Back Billing Farce - SMART?

nbIt was announced this week that utility (Gas and Electric mainly) debt is getting worse and worse by the day. Or is it?

In the United Kingdom right now the 2 main SMART used by our utility suppliers are called SMET 1 & 2. The whole point of having SMART meters installed in your homes was to take away the need to provide meter readings yourself. For many people it’s the only way they can submit readings due to where they live, for example, if you live within say, 20 miles of an airport, getting a SMART meter to send correct reads is something of a trial and error.

It is incorrect meter reads that in many cases cause the arrears on peoples accounts due to the auto assumption and estimation of usage when reads are not correct or missing.

Week Reading

1. 10 units ( Gas or Electric )

2. 20 units

3. 30 units

So these meter reads suggest that 10 units of energy are being used per week ( very low units for example purpose only ).

If onto week 4 for whatever reason the meter stops sending auto readings, the system will say to itself : That address, that location, X number of bedrooms with the average family size, 2 adults and 2 children would realistically be using 50 units a week. Not working on the premise that this is a single pensioner and the only person in the house. All of a sudden the customers bill goes from 40 units used in a month to over 100?

The automated billing system creates an incorrect bill grossly overcharging the account holder. If the customer has arranged payments whether amount used or a set amount chances are this will put the customer into arrears without the customer being aware . What the company I worked for would do is just send out letters asking for payment, or texts, and for updated meter reads. However, in many cases customers had no access to the meter due to health impairment and, or were unable to make sense of working the meter. The chance of many of our customers being able to provide accurate reads was minimal at best. This could go on for some time. Let me add at this point there is a system in place that customers on the PCR list, in essence customers who are disabled/elderly or unable to access the meter, are put on a meter reading rotation that see’e old fashioned meter readers going to customers homes to read the meter. This wasn’t unfortunately a regular activity and months could go in between visits by which time arrears could rapidly grow on an account.

I have spoken to customers who are anywhere between £1000 to £20,000 in arrears due to meter faults. What Back Billing can do as soon as accurate reads have been added to the account is as it sounds work the reads backwards until the correct bill is created. What these companies are not doing, and something we suggested many times to our bosses, why can’t customers with perhaps £1000 arrears or more, why can’t that account be flagged for investigation and not intimidation for the customer? Surely before they send threats via letter, email or text, or even worse a debt collection agency, why can’t someone look at these accounts first and look to see if there is a meter reading issue? Of course there are going to be people, especially small businesses that get into arrears, but the majority of customers in these terrible situations are either, young single parents or pensioners.

Energy companies have so many tools to help and support customers but it is almost as if they would rather they get into arrears before offering help. The simple truth is SMART meters are the way forward, and they do not by the way, read your mind or look at your bank account as people are being told. Indeed nor can it as one customer said to me, “We can’t have a SMART meters in the house yet as we haven’t had kid’s yet?” Nor can it make you infertile ( it,s true he really said that !). These meters if working properly can save you money as there are no more estimated bills. They take all of the pressure off you as the customer and again if working properly, can help you manage your energy spend which mush more efficiently process data.