Smartly saving electricity in Lithuania is not possible for everyone: after receiving the new reading, they present it with other obstacles
“I can’t check whether I’m being cheated or not,” one reader who contacted “Delfi” expresses his undisguised disappointment.
After the mass installation of electric meters began in Lithuania in September, Marius (name changed) also lives in Kalvarija from the same month. He was hoping when he would be able to monitor consumption and save, but at first he said he could not find the necessary data, then it became difficult to connect the information provided by the network operator and the supplier. ESO makes it clear that there is no point in fearing the accuracy of the data, it is the same everywhere, and the information can be found in self-service.
The possibilities of a smart meter can best be used by consumers who have a supply plan linked to the exchange price, but not all electricity suppliers allow recording the consumption of details, so not everyone who wants to save will be able to save.
All the major suppliers should be connected soon
The company’sInflammation” representative Laura Beganskienė says that the company is currently “in the final stages of testing and it is possible to pay for the electricity consumed during the supply of electricity according to the hourly plan of the exchange, we will offer it very soon.
Independent Supplier “Enefit“announces that firstly in Lithuania it is possible to pay for electricity according to the flexible exchange price.
“Enefit” manager Vytenis Koryzna comments that ESO from the hours of the smart meters reads every electricity consumption and for the supplier.
“You can see what the price of electricity will be tomorrow and plan the consumption of electricity when the price on the exchange is the lowest, so you can regulate electricity costs.”
However, we can see that such a model is not attractive for users who do not follow prices every day, do not actively monitor their consumption, so they usually choose plans with a fixed price, says V. Koryzna.
People who have plans linked to the exchange rate and have the flexibility to change their electricity usage can benefit most from smart meters, he said. however, such people are a minority.
“Elektrum LithuaniaMantas Kavaliauskas, head of product development, says that the company has been offering customers a price-linked plan for a long time. Its pricing is directly related to how “North basinElectricity prices change on the stock exchange.
“Unfortunately, at the moment, due to technical obstacles, our customers temporarily do not have the opportunity to pay for the hourly rate, then we apply the monthly average of the exchange prices to them, as the output is consumed. From next year, we are delaying the possibility of settlement based on hourly stock exchange prices,” he says.
M. Kavaliauskas also pointed out that a plan directly linked to exchange prices is much more favorable for those consumers who already have the opportunity to track their real electricity consumption data. it is said that today there is still a part of such users.
Expert: There is no mass because there is no motivation
President of the Lithuanian Renewable Energy Confederation (LAIEK). Martynas Nagevičius claims that the meter knows and is needed so that something can be accounted for and accordingly paid for at that former price.
“Perhaps those smart meters should be offered primarily to those who would agree to switch to smart accounting. But for that again, you need to somehow motivate those users, what’s in it for them. In the sense that they could receive a subsidy to install automation and participate in the balancing market with (electricity demand – ed.) aggregators.
Or install) a storage option, which used more electricity to consume when it is cheaper, and to give it to the grid when it is more expensive. Shouldn’t you pay for the network service, if you are offered product networks” – says M. Nagevičius.
Speaking about the savings that have arisen throughout Europe, he notes that when the consumer pays a fixed price for electricity, it makes no difference to him to observe consumption peaks in the country.
“There is no mass because there is no motivation. There is no state incentive to do so. There are various ways of promoting that’, the expert is convinced.
on his social network, he commented that suppliers in Lithuania offer to pay for electricity in this way, and many consumers use electricity regardless of whether a kilohour of electricity costs a cent or a euro at a particular time in the market.
“We have electricity, when even during the biggest shortage of electricity in the market, when market prices rise to the ‘space’, consumption during those hours almost does not decrease,” explains M. Nagevičius.
He says that in Finland, for example, the number of such flexible users has tripled since the beginning of autumn.
“Programs offered by energy suppliers are spreading – applications for consumers connected shows the price of electricity and the current price of electricity. (…) It ends with the fact that electricity consumption during peak needs decreases and peak needs are no longer peak’, explains M. Nagevičius.
“Enefit” manager V. Koryzna says that less than a tenth of the company’s customers have chosen a plan linked to the exchange. It can then be said that, for now, consumers are just getting a hands-on experience with smart electricity pricing.
“In our opinion, its popularity will increase with the consistent growth of consumer education and motivation to engage in active management of electricity consumption.” In principle, it can be equated to a wallet – by actively and thoughtfully managing electricity, it is possible to reduce costs tangibly, and with a solar power plant and a battery – you mostly do not pay for electricity.
This change is already happening, but we haven’t reached the turning point yet, – says V. Koryzna.
The user would like more options and clarity
Reader Marius would like to check the detailed invoices received from the supplier in the ESO self-service and find out that the data are identical and reliable. A man can provide the most accurate consumption figures as quickly as possible and in some uniform format.
That is, he is not satisfied with the fact that the supplier sends data with five digits after the cable, and the ESO self-service chart shows rounded data. Marius would like to see the numbers he could answer. The operator has his own explanation.
“I don’t ask anything from them, I don’t demand anything, I call ESO and say: you are parodying me with exactly the same numbers that the supplier can see. They don’t show me those numbers’, Marius asks.
“If EGTO energija sees those numbers, then ESO must see them as well.” And I have to see them. And to see that day, at the same hour’, he adds.
The reader states that he seeks objective data in order to verify the information provided by the supplier. He says he saved, but without results.
“I was saving, and I didn’t see anything. That’s when I realized that I was being cheated. (…) I would be satisfied if “EGTO Energija” also sent me that independent schedule. Let him send that chief schedule (which ESO provides in the self-service – ed.)”, Marius shared his suspicions.
The consumer believes that the supplier calculates the electricity consumption according to the monthly average, and therefore says that he cannot save, no matter how he adjusts some hours.
The fact that even before the installation of the smart meter (September 23), he was already receiving detailed bills with consumption arranged by hours, caused doubts to Mari. Later, zeros appeared on the bills (that is, details), and after the installation of the meter, the total consumption was again presented in detail.
“Do it in a way that people trust. I can’t check whether I’m being cheated or not,” he says, complaining that it is very difficult to explain his good company, and at the same time claims that he is sent from one to another.
“Energy distribution operator(ESO) states that customers can monitor their consumption in 15-minute and hourly detail on ESO’s self-service website.
“In self-service, we present the hourly consumption by rounding up to 2 numbers after the cable (0.277 kWh would show 0.28 kWh). This is done for easier understanding and the ability to compare data. Such rounding does not have a significant impact, as it affects thousandths of a kilowatt hour,” says ESO representative Paulius Kalmantas.
“We provide data to independent suppliers through the Data Exchange Platform as it is – without rounding or other processing,” he adds.
ESO liked that specific hours are already available for household customers from the company’s side, the business exchange has been applying it for years.
“This pricing is available to customers who are equipped smart meters and have selected an independent electricity supplier that offers this/pricing.
Independent electricity suppliers are provided with hourly interval readings from customers every day. Smart meters count readings in 15-minute detail, – says P. Kalmantas.
The representatives of the company “EGTO energija” explain that ESO, after the end of the reporting period (calendar month), the electricity sources consumed by the user to the supplier. Based on the transferred data, VAT invoices are issued.
“When submitting a VAT invoice to the consumer, the supplier also submits a detailed monthly electricity consumption report,” says the company.
The bill, according to her, indicates the exchange price of the hourly interval of the relevant month without VAT (for 1000 kWh), the amount of electricity consumed by the object in the corresponding hourly interval and the amount for the consumed amount of electricity in the corresponding hourly interval.
“EGTO energy” did not comment further on the specific case or the detailing of the bills before and after the installation of the meter.
However, Marius would like to receive detailed comparative data about his electricity consumption or at least an explanation that such a service is not yet available. The consumer believes that in the age of technology and computers, behavior is like the “stone age” and the consumer cannot get a basic service.
There are currently five independent electricity suppliers operating in Lithuania: “Ignitis”, “Elektrum Lietuva”, “Enefit”, “EGTO energija” and “Birštono elektra”. The latter two only offer exchange-linked plans.
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