contact the supplier I want to go with and they will come and remove the meters for me then put me on a monthly direct debit?

Could someone just explain the process when moving in to a new home? As I said before, this is my first time so I really don’t know.

contact the supplier you decide on,tell them your situation and they will advise you accordingly

We are having a small problem with our previous electric and gas supplier.

On the 22nd of August we moved into a rented property together. One of the first things we did upon moving was take the gas and electric meter readings and pass them to the previous gas and electric supplier used by the last tenants. (Let’s called them supplier X) Upon moving we arranged to change suppliers, however there is a period of waiting required between changes where supplier X will still bill us.
Supplier X have sent us bills for 22-31st of August and the 1-30th of September for gas and electric – both of these bills were in our names and both have been paid – the company acknowledges the payment of these bills in full.

However there is another bill due for the dates 1-21st of August which is simply addressed to ‘new occupier’. As our tenancy didn’t begin until the 22nd, I contacted the company and they said to ignore all correspondence regarding this bill. However we are still getting demands to pay this bill in the name of ‘new occupier’. We have contacted the company again, explained we are the new occupiers and that no one currently residing in the property is liable for the bill between the 1-21st of August. The company agreed we, the current tenants were not liable but said that they could not stop sending out letters addressed to ‘new occupier’ demanding payment.

We are now getting a little worried as we do not know who or where the previous tenants are, and eventually we may receive correspondence suggesting bailiffs could pay us a visit.

Would continually demanding payment to ‘new occupier’ (us) count as harassment, as we do not owe the money for this bill? Can someone please advise us on the best course of action to avoid getting these letters demanding payment and to rid ourselves of the dreaded supplier X?

Many thanks!

Make copies of whatever documentation you have that proves you only began occupying the place on August 22nd, and take it in person to the X gas and electric company. Firmly request to have this issue settled on the spot by someone who has the authority to do so.

Possibly the problem is that no one was occupying the property before the 22nd, but the utilities were still on. That’s a problem for the landlord.

i moved to this address in 1992, i had prepayment meters for gas and electric. i have since changed suppliers and have been paid any credit on the gas i was owed however its been a slow process with the electric getting monies owed. i have to admit i forgot about it again till now and need to start chasing it up again. i am in the uk

It would have been the local electricity distributor (eg Manweb, Norweb etc), as the industry was not open to competition in 1992.

if you owed them from paying a quarterly bill then yes they would providing ur final bill didnt eat it all up, but if its prepayment meters they do tel you not to use new keys or cards until your credit has run almost out because they do not give it back to you

Does anyone know what the limit is as to how much an account can be in debit with a supplier before that supplier would prevent any change of supplier?

Also do suppliers now credit check all new customers before agreeing to supply them?

Marcus you will not be able to switch suppliers if you are in debit with lots of arrears unpaid. If you are in debit for the last couple of months or last quarter (if you normally pay quarterly) you will not have a problem switching.

But if you have lots of unpaid arrears, no supplier will take you on. Yes all suppliers will automatically do a credit check on you to ensure they are not taking on a trouble maker who can’t afford to pay for his gas and electricity.

There is not DEBIT limit as such that will prevent you switching, its just how much arrears you have.

Well im on a low income tariff on gas and electric with edf, only recently changed to due fuel. They sent me a card out that didn’t work, so i had send it back. I ran out of gas on Sunday! So national grid came and put on emergency credit. As its not my fault that i’m left without a card(still not received a replacement) am I entitle to a refund of the difference between standard and emergency rate and should I complain that i still don’t have a card!

Hi, if there is a difference between standard and emergency rate you have every right to be reimbursed the difference as it is obviously not your fault you found yourself in this situation

i have an energy monitor from EON electric and i am changing to Scottish Power. will my energy monitor still work.

The energy monitor will not beable to tell the difference in the electricity. You can still monitor your usage.

The problem is if it has smart grid technology that feeds information back to EON. The software might not be compatable with Scottish Power’ software. Or you may need a data line hook up.

for 2monthes energy before i changed suppliers during that pariod i was not trading now the suppliers did not have a meter reading as i have found that the prvious people that owned the buis did not provide them with the final reading so the energy provider has sent me a estimat calculated buy the previous buisness owners averge usage over the year so im not sure but they shoudnt be able to charge me anything should they? now i have the debt collecters threatining legal action what shall i do please somebody help me advice me how to get away from these nutters as i have not responded yet help sorry about the poor spelling mistakes

It was YOUR responsibility – and also common sense – to have the meter read immediately you moved in. It would appear that you are the cause of your own misfortune

i have just had my electric meter changed from a prepayment meter to a standard meter and paying by direct debits the thing is my direct debits are higher than what i was paying before will i have to continue paying the direct debits up to 12 months before they put credit back into my account or will a energy supplier make the adjustments in the coming months has any one had their meter changed and what advise could you give me please

I had mine changed about 6 years ago.

With a prepayment meter, there’s a very limited choice of companies and tariffs available – generally these are far more expensive than paying by direct debit. Most likely you will be on a standard tariff – these are usually the most expensive, but now you’ve ditched the prepayment meter you should have far more choice available. Electricity varies from about 13p per unit to 8.5p per unit so look around. Some suppliers have standing charges and some don’t.

Most people use more electric in the winter than the summer – direct debits are usually evened out throughout the year, so in summer you may pay for more then you use and in winter it can be less.

If you have old bills you can check your previous usage, but only actual meter readings are meaningful – estimates are not.

I used to prefer to pay a little too much for the direct debit – it’s a bit like a savings account or gives a bit of a breather for harder times.You do get either the money back or the reduced bills eventually and it’s better than being asked for extra money later.

After a couple of months it might be worth reading your meter then phoning the electric company to see about adjusting the direct debit if you’re not happy. They may be trying to build up a bit of credit in your account.