A relative's house is now entirely E7 storage heaters (static and thermostat operated fan storage heater, dimplex VFM32i bought boxed new for £99), with 50-80mm internal wall insulation.

I have just switched Gas+Elec into Elec.
I planned to get the gas disconnected.
However National Grid charge £403 to disconnect a 63mm gas pipe from a house?

However I thought Dual-Fuel suppliers do not allow you to draw 0kW on a contract with no standing charge - or am I wrong? that said the relative has done just that for 1yr (saved £1700 on gas related repairs, I bought the heaters).

On 02/09/2012 19:01, wrote:
A relative's house is now entirely E7 storage heaters (static and thermostat operated fan storage heater, dimplex VFM32i bought boxed new for £99), with 50-80mm internal wall insulation.

I have just switched Gas+Elec into Elec.
I planned to get the gas disconnected.
However National Grid charge £403 to disconnect a 63mm gas pipe from a house?

However I thought Dual-Fuel suppliers do not allow you to draw 0kW on a contract with no standing charge - or am I wrong? that said the relative has done just that for 1yr (saved £1700 on gas related repairs, I bought the heaters).

Surely, you can just get it capped off at the meter for no charge at all?

On Sunday, September 2, 2012 7:32:04 PM UTC+1, GB wrote:
Surely, you can just get it capped off at the meter for no charge at all?

Yes, but the gas meter still exists so you need a gas contract - I think. You can't simply forget it exists, because you have to pay the Gas Transporter for the rent / maintenance of the meter and network supply.

However, reading 4 energy company Terms & Conditions for Dual Fuel contracts I can find nothing that says "if you have a dual fuel contract, you must draw N kWh of gas or will be charged a minimum amount".


So yes, it seems I just get the meter outlet capped and continue a dual fuel supply, draw no gas, and bizarrely they get nothing on the gas side and I get a dual fuel discount.

wrote:
On Sunday, September 2, 2012 7:32:04 PM UTC+1, GB wrote:
Surely, you can just get it capped off at the meter for no charge at
all?

Yes, but the gas meter still exists so you need a gas contract - I
think. You can't simply forget it exists, because you have to pay the
Gas Transporter for the rent / maintenance of the meter and network
supply.

However, reading 4 energy company Terms & Conditions for Dual Fuel
contracts I can find nothing that says "if you have a dual fuel
contract, you must draw N kWh of gas or will be charged a minimum
amount".


So yes, it seems I just get the meter outlet capped and continue a
dual fuel supply, draw no gas, and bizarrely they get nothing on the
gas side and I get a dual fuel discount.
....and free gas when you buy a meter off ebay
:-p

Phil L wrote:
...and free gas when you buy a meter off ebay

or when TransCo insist repeatedly that there isn't a supply.

House that used to be ground floor shop and upstairs flat.
Little old lady rented both from landlord years'n'years
ago from landlord who lived elsewhere. Gas meter for flat
in cellar of shop. Bills sent to Landlord's address.

When LOL retired landlord converted shop into residential
and let LOL continue tenancy. LOL wanted to change gas
supplier. Transco say "we've been to number 400, and there's
no meter there". LOL says "no, I live at number 350". Transco
say "we've been to number 400, and there's no meter there."

Upshot is, LOL had no gas bills for the last 12 years. She's
now moved out, so the next incoming occupier is going to
have an interesting time.

JGH

On Sunday, September 2, 2012 8:09:55 PM UTC+1, Phil L wrote:
...and free gas when you buy a meter off ebay
:-p

I think some used to just turn the old ?blue? meters around, "dials to the wall". It was stopped by changing the inlet/outlet fittings on ?cream? meters.

I do know the relative did have the old type of meter until 1998 whereupon a meter reader had it off the wall the same day for that very reason. She was never cold, used to burn the old telephone directories as she worked at an exchange :-))

So bizarrely I have to phone uSwitch tomorrow and convert to dual-fuel.

On 02/09/2012 20:02, wrote:
On Sunday, September 2, 2012 7:32:04 PM UTC+1, GB wrote:
Surely, you can just get it capped off at the meter for no charge
at all?

Yes, but the gas meter still exists so you need a gas contract - I
think. You can't simply forget it exists, because you have to pay the
Gas Transporter for the rent / maintenance of the meter and network
supply.

However, reading 4 energy company Terms & Conditions for Dual Fuel
contracts I can find nothing that says "if you have a dual fuel
contract, you must draw N kWh of gas or will be charged a minimum
amount".

I would have thought if you went for one of the contracts where they in
effect incorporate the standing charge into the gas price for the first
"n" units, then you should be able to simply use less (i.e. none!) and
hence pay nothing.

So yes, it seems I just get the meter outlet capped and continue a
dual fuel supply, draw no gas, and bizarrely they get nothing on the
gas side and I get a dual fuel discount.

Sounds like a good plan.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In article ,
John Rumm writes:

I would have thought if you went for one of the contracts where they in
effect incorporate the standing charge into the gas price for the first
"n" units, then you should be able to simply use less (i.e. none!) and
hence pay nothing.

In the two summer quarters, I never get through the first "n" units,
so my standing charge is effectively reduced.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Sunday, September 2, 2012 10:44:19 PM UTC+1, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In the two summer quarters, I never get through the first "n" units,
so my standing charge is effectively reduced.

Did some(all?) utilities recently change so they charge more first "n" units in the winter quarters than the summer to offset this?

Must watch they do not introduce a "no usage penalty", otherwise I can see a lab gas tap & natural gas ring burner being set up.

On 02/09/2012 20:02, wrote:
On Sunday, September 2, 2012 7:32:04 PM UTC+1, GB wrote:
Surely, you can just get it capped off at the meter for no charge at all?

Yes, but the gas meter still exists so you need a gas contract - I think. You can't simply forget it exists, because you have to pay the Gas Transporter for the rent / maintenance of the meter and network supply.

However, reading 4 energy company Terms & Conditions for Dual Fuel contracts I can find nothing that says "if you have a dual fuel contract, you must draw N kWh of gas or will be charged a minimum amount".


So yes, it seems I just get the meter outlet capped and continue a dual fuel supply, draw no gas, and bizarrely they get nothing on the gas side and I get a dual fuel discount.

Can those of us with no possibility of mains gas insist on having a
bogus gas meter installed so that we qualify for dual fuel tariffs then?

British Gas had the temerity last week to come around trying to sell
loft and cavity wall insulation in our village last week.


--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Sep 2, 7:01*pm, wrote:
A relative's house is now entirely E7 storage heaters (static and thermostat operated fan storage heater, dimplex VFM32i bought boxed new for £99), with 50-80mm internal wall insulation.

I have just switched Gas+Elec into Elec.
I planned to get the gas disconnected.
However National Grid charge £403 to disconnect a 63mm gas pipe from a house?

However I thought Dual-Fuel suppliers do not allow you to draw 0kW on a contract with no standing charge - or am I wrong? that said the relative has done just that for 1yr (saved £1700 on gas related repairs, I bought the heaters).

Big mistake to have it disconnected, it will reduce the value of the
house.
The gas pipe will have been capped when all the gas stuff was removed.

It doesn't cost anything in terms of further charges. You still have
to send in meter readings but obviously it is the same reading every
time.
I have a gas meter but use no gas, it is capped at the meter..

On Sun, 2 Sep 2012 21:44:18 +0000 (UTC), Andrew Gabriel wrote:

In article ,
John Rumm writes:

I would have thought if you went for one of the contracts where they in
effect incorporate the standing charge into the gas price for the first
"n" units, then you should be able to simply use less (i.e. none!) and
hence pay nothing.

In the two summer quarters, I never get through the first "n" units,
so my standing charge is effectively reduced.

Last year I had 2 quarters with no use and paid nothing. The units are all
the same price and no SC. I've dual fuel via Ebico and every time I've tried
a comparison site I get negative savings!
--
Peter.
The gods will stay away
whilst religions hold sway

On Monday, September 3, 2012 9:08:33 AM UTC+1, harry wrote:
Big mistake to have it disconnected

Now switched to dual-fuel.

Whilst uSwitch will allow 1kWh (but not 0kWh) to be entered, over the phone at Scottish Power they will not allow 0kWh 1kWh 10kWh 100kWh but only 1000kWh to be entered. However I confirmed no standing charge & no usage means no charge.

To follow up to a long old thread.

Cameron in making energy companies simplify things APPEARS to have ended service contracts with No Standing Charge, NSC.

In so doing, even if you use 0kWhr on gas, you get billed the annual rate on the standing charge since it is charged per day rather than per unit consumed. That would not be so bad - except quite a few plans seem to show 36-39p/day or around £119/yr including VAT.

So the little souls reheating dog food Meals On Wheels (*1) in their only gas appliance cooker might find it cheaper in the microwave.

(*1) Not all are bad, some are actually pretty good I *think* because they are using Food Bank food - chunky steak is common, altho chicken is a bit better for most.

On 16/10/2013 22:45, wrote:
To follow up to a long old thread.

Cameron in making energy companies simplify things APPEARS to have ended service contracts with No Standing Charge, NSC.

In so doing, even if you use 0kWhr on gas, you get billed the annual rate on the standing charge since it is charged per day rather than per unit consumed. That would not be so bad - except quite a few plans seem to show 36-39p/day or around £119/yr including VAT.

So the little souls reheating dog food Meals On Wheels (*1) in their only gas appliance cooker might find it cheaper in the microwave.

(*1) Not all are bad, some are actually pretty good I *think* because they are using Food Bank food - chunky steak is common, altho chicken is a bit better for most.

EBICO for zero standing charges.

On Wed, 16 Oct 2013 14:45:31 -0700 (PDT), wrote:

Cameron in making energy companies simplify things APPEARS to have ended
service contracts with No Standing Charge, NSC.

I know of only two true NSC tariffs and one of them isn't available
'till 1st Dec. Ebico with Equipower and Equigas and NPower Go Save S.
All the other NSC tarrifs had you paying considerably more for the
first n units/billing period. Curiously the extra you paid/year was
the same as the standing charge.

Ebico does charge more per unit than the cheapest you can get but not
as much as the Tier 1 rate of a NSC tariff. You pay for what you use
only.

NPower's Go Save S under the new terms is a competative per unit
price and less than Ebico Equipower.

So the little souls reheating dog food Meals On Wheels (*1) in their
only gas appliance cooker might find it cheaper in the microwave.

£100 at 15p/unit = 1.82 units/day. Or a 50% effcient 800W microwave
running for over an hour ...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Thursday, October 17, 2013 12:04:35 AM UTC+1, Dave Liquorice wrote:
Ebico does charge more per unit than the cheapest you can get but not
as much as the Tier 1 rate of a NSC tariff. You pay for what you use
only.
NPower's Go Save S under the new terms is a competative per unit
price and less than Ebico Equipower.

Noted.

So the little souls reheating dog food Meals On Wheels (*1) in their
only gas appliance cooker might find it cheaper in the microwave.

£100 at 15p/unit = 1.82 units/day. Or a 50% effcient 800W microwave
running for over an hour ...

hmm... that also makes it a cheaper/quicker way for me to achieve the same level of food incineration... :-)