# What are EDP doing?



## BEACH30 (Aug 22, 2016)

Hi,

I bought my house in Dec 2013 and at that time my English-speaking solicitor signed me up with EDP for my electricity account. Direct debits have been taken from my bank account on a monthly basis.

The problem is that I have been billed every month, usually estimated.

In 2014, we spent just one month in our house. Outside of that time, the electricity was turned off. However, EDP have billed us estimated amounts each and every month of 2014, anything between 8 euros and 12 euros.

The same thing in 2015: we spent 4 months in the house, and outside of that period, the electricity was switched off. So we should only pay for 4 months, right? Wrong! Every month I have been billed.

I have attempted to sort this out with EDP so many times. I have sent them 20 emails, I have written to them and I have been to see them at their small office in my local town.

Despite giving them an up to date meter reading and explaining the problem and that I don't speak fluent Portuguese, they have done nothing but continue to bill me. Currently, my house is unoccupied with electricity switched off, and yet I have still been billed 12 euros for the past month.

Has anyone else had this kind of trouble? I am literally at my wit's end. I have paid approximately 300-400 euros for electricity not consumed and they do nothing about it when I have complained.

I understand that normally there would be a monthly standing charge but I do not know how they can estimate 12 euros one month, 9 euros the next, 4 euros the next, etc, etc, and do nothing when I tell them the house was unoccupied for most of the year.

Thank you to who anyone who can shed any light on dealings with EDP!


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## RichardHenshall (Jul 26, 2009)

Our meter is read every quarter so even if no readings are submitted by us the estimates will apply for two months at most before being corrected. Periods of infrequent occupation will make the estimation process less reliable.

Why not sign up to EDP Online? That way you can see historical readings and invoices and report new readings, without having to speak to anyone. Every bill will detail the last real meter reading and the current estimate. Just how different are the current meter reading and the current estimate?

Your standing charges (potência) could be anything from around 0,10€ per day to over 1,00€ per day, whether you've consumed any electricity or not, depending on the power for which you have contracted.


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## ViaVinho (Jul 29, 2016)

My experience is that EDP estimates monthly usage based on prior use at that address (even if it was not you that lived there). Every six months or so, they will send someone out to read the meter. If you are not there to give them access, I guess they will continue to estimate usage. 

When sending the bill, they ask that you provide a meter reading through their website or by phone during certain days. If you have not done so already, register at the website and then every month, enter a meter reading during the specified days. This might help with resolving your problem.


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## MrBife (Jul 26, 2009)

It's not their fault you don't use any power and your choice to switch off for most of the year. You are paying for their ability to be able to supply you with power whenever you want it. They provide power generation infrastructure and a distribution network - you have to pay a standing charge to fund that if you want to stay connected. 

What are EDP doing ? - Their job


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## JohnBoy (Oct 25, 2009)

MrBife - The OP did say that he accepted the principle of a standing charge but cannot reconcile that with the fact that he is charged a different amount every month. That would confuse me too.

To add to the info above, don't forget that your EDP bill also includes the compulsory charge for the supply of TV! I know, crazy but it's the way that it's done here. I have no idea how that is collected if you decide to live off grid. Nor do I have any idea if you can claim that you do not watch TV and so opt out. Anybody else know?

I'm sure that registering for EDP online would benefit you.


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## RichardHenshall (Jul 26, 2009)

The OP could read and report the meter reading on departure from each visit and then continue to report the same reading every month (on the recommended date shown on each bill) until the next arrival.

Since there would be no electricity being consumed and this situation would be being properly reported there should be no estimated readings used.

The invoices should settle at a level equivalent to the standing charges only.

Alternatively if a variation of up to 12€ in the monthly bills is too disturbing the OP could switch to the annualised billing scheme where the estimated annual consumption is billed equally every month and corrected once a year.


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## Strontium (Sep 16, 2015)

BEACH30 said:


> Hi,
> 
> I bought my house in Dec 2013 and at that time my English-speaking solicitor signed me up with EDP for my electricity account. Direct debits have been taken from my bank account on a monthly basis.
> 
> ...



Hi,

You are in control of what information you want from EDP. Here is a scan of the monthly email invoice/useage/bill they happily send to any email address you require explaining exactly what you are paying and why. If you don't bother to have this information sent to you it can hardly be blamed on EDP. You can give them your own readings but occasionally they want to read your meter which also makes sure you don't get over/under charged by making a mistake in your readings. How can you know you are paying for electricity you have not consumed as if you have the information from the monthly bill and a current meter reading? An interwebs camera + sim can easily be set up so you can check the consumption remotely if you think someone is stealing your electricity when you are not there.


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## RichardHenshall (Jul 26, 2009)

Strontium said:


> ... An interwebs camera + sim can easily be set up so you can check the consumption remotely if you think someone is stealing your electricity when you are not there.


It can't when the electricity is turned off.


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## BEACH30 (Aug 22, 2016)

A big thankyou to everyone who has responded. I have read every response.

With regard to meter reading, I have received a letter in Dec 2015 saying EDP could not access my meter reading and had not been able to do so for 4 months. This is ridiculous, as my meter is at the front of my property, the box it is contained within is not locked, and anybody can open the cover and make a reading.

Secondly, I always provide meter readings when we are in residence. As the meter reading circles through various information, I set my mobile phone to record mode, and record everything and then give them the meter readings online. We then switch the electricity off and return to Sweden. So, EDP have always been given the meter readings literally 5 minutes after the electricity was switched off and the house was locked up.

I have had an online account with EDP since the beginning.

Here is exactly how I have been billed:

Date (Y:M) Date (Y:M) Amount

126001776863	2016-07-20	2016-08-05 12,34	Pago
180001092964	2016-06-20	2016-07-06 11,46	Pago
118001960477	2016-05-20	2016-06-07 11,00	Pago
186000907896	2016-04-20	2016-05-09 11,46	Pago
156001008179	2016-03-20	2016-04-07 10,95	Pago
154000959155	2016-02-20	2016-03-09 11,46	Pago
030004116525	2016-01-20	2016-01-22 -19,65	Pago
116001696888	2015-12-20	2016-01-08 10,51	Pago
100003007347	2015-11-20	2015-12-07 10,55	Pago
106002688339	2015-10-20	2015-11-05 10,32	Pago
118001518578	2015-09-20	2015-10-07 19,61	Pago

This year - 2016 - I occupied the property from 2 June until 11 July. Before that, last year, in 2015, I occupied the property from 2 June until 12 October. 

Therefore the property was empty, with electricity switched off, from 13 October 2015 until 2 June 2016.

You can see from the above bills that on 5 Nov I was charged 10.32, then the next month 10,55, then 10,51, then a refund of 19.65, then 11,46, then 10,95, then 11,46.

All these bills were for months when the property was unoccupied, electricity switched off. 

I have looked at each bill and there is a section Histórico de Consumo de Eletricidade (kWh). 

Despite the electricity being switched off and house empty, the months of Oct, Nov and Dec 2015, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May 2016 ALL show actual consumption of electricity.

I also read this on one of the bills:

Potência Contratada (4,6 kVA) 21 mar 16 a 20 abr 16 
31 dias x € 0,2058 € 6,38 23% 

Do you think I am paying for Potência Contratada each month? Although I still don't understand why the figure goes up each month.

Also, the Histórico de Consumo de Eletricidade (kWh) are not actual readings, they are EDP's estimations, and they are incorrect because for many of those months, zero electricity was used.

I'm sorry I included so much detail here, it must be ponderous to read, but I have been trying to sort this out for 3 years and have spoken/emailed EDP many times and still not had an explanation.

Unless you use solar power or water power, I imagine many reading this have dealings with EDP. Could you please take a moment to look at your own bills and see how they work for you?

Many thanks everyone for your assistance.


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## BEACH30 (Aug 22, 2016)

Hi again,

Here are two scans of my bill


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## JohnBoy (Oct 25, 2009)

The Potencia Contradada is the equivalent of the standing charge and is payable monthly. The charge is calculated on a daily basis, so will vary from month to month either 30 or 31 days with either 28 or 29 for February. You will also have the Taxa Exploracao of €0.07 per month. Any other charges are related to consumption, either real or estimated. My guess is that the credit you received was a return of the charge for consumption that had previously been estimated.

For some reason you have escaped the €2.85 +6% IVA charge for TV. That is usually shown in a separate box at the foot of the bill.


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## RichardHenshall (Jul 26, 2009)

You will be paying for your Potência Contratada every day of the year at an annual cost of 92,39€. It will be slightly different from one month to the next as it's charged on a daily basis, whether you consume electricity or not.

You appear to be exempted from paying 3,02€ (inc. IVA) per month for your TV licence (Contribuição Audiovisual), totalling 36,24€ per year, because of your low annual consumption.

EDP are estimating your consumption at approx 18 kWh per month, because they haven't read your meter and you haven't submitted your own readings for them to know better.

It seems that your/their last recorded real meter reading was on 27 August 2015, so it would seem that the readings you think you have reported since then have not been recorded properly, for some reason. Your meter has 3 time-of-day consumption readings and the meter will cycle through those and a total of those three and and a repeat of the total for the current time-of-day period. If you have a note of the three readings from your last visit, submit them again through EDP Online (or the associated apps) and see what happens next month. It looks like doing this on around 19th or 20th of the month would be best. Then do it again the following month etc etc.

Maybe you (and/or) the meter reader have failed to record/report all three readings against the correct time-of-day so they've been ignored?

Maybe, as a relatively new meter, they don't know where they put your it? 

Maybe you're already on the annual estimation scheme, I can't tell?

In my experience it's easiest and best to avoid human intervention in the reporting of readings if possible. Feed the readings straight into their computer and let the computer sort it out. 

Edit: I missed JohnBoy's post in the meantime - sorry for the repetition.


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## BEACH30 (Aug 22, 2016)

Hi Richard and JohnBoy

Thank you both for your responses.

Richard - thank you so much for your detailed and helpful response. Things are now starting to get clearer. I will do as you say and see what happens. It was very good of you to take the time to respond in such detail.


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