Electricity Supply Bankruptcy, UK

[Boac]

My supplier, Brilliant Energy has proved to be less than brilliant and today went tits up. Not to worry, said the email from the regulator - you are still going to be supplied, your credit with Brilliant is secure and will be transferred to whichever new company you are transferred to. Ah! All well, then. NO. I am now apparently with SSE and their email to me tonight tells me I am on a 'deemed contract' with them while things get 'sorted'. The problem there is that they have me on the standard variable rate - I was on a 2 year fixed (1 year to run). So, a caution to anyone else who finds themselves in this predicament. Hopefully my problem is solved as tonight I now have a new supplier on a 12 month fixed slightly dearer than brilliant but far better than a 'Standard Variable'. Unfortunately it could take a few weeks on the SV rate before the new supply is in place.

[CharlieOneSix]

This happened to me a couple of years or so back but the company that took over the contract - I forget who now, think it was EON - honoured the pricing and fixed term I was on. When that term expired I went on to a 2 year fix with Flow Energy until this coming September. They have been a breeze to deal with, no problems at all. Of course there's nothing to say how long they will last....fingers crossed.

I see Brlliant Energy only had 17000 customers. Brilliant Energy bust - MoneySavingExpert.com

To be safe, it's worth taking a meter reading in the next couple of days, just in case you later have a billing dispute. If you need any further support, Ofgem has a comprehensive set of FAQs.

[Stoneboat]

Where I live, electricity generation is a Crown Corporation. 99% of the product is hydroelectric, hence the name Hydro Quebec. They turn a profit of several billions $ per year that goes into the provincial coffers.

[unifoxos]

Too many of these small outfits have gone bust, worth a few quid more for the peace of mind to stick to the big names.

[Pontius Navigator]

Mine went TU last year.

I had been with them in our previous house and it took an age to recover my overpayments. They overpaid me and then sent a small final bill. As I had asked previously for a final settlement I didn't pay then they went belly up and no one asked for the money.

In our new home I discovered they were the supplier. No way was staying I staying with them. They would not release the account as there was an outstanding debt from the previous occupier though they would (could) not say what it was. They insisted I open an account with them first. I did, I set up the direct debit then cancelled it.

They said I had to have a DD. I said I don't trust you. Tell me a bill I will pay it if I agree. They accepted that.

Took two months and muscle from EDF to leave them.

[Ex-Ascot]

My Google search shows that the average electricity bill for a 3/4 bedroom house in the UK is £48 a month. Do you guys back there in Blighty agree with that?

If that is the case it would be a pay back of 22 years on our solar system. However most of our power goes into filtering the pool and pumping water from the bore hole.. Guess a pool would add a bit to that UK average. However we have no heating or a/c. Also we have a gas cooker and solar oven.

[OFSO]

Spain, house only occupied for three months of the year, Endesa electricity set tariff is €111 a month. Indoor pool and a/c for cooling when here in summer. But ludicrously high price.

[Pontius Navigator]

Ex-A, yes not far out.

Our whole solar issue was screwed at the outset. If you had £10k spare you could install panels and a grateful Government would rob everyone that couldn't afford their own to pay the rich.

Costs came down, subsidies came down. Even at £5k and reduced power costs pay back is still near 10 years. Also the control unit may fail and many suppliers have ceased trading - one reason we didn't buy one house.

Bigger one is solar Hotwater. Typical cost is £4k. We had a total gas bill of £800pa but water probably no more than £100.

[Smeagol]

Ex-A, I have just checked and for a 4 bedroomed house I have paid £44/month for the period Aug '18 to Jan '19, with electricity used for all lighting and cooking. Heating is by oil fired boiler.
Once allowed a solar company to look at quoting but when I told them I would only want panels on my garage roof which is a bit small and partially shaded, they declined. Main roof is unsuitable plus would look fugly!

[1DC]

I have solar, cost £4600 and is on course to pay back in just over 4 years..

[Pontius Navigator]

1DC, at 75 years and Mrs PN not happy here, no contest.

[Alisoncc]

A few years back a new start-up here (Oz) had an interesting concept. Bit like the old coin meters from way back. You buy electrickery up front via an on-line website, where you monitor your account. I read my meter weekly, enter details and the site tells me how much I have in reserve and when I need to buy some more. The theory is that there is no credit interest involved so should be cheaper.

When I first signed up with them three years ago the discounts offered were significant, but they have gradually wound them back. So not sure where they stand at present. As a pensioner my electrickery is subsidised by the State govt, which they manage with funds credited to my account monthly. In general I seem to be paying less than previous years so not unhappy, and being in control of my usage, no big quarterly bill is a big plus. Electrickery goes in my fortnightly budget of living costs. So always know what my discretionary income is for special yummy things.

Alison

[Ex-Ascot]

Thank you for the feedback. So it is going to take 22 years for us to get a pay back. Previous owners relied on a generator. They had to start it to watch TV! We have mains power 1km away but it would be a horrendous cost to get it here and the poles and cables would look awful. Then there are the constant power cuts. The safari camp up river had mains fitted about 3 years ago. We went for the big switch on party. There was a power cut. Solar is the only sensible option here. Solar water heater as well of course. We aim for a yield of 8 KWhs a day. Most of this is pool filtration.

[Rwy in Sight]

It looks a pretty small installation Ex-A. My understanding is that they need a constant wash or they loose efficiency.

[Ex-Ascot]

It looks a pretty small installation Ex-A. My understanding is that they need a constant wash or they loose efficiency.

That is all we need and cost 13,000 euro. The battery alone was 3,000 euro. Control system below. In fact it is twice the size we started off with. We don't need heating or a/c. We don't run hair driers or deep fat fryers. We don't have electric ovens. When off grid you live with minimum power. As said before the main usage is the filtration of the pool and the bore hole pump. Yes especially in this sandy environment the panels need to be washed down once a week and branches of tree trimmed to keep the shadows off the the panels.

RiS do you know what your KWhs a day are? Maybe not from you meter. It would be interesting.

Anyway trust we are up for a beer or two !7th next month. Got a few hours to spare at the big port.

[Capetonian]

Consider yourselves fortunate not to be in ZA, where the national utility, Eskom, is bankrupt due to fraud, corruption, theft, nepotism, incompetency ......... the usual NR stuff.

It is currently operating at 60% of its installed capacity, causing blackouts (not meant to be a pun) throughout the country.

[Alisoncc]

See you've still got those massive great UK leccky plugs. Might have been appropriate hundred years ago, but with so much stuff these days drawing just milliamps, bit over the top now. Has the UK ever considered changing to a much smaller one, like the US or OZ plugs?

[G-CPTN]

Has the UK ever considered changing to a much smaller one, like the US or OZ plugs?

Nah - they wouldn't fit our sockets . . .

[Capetonian]

The UK three pin plug design is brilliant.

It is extremely safe, as half of each pin is insulated, so it is almost impossible to electrocute yourself even if you tried to do so. You would need a metal knife or an uninsulated screwdriver and a deliberate effort.

The earth pin is tapered, longer than the other two, and unlocks the shutters of the live and return sockets, so you could not accidentally insert an object and electrocute yourself.

The plugs have square pins which make secure and tight contact with the internal springs, thus reducing to alomsst zero the possibility of poor contacts, arcing, overheating, or fire.

The plugs are internally fused, as an additional protection, and the rating of the fuse should match the power draw of the device it supplies.

The way that the internal pins and wiring are arranged guarantees that if the wire works lose, the live and neutral wires will lose connection, meaning again that electrocution is impossible.

It may be large, but it is infinitely preferable to the shoddy cheap continental substitutes.

[G-CPTN]

When we moved to Denmark in 1981 I was shocked by the antediluvian and potentially lethal system of plugs and sockets.