Frequently Asked Questions

How will my invoice be calculated?
What is CCL?
How much VAT do we have to pay?
How frequently will our meters be read?
How can I pay for my gas?
How do I ensure that the invoice is based on my reading, not on an estimate?
How do I query an invoice?
Do you sell bottled gas?
What do I do if I have a complaint?

INVOICE CALCULATION

The invoice is calculated using the following formulas:

• meter reading X correction factor X 2.83 X calorific value / 3.6 = kWh (If meter measures in cubic feet).
• meter reading X correction factor X calorific value / 3.6 = kWh (If meter measures in cubic meter).

(where ‘correction factor’ is a figure that takes into account changes in the volume of gas, based on temperature and pressure differentials and where ‘calorific value’, is a figure that takes into account differences, caused by the quality of the gas, in the amount of energy generated when the gas is burnt.)

CCL

CCL stands for Climate Change Levy, a tax introduced by the government in April 2001. All UK businesses and public sector organisations pay CCL tax on their energy consumption. It will be shown separately from VAT on your invoice.

VAT

Supplies of fuel and power are subject to the standard rate of VAT (Value Added Tax), which is currently 17.5% unless there is a provision for the reduced rate (5%) for qualifying use or zero-rate to apply. The legal provisions for the reduced rate are in the VAT Act 1994, Section 2 (Annex A).

Qualifying use is domestic use and use by a charity for its non-business activities. Regent Gas will apply the standard rate to all supplies unless we are in possession of a signed VAT Declaration Certificate. If you have any doubt that you qualify for reduced rate VAT you should contact your local VAT Office. Call 0845 010 9000 for the National Advice Line.

METER READING FREQUENCY

If your site uses less than 293,000 KwH per annum, then your meter will be read every 6 months. In between these readings, the monthly invoices sent out would be based on estimated readings, unless you supply us with a reading.

If your site uses more gas than this, it will be read on a monthly basis by the meter reading agency.

CUSTOMER READS

If customers who use under 293,000 kWh per annum (or 10,000 therms a year) want their own reads to be used for the generation of invoices, rather than estimated reads, then they should contact our customer services department at the end of each month with their own readings. If you contact us at least 5 days before your invoice, then you can ensure that your next invoice will be based on your own actual readings.

INVOICE PAYMENT

Regent Gas accept the following methods of payment:

• By Direct Debit. Your payment for the invoice amount will automatically be taken 10 days after the invoice date.
• By Standing Order – for fixed monthly amounts. We will work out your monthly payments depending on your annual usage of gas.
• By BACS: we will give you our bank account details and you can deposit payments for invoices into our account. When you use this method of payment, you must send us remittance advice so that we can correctly allocate the payment to the relevant invoice(s).
• By Cheque. You can send us a cheque for the payment.

INVOICE QUERIES

Any queries on invoices can usually be resolved by contacting our customer services department. For instance, if you feel that the invoice you received is not reasonable, because the estimated read was either too high or too low, all you need to do is provide us with your own customer reading and we can reissue you with a new, recalculated invoice.

Please note that you should bring any queries such as this to our attention as soon as possible, as direct debit payments are typically made 10 days after the invoice date and we would need to amend your account before this direct debit is taken to avoid any problems.

BOTTLED GAS

Regent Gas do not supply bottled gas.

COMPLAINTS

The first thing to do is to ring our customer services department on 0845 241 2700 with your complaint, or put it in writing, and we will endeavour to resolve the issue to your satisfaction. However, if you still feel that we have not resolved the problem to your satisfaction, you can refer your complaint to the EnergyWatch office on 08459 060708, or write to them at: EnergyWatch, 8th floor, Percy House, Percy Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4PW.