General question about bills / meter readings

UsedToWait

Hi there,

Relatively new customer here.

Why would I have gotten two bills recently?

The first was for the period 30th March to 19th May


The second was for the period 20th to 31st May

I presume this is because I submitted a meter reading on the 19th May?


I did that because I new a bill was due at the end of May, and don't like estimated bills.
On a previous occasion, when I went to submit a reading, the website said it was too late, as my bill was being prepared.

So the question is: what is the optimal number of days before the bill is due to submit a reading, to ensure not getting two bills in a short time period?


Also, how does one know what the billing date is? - it seems to fluctuate between the 27th / 28th / 29th of the month

Electric Ireland: Una

Hi UsedToWait,

Thank you for getting in touch. Yes, that is the reason for the two bills.

Electric Ireland does not have the facility for the customer to send in a meter-reading before their scheduled bill issues, as ESB Networks read the meter for most scheduled bills (two out of three bills, unless they do not have access to the meter) for Electric Ireland customers and customers of other billing companies.

As such, because the meter will more than likely be read anyway, there is no need for the customer to submit a reading in advance. The only time it is necessary for the customer to send in a meter-reading is if their scheduled bill is estimated. If the customer sends in their reading immediately upon receiving their estimated bill, this will generate a replacement accurate bill if the bill was over-estimated, and an additional balance if the bill was under-estimated.

We can process meter-readings here on Boards.ie by private message.

The billing date does vary every second month, as it is based on when ESB Networks or Gas Networks Ireland read the meters in a district (or calculate estimates). Whenever a due date does not suit a customer however, this is no problem as we can change the due date to a later one or create a payment plan of up to eight instalments.

If the customer pays by direct debit, we recommend that they contact us immediately if they wish to change their direct debit due date for a particular bill, or if they have been over-estimated and wish to submit a meter-reading, so that there is sufficient notice given to the bank of the change.

Should you have any other questions, please let us know.

Best regards,
Una

UsedToWait

Ah that explains it.
Thanks for the quick reply Una.

Electric Ireland: Una

Hi UsedToWait,

Thanks for your post. You are very welcome - we're happy to advise.

If you wish to be assisted with any of the above queries, we are available here on Boards.ie and our other Social Media channels (Facebook and Twitter) until 6pm Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays).

Kind regards,
Una