Take a closer look at your Direct Debit. Your questions answered

Transcription

1 Take a closer look at your Direct Debit Your questions answered

2 Set up an online account to keep in touch with your Direct Debit If you want to keep up-to-date more regularly, register for an online account. Not only will you be able to keep track of your energy usage, you can also set up text alerts to remind you to send meter readings, which will help to keep your Direct Debit amount accurate. On your computer, tablet and smartphone Online via account services Simply log in to your account services. If you don t have online services, visit npower.com/register it s quick and easy to register. Via our FREE smartphone app Download our app for FREE. It also includes lots of other handy tools for managing your energy too.

3 The ins and outs of Direct Debit payments Most customers choose to pay for their energy by Direct Debit. Little wonder as it s a great way to spread energy costs across the year. However, there are some common questions that crop up from time to time, which we ve answered in this handy guide. Q. How do you work out my monthly Direct Debit amount? A. The most accurate way is to base it on the amount of energy you are using. If you re new to npower then your energy usage can be found on a bill from your previous supplier. Combining this with precise and timely meter readings should mean that your Direct Debit is as accurate as possible. Without an actual meter reading, we ll have to estimate your energy usage, which can affect the accuracy of your Direct Debit. If you ve moved into a new house then we ll ask you questions about your home and any changes to the number of people living there. This will help us to estimate how much your Direct Debit should be. Q. Will my Direct Debit amount change, and if so, why? A. We bill your account twice and will review the amount you pay at this time. When we review your account, we take into consideration how much energy you ve used, any credits or debits on the account, the cost of the tariff you re on, and any price change that will impact your account before your next review. If you see a change to your Direct Debit, it s typically due to one of the following reasons: You ve been using more or less energy than we thought. That may be due to an inaccurate estimate when you joined. The best possible start is for us to know your current energy usage and to receive accurate, timely meter readings. Seasonal weather changes. Your energy usage will increase over the winter months, meaning you could start to build up a large balance on your account. To spread this balance over the year, we ll increase your Direct Debit amount, so you don t get hit with a large bill in the Spring. Changing your tariff. If your tariff has come to an end or you ve moved to a new one, this will often affect your monthly Direct Debit.

4 Q. How can my Direct Debit amount change if I m on a fixed rate tariff? A. Many people misunderstand this one but a fixed rate tariff simply means that the amount you pay for each unit of energy is fixed. So if you use more units, you ll pay more, if you use less units, you ll pay less. What won t change is the unit price of energy during that fixed period. However, your unit price could change if you move to a region with different prices, change your meter type, change your payment method, or there s an increase in VAT. Q. If my account is in credit, why would my Direct Debit amount increase? A. Many customers are in credit at the end of the summer months. If you have plenty of credit to cover increased energy use in the colder winter months, we may not increase your Direct Debit. But for those with a small amount of credit, we may increase your monthly payment so that you won t have the shock of a large bill after the winter. Q. If I m in credit, can I have a refund? A. You can ask us to refund a credit balance at any time, as long as the balance is based on an actual meter reading. However, our advice is to always wait until the end of your annual review. By this point, your energy supply will have been through a full cycle of the seasons, and we ll have a much clearer idea of how much energy you re using. If you ask for a refund in the middle of the year, especially if you ve just come out of the warmer months, then you may find you owe a large amount at the end of winter. Remember, the purpose of paying by Direct Debit is to spread the cost of your energy across the whole year, so we do recommend that you wait until your annual review has taken place. How a Direct Debit smoothes energy costs throughout the year Typical annual consumption Equal monthly payment amounts Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

5 D Q. How often will you send me a bill so I can check my Direct Debit amount? A. We ll review your account twice and send you a statement which is easy to understand and tells you everything you need to know about your energy usage and costs. If you want to keep up-to-date with your account more regularly, you can do so online. You can find out how overleaf. 7 May 2013 Mr J Bloggs 237a Street Name Place name 1 Place name 2 Place name 3 County Postcode Your energy statement For the period 1 October 2012 to 1 November 2012 Customer account number Online From landlines From mobiles npower.com We re open Monday-Friday 8am-8pm / Saturday 8am-6pm Energy supplied at 456 Street Name, Place Name, Country, Post Code 1 Could you pay less? See our table opposite for our cheapest tariff options. Remember it might be worth thinking about switching your tariff or supplier. Switching tariffs could mean a significant change to your terms and conditions and some tariffs have eligibility criteria. For example, you may need to change your payment method or manage your account online. Some tariffs are available for a limited time only, therefore subject to change. For more information on your current tariff see overleaf. To find out more about your options visit npower.com/cheapesttariff or call us on the number above and have your meter readings available Your personal projection for the next 12 months Go Save - Electricity Go Save - Gas Our cheapest similar tariff Plus 24 - Electricity Go Save - Gas Our cheapest overall tariff Direct Green - Electricity Go Save - Gas Your monthly payment has increased from to starting on 1 December 2012 Why has the payment amount changed? Having looked at your energy usage, account balance and current tariff we have calculated that your account will build up a debt if you do not increase your payments. See section 4 and 5 for full details. Latest meter reading Electricity (Our reading) Gas (Our estimate) Electricity Electricity Electricity Gas Gas Gas Your personal projection is based on your energy usage for the next 12 months and your tariff prices, including any announced price change. If your tariff has an end date, then our standard prices will be used thereafter for that tariff. VAT is also included; Warm Home Discount is not included. Please note your tariff price is not fixed and may be increased in the future. 1 Q. Do I get a discount for paying by Direct Debit? A. Yes. If you pay by Direct Debit, your daily standing charge will be discounted, so over the course of you ll save 40 on your electricity charges and 50 on your gas charges. If you stop paying by Direct Debit, you ll move on to the non-discounted version of your tariff. You may be moved to a standard variable tariff, if paying by Direct Debit is mandatory on your current tariff. If this happens, we ll let you know. Everything you need to know about annual review refunds If you ve built up at least 5 of credit per fuel on your annual statement - we ll automatically refund this to you in 10 working days (as long as the statement was based on an actual meter reading). If you ve built up less than 5 credit per fuel we ll keep this on account and factor it into future Direct Debit payments. You can request a refund but it s worth bearing in mind we may have to increase your monthly payments to make sure you re paying the right amount in the future. If you buy gas and electricity from us and there s a credit on one and a debit on the other, we ll use that credit to reduce the debit on the other. If you want to carry a credit forward simply let us know as it s a great way to keep on top of energy costs.

6 We re here to help For general questions about Direct Debit (free from most landlines) (included in any inclusive minutes ) If you re finding it hard to pay the bills, talk to us, we can help (free from most landlines) (included in any inclusive minutes ) Lines are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 8pm and Saturday 8am to 6pm. Terms & Conditions Your monthly payment amount: This will be based on your current account balance and future consumption at prices current at that time. Your Direct Debit discount: If you pay by Direct Debit you ll pay the same unit rate for energy used as receipt of bill customers, but will benefit from a reduced standing charge. Your daily standing charge will be discounted so that over you ll receive a discount of 40 on your electricity charges and 50 on your gas charges for paying by Direct Debit. If you choose not, or are no longer able, to pay in that way, you will no longer be eligible for the discounted standing charge and you ll move on to the non-discounted version of our Standard tariff. If this happens, we ll give you at least 30 days notice that your standing charge will increase. Subject to change. Automatic refunds: Automatic refunds are given on credit balances of 5 or more per fuel at the time of your annual review. If you have a credit balance of less than 5 on any fuel a refund is available on request. Any refunds must be based on an actual or customer reading. If you request a refund, we can explain how it may affect any future Direct Debit payments. Remember, if you take both fuels from npower, we ll use any credit on one fuel account to clear a debt on the other fuel before any refund will be made. Meter read reminders: We ll use the reading(s) you supply to produce your next bill whenever possible. There may be some circumstances when it isn t possible to use your meter reading, for example if you submit it outside of the dates we request, and in this case we ll estimate your consumption. Our agents will still require access to your meter to take readings and for safety checks. The meter reads you supply will be in addition to our own meter reads and will be used to provide the most up-to-date view on your statement. Phone calls: Calling us on a 0800 number is usually free from a landline. Charges vary if you use a mobile. Calling us on a 0330 number will cost you no more than 01 or 02 numbers from landlines or mobiles. If you get inclusive minutes with your package, calls on a 0330 number will be part of these. Calls may be monitored and / or recorded. The best time to call is 12pm to 4pm Tuesday to Thursday. npower is a registered trademark and the trading name of Npower Limited (Registered No ), Npower Gas Limited (Registered No ), Npower Northern Limited (Registered No ) who also act as an agent for Npower Northern Supply Limited (Registered No ) for the supply of electricity, Npower Yorkshire Limited (Registered No ) who also act as an agent for Npower Yorkshire Supply Limited (Registered No ) for the supply of electricity. Registered in England and Wales. Registered Office: Windmill Hill Business Park, Whitehill Way, Swindon SN5 6PB. npm11788/mm16980/11.14