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Low electricity users hit with extra charge!

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  • 27-02-2012 10:45am
    #1
    hellboy99
    Registered Users Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭


    Seriously :rolleyes:

    How is this legal? How can someone be charged for something they are not using? Only in Ireland would something like this happen, this is just ridiculous :mad:

    Does ESB EI not realise that people are trying to save a euro where they can and if they now try to cut back on their energy usage you penalise your customers for it!
    Electric Ireland has set another charge on more than 100,000 householders because they are not using a lot of electricity.

    A new 'low user standing charge' came into effect on February 1 targeting customers who use an average of two units or less per day.

    According to the Irish Times, their bills will increase by 15.5 cent per day - that is €9.45 in a two-monthly bill.

    Householders have been told about the increase in bill inserts in the past fortnight.

    Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/low-electricity-users-hit-with-extra-charge-541340.html#.T0tL4huclFU.facebook#ixzz1nZdnTmJl


Comments

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    #2
    Electric Ireland: David
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,457 ✭✭✭Electric Ireland: David


    Hi hellboy99,

    We have set the daily threshold at a very low level (average two units or less per day per billing period) and anticipate that nearly all of the affected premises/households will be vacant. The average household uses approximately 14 units per day.

    The following links provide further information:

    What One Unit Will Get You

    The Low User Standing Charge - Your Questions Answered

    The charge will not affect:
    • Customers who are in receipt of the Free Electricity Allowance
    • Customers on Household Budget Plan and Pay As You Go meters
    • Gas accounts
    • Microgeneration customers (i.e. customers whose energy is exported back to the grid are reimbursed if affected)
    I hope this helps.

    Thanks,

    David.


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    #3
    kippy
    Registered Users Posts: 18,396 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    hellboy99 wrote: »
    Seriously :rolleyes:

    How is this legal? How can someone be charged for something they are not using? Only in Ireland would something like this happen, this is just ridiculous :mad:

    Does ESB EI not realise that people are trying to save a euro where they can and if they now try to cut back on their energy usage you penalise your customers for it!



    Read more: http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/low-electricity-users-hit-with-extra-charge-541340.html#.T0tL4huclFU.facebook#ixzz1nZdnTmJl
    In fairness to the ESB, Eircom have been charging a "line" rental fee of 26 odd euro for years - whether you've "used" the line or not. (not that I agree with either "charge" btw)


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    #4
    hellboy99
    Registered Users Posts: 6,219 ✭✭✭hellboy99


    Electric Ireland: David wrote: »
    Hi hellboy99,

    We have set the daily threshold at a very low level (average two units or less per day per billing period) and anticipate that 95% of affected premises/households will be vacant.
    I still think it's not fair what your doing, it's ridiculous, so much for our carbon footprint, pays to use more :rolleyes:


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    #5
    jimogr
    Registered Users Posts: 622 ✭✭✭jimogr


    David, is there a disconnection fee if I decide to disconnect an unoccupied house?


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    #6
    Readyhed
    Site Banned Posts: 104 ✭✭Readyhed


    Electric Ireland: David wrote: »
    Hi hellboy99,

    We have set the daily threshold at a very low level (average two units or less per day per billing period) and anticipate that 95% of affected premises/households will be vacant.
    David.

    It doesn't affect most people or very poor people or categories of politically sensitive people so the fact that it is MORALLY wrong and flies in the face of a world wide drive to cut back on energy consumption is not that important.

    hellboy99 is right. Charging someone for something they don' t use is wrong. It is stealing!

    The energy regulator should put a stop to this.


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    #7
    Electric Ireland: David
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,457 ✭✭✭Electric Ireland: David


    Hi jimogr,
    jimogr wrote:
    David, is there a disconnection fee if I decide to disconnect an unoccupied house?

    Yes, there is a disconnection fee (€79.45 incl. VAT). It would also cost this much again to get the house reconnected (see here for more info).

    As the charge amounts to €9.45 per bill (taking 61 days as the average billing cycle), unless you forsee the property not being in use at all, I wouldn't recommend disconnecting. The charge only applies where there is less than 122kWhs used in a given billing period, so the charge may apply to some bills and not to others.

    I hope this information helps.

    Regards,

    David.


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    #8
    pedigree
    Registered Users Posts: 67 ✭✭pedigree


    Rip off Ireland once again.
    Move account in protest the only option.


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    #9
    Techseeker
    Registered Users Posts: 33 ✭Techseeker


    pedigree wrote: »
    Rip off Ireland once again.
    Move account in protest the only option.


    Indeed. Change provider is the only option. I am reconsidering my options with respect to my late grandfathers old terraced house, and since no one was living in it the electric bill was just the standard charge. With this new extra charge I considered disconnecting, however there are a few problems with that, according to the agent on the phone..

    Disconnect for less that 6months €70+vat to disconnect OK,
    Reconnect within 6months 70+vat OK,
    Reconnect after 6months and less than 2 years 70+vat with cert from electrician, OK but not sure how much the wiring will change in the 7th month.
    Reconnect after 2 two years is considered a new connection will cost €1807 inc vat. *

    http://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential/manage-your-account/reconnections-new-connections.jsp

    *http://www.esb.ie/esbnetworks/en/commercial-downloads/ESB-networks-ltd-statement-of-charges.pdf
    Page 5


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    #10
    patwicklow
    Registered Users Posts: 1,937 ✭✭✭patwicklow


    Techseeker wrote: »
    Indeed. Change provider is the only option. I am reconsidering my options with respect to my late grandfathers old terraced house, and since no one was living in it the electric bill was just the standard charge. With this new extra charge I considered disconnecting, however there are a few problems with that, according to the agent on the phone..

    Disconnect for less that 6months €70+vat to disconnect OK,
    Reconnect within 6months 70+vat OK,
    Reconnect after 6months and less than 2 years 70+vat with cert from electrician, OK but not sure how much the wiring will change in the 7th month.
    Reconnect after 2 two years is considered a new connection will cost €1807 inc vat. *

    http://www.esb.ie/esbcustomersupply/residential/manage-your-account/reconnections-new-connections.jsp

    *http://www.esb.ie/esbnetworks/en/commercial-downloads/ESB-networks-ltd-statement-of-charges.pdf
    Page 5

    Wow they they really have you one way or the other, im switching to an other network after reading the other tread on here as well about esb hiring a british company to harass people for non paid bills they could have least hired an Irish company for it,but no state owned and yet they bring in uk company's what a farce of a country we are living in.


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    #11
    Funkygreendogs
    Registered Users Posts: 207 ✭✭Funkygreendogs


    An absolute disgrace, how can they get away with everything that they do, its like the entire system is designed specifically to rob you of all money you have (whats left of it after the banks have had their way)

    They dont even check the meters, they just guess at your usage(wireless internet anyone?). They probably check once every year and a half. Of course you get your money back after that but only after they collect the interest off it. Then of course theres all the electric usage that comes from just having stuff left in the socket, even though its not in use or powered on.

    Now they can charge you for not using enough electricity, ah yes the old "Non-usage" tax, they should do the same for other stuff too, you could get taxed for not having a car.

    You get fined for NOT breaking the law, or maybe you get taxed for not having a job (that might actually be a good idea)


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    #12
    JD1763
    Registered Users Posts: 372 ✭✭JD1763


    Come on guys, its not easy paying an average salary of 90k a year. Have a heart like.


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    #13
    patwicklow
    Registered Users Posts: 1,937 ✭✭✭patwicklow


    Can see up roar on this. no wonder the boss,s get to fine dine and have private dinners in five star places all us mugs paying for it.


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    #14
    JD1763
    Registered Users Posts: 372 ✭✭JD1763


    Well when you're on a package of €420,000 (€750,000 the year before) in the middle of a major recession you could eat €50 notes for breakfast lunch and dinner. From a very quick flick through the annual report there was additional remuneration of €3million declared seperately to salary for management in 2010. It also managed to plug a gap of over €300million in its pension fund and still declared an operating proft of €339 million.

    I love how they keep harping on about it only being 2 units a day or less. This is just the beginning, next it will go to 3 then 4 then 5....


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    #15
    LLU
    Closed Accounts Posts: 407 ✭✭LLU


    And does it apply to ESB staff who get free electricity?
    Although I suppose they can get around it by simply leaving a few lights on full time...


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    #16
    dudara
    Registered Users Posts: 33,519 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    This is going way off target and is not being a productive discussion. David has laid out clearly who this will affect. I'd suggest reading that and thinking sensibly about the impacted connections.

    Thread closed.

    dudara


This discussion has been closed.
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