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Low usage charge- not happy

  • 18-08-2015 01:50PM
    #1
    dinneenp
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,257 ✭✭✭


    Hi,
    We're selling a house and it's virtually empty for over 5 months now. just got a bill and found that
    we're being charged a low usage charge. "This is an increased Standing Charge that only applies where you use two units or less of electricity on average per day in a billing period"
    So I phoned support and were told about it in more details. I asked if it'd be cheaper to leave a lightbulb on all the time and  your colleague said yes, if it's under 2 units a day then it's cheaper.
    1. Can you tell me why this charge is in place? I see an excuse on your site ( enable Electric Ireland recover the costs associated with providing electricity to customers with very low usage.) but for someone who has been a customer for years and years it's very unfair to get this charge now I think.
    2. So Electric Ireland is openingly saying that it's better to leave a lightbulb on CONSTANTLY (wasting electricity) to save money?


    https://www.electricireland.ie/residential/help/billing/what-is-the-low-user-standing-charge

    Patrick
     


Comments

  • #2
    Electric Ireland: David
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,454 ✭✭✭Electric Ireland: David


    Hi dineenp,

    Thanks for getting in touch, and we're sorry to hear you're unhappy about this.
    Can you tell me why this charge is in place? I see an excuse on your site ( enable Electric Ireland recover the costs associated with providing electricity to customers with very low usage.) but for someone who has been a customer for years and years it's very unfair to get this charge now I think.
    The section on our website you refer to fully explains the reasons for introducing this charge; I'm sorry I can't direct you elsewhere. As outlined there, a typical residential electricity customer uses approximately 14 units per day, so customers who use 2 units or less per day in any given billing period would be in a very small minority.

    The alternative would have been to increase standing charges for all customers; however it was felt that a fairer approach would be to apply the charge only to accounts where the costs associated with providing electricity weren't being recovered.
    dineenp wrote:
    So Electric Ireland is openingly saying that it's better to leave a lightbulb on CONSTANTLY (wasting electricity) to save money?
    We're committed to energy efficiency so we certainly don't mean to be giving this message. We have set the daily threshold at a very low level and in the vast majority of cases only empty/vacant households and premises will attract this increased charge.

    If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.

    Regards,
    David


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