FAQ's

Well strictly speaking there have been none, so here are a few answers to what might be asked.

Q1. What is the purpose of this site?

A. Originally I was using a spreadsheet to keep a record of my estimated bill. I do not have a Smart Meter so I wanted to ensure I knew what my bill was going to be before it arrived. By comparing the spreadsheet results with my bill I knew that the calculations were correct. I then wondered whether this could be made available on line. So far it also seems to work with the bills I have tested with.

Q2. It's free to use so what's the catch?

A. There are no catches, the Form works on all bills that I have seen. There are no adverts or data capture on the website. Nothing entered is retained by me unless you create a user login. No personal details are required to be entered. The data you enter as a visitor or registered user are not visible by anyone else and are erased if you navigate away from the page.

Q3. Why is it in this format ?

A. There are literally hundreds of different Energy Tariffs available and prices are changing all the time (don't we know it). There are 14 different billing regions and 3 payment methods which all influence the unit price and standing charges. So without the technical knowledge I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. The only downside being that you have to amend a few more boxes which only takes seconds to do. Like most things, repetition, familiarity & practice should makes it easier to use. Although there is an option to create a login and save your dates / rates / readings.

Q4. What is the best way to ensure it works for me?

A. Please make sure that you test the Form first comparing against your latest period that you have a bill for. NB this may not be the whole bill, just the latest period.

Q5. Why is there so little Form validation?

A. I'm trying to keep the Form as simple as possible to use and with this Form there is always the possibility of 'GIGO'. If you are not familiar with how the Form works then practice with your latest bill until the figures match.

Q6. My Bill covers periods with different rates, why doesn't the Form ?

A.  It does not need to as there's no need to make the Form harder than necessary. If you follow this tip then that's how multiple periods are catered for.

Q7. I received my bill and the amount is not the same as predicted by the Form, why not?

A. Please remember the Form is to give an estimate of what your bill is at any date. The main reason why it cannot be 100% accurate is that the 'Calorific Value' (CV) on the bill has changed. You will not know this value until you receive your bill, i.e. on my last bill the figure increased from 40.3 to 40.5. It doesn't increase the bill by much to make a real difference. So there are 3 possible outcomes:

• No Change in the CV      The amount will match the Form.

• The CV has increased     The amount will be slightly higher.

• The CV has decreased    The amount will be slightly lower.

Q8. Why don't the Energy Suppliers (ES) provide something similar?

A. I haven't seen anything online from the ES, the nearest are the websites which I have included in the 'Links' menu although they only calculate individual energy and not total bills. I guess ES don't because it would allow the customer to make their own comparisons with other Companies tariffs rather than to just calculate their own bills. The nearest I've seen are the comparison websites. Prices are postcode & payment type dependant and not a national rate. Here is an example of the numerous tariffs set by EDF.

Q9. Who are you ?
A. Well there are enough clues on here if anybody needs to know, but I don't feel the need to self publicize. This is not a business venture, just a utility that I hope some people will find helpful to manage their finances and share with others. fide et fiducia