I am in total shock, just got my latest EDF statement, not only have the monthly payments trebled, but they say I owe 716.68 euros, always had my meter read twice a year, now have a linky meter, I dont have over 700 euros, there must be a mistake, usually I get momey back in November.
Will have to wait until tomorrow when I can phone them, but feel totally sick
Have you worked out the usage since your last bill in June/July and the current amount Linky says you have used? You can get a rough idea at least even if the cost per kw is a bit higher than marked on your last invoice. Also do you have something that is running all the time that dosn’t need to, used a tumble drier continuously, had works done on your property, electrical garden machinery/tools? All these things add up or horror of horrors, has someone accessed your supply via an outside socket or cable??
Have you checked the readings and done your own calculations?
If it is correct, heaven forbid, I am sure they will arrange staggered payments if you ask.
I must admit I have become addicted to checking what we have used and how much it has cost on the edf app. I am not a fan of apps, in fact this is the only app I have. My daughter insisted on putting it on my phone and showing me how to use it and recently since all the hype about electricity prices it has become a bit of an obsession, I check it several times a week.
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Yes I go on my engie account and its marked clearly how much I have used and the cost. With the utilities you can make arrangements to pay in agreed amounts over a few months but only if you contact them immediately and do not leave it until the prélévément date is upon you.
Does this large increase coincide with the installation of the Linky meter ? If so, it may be that the new meter didn’t start at zero, or that the old last meter reading was incorrect. If you look at the EDF app, or online in a web browser, you can see day to day consumption figures from the Linky. Look at what it said for the very first figure read after installation.
As for increasing the monthly payments, EDF are continually asking us to more than double our monthly payments, this despite the fact that we get money back every year at our current payment. It seems that they can’t get their head around the fact that we consume less than half of what the average is for the size of our house and insist we should be consuming more.
If a Linky meter is installed then daily/weekly/monthly readings can be obtained from Enedis:
Deleted as irrelevant to thread…
This kind of problem always makes me reiterate this…
Unless you really need to pay a guaranteed monthly amount then contact your energy supplier & ask for “facturation mensuelle au réel”.
This means you get a monthly bill for the actual energy that you have used in the past month, not an estimate that needs adjusting annually.
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The OP dosn’t say whether this is her principal residence or a holiday home which could make a difference especially if it has been used by others in her absence. Is it a catch-up bill for insufficient fixed amounts during the period. I do hope it is an oversite and she can sleep easier tomorrow night.
Sorry have been in shock and upset all afternoon. My meter used to be read April and October and direct debit adjusted, often a rebate given in November because I had over paid.
Had a Linky meter fitted in February and have been informed monthly direct debit will go from roughly 112 euros a momth to 301 and I owe EDF 761 euros, looking at the graph they sent I used hardly any power during the summer.
I will be on the phone tomorrow to sort this out
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Principal residence
I’ve had this happen twice. The last time EDF took it upon themselves to estimate our energy consumption way above our historical usage. After speaking to them on the phone, they said it was an error and put it back down as before, although having spoken to a number of people, they had the same problem. We have Linky now, and have a better idea where we’re at. We over estimate a little in the summer to compensate for increased usage in the winter… So far no problems. However at a secondary residence they took it upon themselves to charge around 1000 euros out of nowhere, when there was nobody living there (just some minor renovation work), so the actual costs would have been absolutely minimal… We will be claiming it back from EDF later, as there was no reasoning behind it.
Ann, that is a horrible scenario to go to that amount without any warning, is it legal I wonder without your consent? I do hope you get it resolved today as being an error, the people who read and put info into computers are often infallable and now you make me worried too even with the graphs for usage and costs so far appearing on my engie account. Do you qualify for the chèque energie against your tax return? It makes one hell of a difference to me when I get mine every year. Good luck on the phone and let us know the result. As an idea, you could take a photo of your meter every so often as proof, I always do this with the water meter.
Sorry to labour the point I have made in similar topics of the years… the only people who benefit from these “easy payment” schemes are the utilities themselves…
Far better that the money is in your account to pay the bi-monthly bill when it is presented… EDF have no more interest in your financial circumstances than fly in the air - it is there simply to suit them - not you!
All it requires is a little forward planning… you know historically how much your bill is likely to be every two months (well, we do using a simple spreadsheet) and can make sure that there are sufficient funds in the bank to cover it when presented.
Look after your own money; don’t allow others to do it for you.
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We are still on twice yearly bills. I think EDF no longer offers this option and they frequently encourage us to move to pay monthly. Before Linky I was intending to do this to save the hassle of keeping track, but with Linky it is so much easier that I am now thinking I will stick with twice yearly. The winter bill is large but as Graham says, better the money in my account for as long as possible than theirs.
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Absolutely.
But.
Linky users can now have monthly bills for their actual consumption. As I said above, ask for…
Also…
Indeed, but don’t fall for having the fixed monthly estimate, which is what they want you to do. Demand “au réel”!
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Thank you for that advice.
I think I will continue to pay six monthly though, for as long as possible. The way the prices are going, it is becoming almost like a six month interest free loan!
My monthly facturation mensuelle has just arrived by email from engie ten mins ago so I know where I am with having to pay the difference. As for monthly fixed payments I was not keen and have never had that before with EDF but engie insisted and more or less blackmailed me into doing the monthly but I only let them have the absolute miniumum they accept.
Even better - stick the money in a tax free interest giving account such as livret A which provides instant access
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Funnily enough that is exactly what I do!
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