Member Article

Landowners Losing Thousands Due to Poor Management of Export Tariffs

Landowners across the country are losing thousands of pounds due to the poor handling of their energy investment contracts with the UK’s big energy companies.4

The energy investment process can be complex and confusing and, consequently, many of those who are selling their electricity to energy supply companies are getting a poor return on investment.

Lisa Kelly, Assistant Project Manager at land, property and business consultancy George F. White, said: “We are working on a number of cases currently where we’re correcting mistakes that have been made in the contracts between landowners and energy companies, which are having huge implications for our clients. For instance, some clients have been left in limbo without an export provider for any amount of days, meaning they are not eligible to be paid for the electricity they’ve exported during that period. If you are a high exporter of energy, this means you could lose thousands of pounds and end up having to follow the time-consuming complaints process. Indeed, we have had clients lose up to £3,000 over several days.”

Switching to a large energy supplier can cause many issues if not managed appropriately. For example, if the Export Meter Number (MPAN) is not switched officially on the national meter database by your new provider, it could result in the electricity generator being paid two export payments by two separate providers and having to then repay the money owed, often deducted from their Feed in Tariff (FIT) payment, which you receive for generating renewable energy. This causes cash flow issues and could take you down a long complaints route.

Kelly added: “We have cases where FIT payments have been delayed for up to seven months due to administrative errors and failures, which can cause financial difficulties. If you’re selling your energy to one of the big energy providers, we strongly recommend that you seek advice before you do this so that the entire process is managed effectively and your interests are protected so that you receive the maximum return on investment. If problems are identified early on in the process, complications can be avoided therefore minimising the risk of things going wrong.”

For more information on George F. White’s energy consultancy services, please contact Lisa Kelly on lisakelly@georgefwhite.co.uk or 01665 600165.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by George F White .