EDF meter prob HC/HP

[Loire]

Morning all

I have a problem with the functioning of my EDF elect meter HC/HP

and hope you can help shed some light on whether I might have to pay a huge

amount for past consumption. Sorry it’s so long, but I wanted to make the

situation as clear as possible

I bought my house 11 yrs ago, and had it re-wired

immediately. It was until about 6 yrs ago, my maison secondaire, in which I

spent little time, particularly in winter, but had very high bills. The house

was heated by electricity, but I was very frugal with it. I am with EDF. All

local opinion, which might well not count for much, was that my bills were far

too high, and a few years ago, though at the moment I can’t recall when, though

I think about 2 yrs or more, I had an EDF technician out to check the meter. Before

looking at it, he told me that he had never found a meter to be defective, and

that I should have to pay for his call were he to find that there was no

problem with the meter. He told me after checking the meter that that he hadn’t

found a problem, the meter was working as it should. I have never received a

bill, and my bills following that were lower, so I assumed that he had not

wished to let me know that he had found a problem. As I have been very ill and

had numerous problems to deal with and there didn’t seem to be one there, I

didn’t look into it any further.

Last winter I had a pellet burner installed, but it was in

place only few months as it was found to have been installed incorrectly, was dangerous,

and, due to being next to a listed church, no installation that would satisfy

the Architects des Batiments de France, mairie etc and meet the safety regs

could be made, so after a long battle, it was uninstalled, and I reverted to

electric heating.

I have been paying for my electricity every two mnths, submitting

readings to EDF each time, except each June and December when an EDF calls to

read the meter and the bill is based on that reading. I noticed a while ago

that the heures  plein reading was

staying the same, but initially put that down to the technician having probably

found a problem which he hadn’t admitted and that EDF might be in effect

recalibrating to account for making my past bills higher than they should have

been. After a few such readings however, including those by EDF meter readers,

who said nothing about it, a few months ago I asked an electrician to check my

meter. He did so, but explained that only EDF could gain access to the meter controls,

and that there is a seal to prove that I have not done so. He also thought that

the (consumption) wheel was turning too quickly, but couldn’t find out why.   He told

me not to worry about the HP problem and say nothing as any problem with the

meter was not mine and I could not be held responsible, it was EDF’s, and the

seal proved that I hadn’t tampered with it.

The meter reader came out from EDF this morning for the

usual December reading, and said that I have a problem with the HP reading and

that one if their technicians would make an apt with me in the new year.

I’ve tried to access my EDF account to see the worst possible

scenario for if they make me pay the difference, as money is very tight at the

moment, but am able to access very little - it says there is a problem and I

must try later. I have been able to look sometimes today at the consumption

chart, which shows that HP hasn’t changed since Jan 2014, so around 2 yrs. What

has been changed today is that nearly all the readings on that chart are being

attributed to me, including the EDF meter readers’ readings each Dec and June.

I can’t access my bills to see if they show that the meter was read by an EDF meter

reader at the times they took the readings.

 

Call me suspicious, but what a coincidence that I can’t

currently access all my account, and that the only meter readings shown to have

been done by the EDF meter readers are immediately before the problem, which is

just not true, as I said, they have been each six months. I’ll keep trying to access

my bills today, though I have a number of other urgent things to do and am not

well.

Does anyone know if in the circs EDF could make me pay a

sum. which no doubt they would pluck out of thin air and be far higher than any

justifiable amount, for the “difference” between the bills that I have paid for

two yrs as all HC, and what they consider they should have been HP, even though

the meter prob was not of my doing, and they have read it  3 or 4 times in the intervening period? Is

there any limit on the time for which they can demand such money? Any quote of

the law would be particularly welcome. I have a horrid feeling I’ll receive a

bill to be paid very quickly amounting to thousands of euros, though without being

able to access my past bills I don’t have much idea of the worst poss scenario.

Any help/advice you can give on this would be very

gratefully received.

 

Kind regards

 

Loire

[Quillan]

I had a not to dissimilar problem, my meter got stuck on night and would not register red days (on Tempo). The whole thing dragged on for years and they replaced the meter a few times. Turned out is was a problem locally to do with the sub station not forwarding on the correct signals to the meter that makes it change between night and day and in my case to red days. It was a little it more complicated because of the Tempo tariff but not far off your problem. What you were told was right, it's their meter and their problem, you can't be charged for units that can't be measured. In my case (and it may be the same for you) I got a surprise cheque from EDF because the water heaters were on 24 hours a day yet the meter was set to turn them on only at night. If memory served it was around 2,000 Euros.

 

I would call the helpdesk and ask for a 'technician' to visit and get a fully (French) qualified electrician to be in attendance who can inform the technician that the house has no problems. They (the electrician) may charge you for this service so perhaps you can get the guy who did the rewire to come? Just the mention of EDF saying it is a problem in the house with his wiring will probably get him there for free.

 

You can get the same technician for each visit if your rural, we do and he comes on Thursdays. Last time he came he didn't even look at the meter let alone try to change it he just waived his hands around in the air an said he had told them it was an external fault and went away. Shortly after the problem was fixed and then after that the cheque arrived.

 

Some said I was mad keep getting the EDF guy in because I was not getting charged for certain days when I should be on the maximum red tariff but like you I was worried about a massive bill dropping through the letter box which has never come.

 

So don't lose any sleep, there won't be any big bills piling up but just keep badgering the EDF helpdesk, behave like your stupid and keep banging on about how much extra electricity you are using because of their problem. Good luck

[Loire]

Quillan

Thank you so much.

Excellent idea about getting an electrician out. The ones who rewired were not good, and have gone bust, but thankfully I know a good reliable team nearby. I think there's always been a prob with the meter, mostly charging me far too much, borne out by a website I looked at yesterday for assessing kilowatts used by each appliance over a year.

Never know, might resolve the problem I've always had.

Now, if someone can help with today's problem of the supermarket website for my grocery delivery not allowing me access to the order and delivery part of their website, or throwing me out after a few mins...

Phoned the supermarket who as ever denied it has a prob with their newly re-done website, as they have on previous occasions, only for it to be obvious later that it was a prob their website, though they tried to wriggle out if it, and of course, no apology or admission of guilt!

Kind regards

loire

[nomoss]

It seems from what you say that you rely on EDF to store your bills electronically and now fear that the readings may somehow have been revised retroactively.

Might I suggest that in future you save them yourself each month in a folder on your own PC, and maybe even print them out, so you always have them for reference.

[Loire]

Thanks very much nomoss

Excellent suggestion. Normally I would do that but unfortunately have been too ill and swamped to keep up with things as I would otherwise have done.

Kind regards

Loire