Understanding your bills

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How to understand your energy bills

To help you with understanding your bills, we’ve put together this handy guide to provide some insight. Using our helpful resources below, you can be sure you’re always paying the right amount for the energy you’ve consumed.

How to understand your gas bill

Our handy reference guide provides an overview of the various elements of your invoice, breaking things down to help you understand how we’ve arrived at your final billing figure.

How to understand your electricity bill

If you use SEFE Energy for your electricity and are struggling to get to the bottom of your invoices and need a helping hand, then be sure to check out the guides provided below.

The type of electricity bill you receive each month will depend on the type of meter you have – some meters are read monthly (this is most common and known as non-half hourly), while others are read half-hourly (this applies mainly to businesses that consume large amounts of electricity).

The document below will help explain your electricity invoice:

Ensuring your energy bills are correct

The easiest way to ensure you’re paying the right amount for business energy is to submit regular meter readings to us. If your business has yet to upgrade to an Automated Meter Reading (AMR) system, some of your energy bills may be based on estimated usage.

Estimated billing has a number of pitfalls, not least that you could end up paying for energy you haven’t used. We advise all of our customers to avoid estimated energy bills. Rest assured, we’re doing what we can to reduce the number of estimated invoices we issue.

To ensure you receive accurate energy bills, we’d advise you take a meter reading on the last day of each month and submit it to us within five days so that we can calculate your bill using no estimation. In doing so, you can be sure you’re only paying for the energy you’ve used, helping to keep on top of your monthly overheads.

What to do if you think there’s an issue with your bill

If you’re concerned your latest energy bill is incorrect, there are a number of things to consider which may have affected your latest statement amount.

These include:

  • Your bill could have been estimated, even if you have an AMR system: On the rare occasion that it’s not possible to make contact with your AMR device and obtain a meter reading, we will invoice based on an estimated reading.
  • You may have used more or less energy than usual: Consider if your energy usage has changed in such a way to affect your monthly energy statement.
  • There may be a fault with your energy meter(s): If there’s a fault with your energy meter, the reading may not be accurate, which may affect your bill.
  • There may be a mistake with your meter reading: If there is a mistake in your latest meter reading, your bill may be calculated incorrectly. Consider taking a new reading, and compare it to the one quoted on your energy statement.

Of course, if you’re still concerned you can get in touch with a member of the SEFE Energy team by submitting a support request. Alternatively, you can find our contact details and opening hours in our Contact Us section

Common Questions Understanding your bills FAQs

Our FAQs provide answers to commonly asked questions about who we are, what we do, our products, and how we work.

What are gas transportation charges?

Gas transportation charges are a cost calculated by Ofgem, set in relation to a price control formula, for the transportation of gas.

The distribution and transmission charges that cover the cost of transporting gas make up around 34% of your business gas bill.

For more information on gas transportation charges, visit our Help & Support page here.

Where can I find Climate Change Levy (CCL) charges on my invoice?

The amount you’ve been charged for CCL will appear on your invoice, alongside usage amounts, energy costs and standing charges. If you’re unsure how much you’ve been charged, get in touch with our team here.

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