Marketing and Advertising
In this code of practice, the word ‘customer’ refers to existing and potential customers.
General
All marketing and advertising of products and services will be fair and transparent in both content and format of presentation and appropriate to the customer to whom it is directed.
Marketing material will be easy to understand in plain and accessible language, accurate, specify clearly the product being marketed and the period it covers.
All tariff comparisons will be dated and will compare “like with like.” The customer will be made aware that competitors’ tariffs are subject to change.
For all fixed rate tariffs that contain components that are subject to change, these will be clearly highlighted and the customer will be made aware of this.
Our employees or representatives or agents will not misrepresent the firm or portray competitors in a negative or inaccurate way.
Our employees or representatives or agents will not exploit a person’s inexperience or vulnerability.
Pinergy will:
- Give you accurate, fair, transparent and appropriate representations of both our own and our competitors’ products, services, all related charges and Terms and Conditions.
- Where we make comparisons, this will be on a like for like basis, with the data source and date clearly presented.
- Provide you with a method to ‘opt out’ of future marketing activities, and add you to our ‘no contact’ database if requested.
- Make you aware of all offer terms and conditions and the offer duration when advertising special promotions or offers.
- Display our standard terms and conditions on our website.
- Present all of our tariffs in a clear and transparent manner that conforms to CRU guidance.
- Where our fixed rate tariffs contain components, which are or may be subject to change, this will be highlighted clearly in any sales literature and you will be made aware that these components are subject to change.
CODE OF PRACTICE
CUSTOMER SIGN UP
We’re committed to ensuring that your switch to Pinergy is conducted in a transparent and fair manner.
This includes not providing you with any misleading information. Our agents and representatives will always identify themselves clearly and carry a company photo ID card. Unless agreed with you in advance, we will never contact you outside of normal business hours.
We will explain the purpose of the call or visit and if requested at any time we will terminate the call or visit. We will not misrepresent our company or our competitors. We will:
- Provide accurate, fair and transparent representations of both our own and our competitors’ products, services and all related charges and Terms and Conditions.
- Make comparisons on a like for like basis, with the data source and date clearly presented.
- Provide you with a method to ‘opt out’ of future marketing activities, add you to our ‘no contact’ database and provide confirmation if requested.
- Make you aware of all offer terms and conditions and the offer duration when advertising special promotions or offers.
- Display a list of terms and conditions on our website when offering promotional or introductory incentives or discounts.
- Present all of our tariffs in a clear and transparent manner that conforms to current Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) Energy Supplier obligations.
Should You decide to sign up with us, we will:
- Confirm that the person opening the account has the authority to open an account at the premises in question.
- Explain to You how Your existing account will be closed and the new account will be opened with us.
- Inform You that estimated reads may not be accurate due to the absence of historic usage information, which may impact billing. We only proceed with switching once we have a meter reading for the start date or having an allowance for Our installers or the DSO to obtain an actual meter reading at the premises. If You are in arrears for more than levels set for all customers by the Commission for Energy Regulation at the time Your request to switch to us is processed, Your current supplier will notify us and we may decide not to carry out the switch.
- Inform You of the duration of the contract with expected commencement and end dates for Your new supply contract, the conditions for renewal and termination of services and of the contract, and whether terminating the contract without charge is permitted.
- Explain that standing charges will still apply to your contract, even during periods of no consumption,
About our Terms and Conditions:
- We refer to where we have set out the services provided, the service quality levels and any compensation and/ or refund arrangements which apply if contracted service quality levels are not met and also how to access these;
- We explain the method of initiating procedures for the settlement of complaints, as per our Code of Practice on Complaints Handling and how to access it, if You ever need to;
- We inform the means by which You may obtain up-to-date information on all applicable tariffs and charges;
- We reassure our commitment to providing no less than two weeks’ notice to You when we intend to change the tariff (unit charge) or modify contractual conditions unless you have signed up for a more flexible arrangement.
- We also confirm what your rights are in relation to terminating Your contract when the notice is given.
CODE OF PRACTICE
CUSTOMER BILLING
Pinergy’s Code of Practice on Billing sets out our processes in relation billing, communication of billing information, payment of account, deposit, refund of deposit and credit owed to customers.
We will send you a bill every month, free of charge, unless alternative arrangements have been agreed with you. Your bills will show whether we are billing you based on an actual read, an estimate or a read you sent us. On your bill (A) = Actual Meter Read, (E) = Estimated Meter Read and (C) = Customer Meter Read.
In order to improve the accuracy of your bills it is important to ensure that the designated meter operator for Electricity can gain access to your meter, or that customers provide meter readings frequently.
We will bill you for your energy usage at the agreed price. If there is a price change, we will indicate this on your bill, together with the date on which the change takes place and the method of application. Your bill will also show the period to which the bill relates, the date of issue, the date your payment is due and any outstanding balances. Every effort will be made to bill you on time, but in exceptional circumstances – for example, if your bill is unexpectedly delayed by more than 30 days – we will attempt to contact you to let you know the reason for the delay when we become aware of this.
Payments will be allocated against the oldest balance on your account. We will provide you with the option to view your bills electronically, through your Online account.
Payment Options:
We offer customers two (2) main ways to pay their bills. Options available include direct debit, and EFT – electronic funds transfer. If you pay by direct debit, we will notify you 14 days in advance if there is any change in the amount to be debited unless otherwise agreed with you.
Closing Accounts :
When moving premises, call or email us on your last day to ensure your final meter reading and bill are as accurate as possible. It is the responsibility of the account holder to provide us with a correct meter reading on their day of departure. If the account holder is a tenant and does not provide a meter reading it is the responsibility of the landlord to provide a closing read.
Pro-rating :
If there was a tariff change during your billing period, you will see your consumption split between usage before and after the tariff change date. We calculate this by dividing your consumption by the number of days used in that billing period and finding the average usage per day. This figure is used to calculate the charges prior to, and after the date of the tariff change on your bill. If you have any enquiries in relation to any element of your bills please contact us.
Changing Supplier :
If you change suppliers, we will send you your final bill, free of charge, from the date that you change supplier and will close your account within 6 weeks, provided your account has been paid in full.
Refunds
If your balance shows a credit balance on your final bill you may be due a refund. (If your account includes multiple properties, credit balances may be transferred to offset debt against your overall outstanding balance).
Security Deposit
Pinergy may request a security deposit on any new or existing energy supply accounts, if your business does not meet the Pinergy credit checking criteria.
This credit check includes, but is not limited to;
- Company Registrations Office (CRO) Information
- Previous Credit Information
- Industry type
- Energy Usage
- Your Payment Method
Existing customers may be asked for a Security deposit, or an increase in the current Security Deposit amount, during the term of supply or upon renewal. The value of which will be assessed and decided, based on the criteria mentioned above, as well as payment history throughout the supply period. This deposit will be held until the account is closed, and will be offset against the final invoice. Pinergy reserves the right to make any amendments to the credit check requirements based on the customer’s credit history/ information. Any requested Security Deposit must be paid within 14 days, failure to do so may result in cancelation of your contract and your energy supply withdrawn.
CODE OF PRACTICE
DISCONNECTION
Pinergy is committed to engaging and working constructively with customers having difficulty paying bills. We will only disconnect customers as a last resort having exhausted all other payment options.
If you are having difficulties paying your bills, Pinergy will assist you including offering arrangements to pay by instalments. All available options will be presented to you and sent by post in a written letter prior to any disconnection attempts.
Reasons for disconnection
Disconnection will only occur as a last resort and will be carried out in line with our terms and conditions of supply.
We may request ESB Networks to withdraw supply from your site subject to 14 days’ notice from us for the following reasons:
Failure to pay a bill relating to the supply of electricity
- Upon request of the account holder.
- No registered occupant at the property;
- In line with terms and conditions of supply which may require disconnection;
- Where we have entered a payment plan with the customer and the customer has failed to honor the plan;
- If ESB Networks deem disconnection necessary for safety or operational reasons
Your supply will not be withdrawn where:
- You have entered into a mutually acceptable payment arrangement and you are adhering to the conditions of that arrangement.
- You have a genuine, open complaint with Pinergy or the CRU, which directly relates to a debit on your account (all other charges must be paid in full).
- In the event that a customer is disputing a bill the above only applies to the disputed bill and not to any previous or subsequent bills, which must be paid as normal.
- Failure to pay a bill that is not relating to electricity for example payment for energy related services.
Notice of Disconnection
A ‘Final Demand’ notice will be sent to you if any of the conditions above are met and will warn you of the impending withdrawal of supply. This final demand notice will specify:
- That 14 days’ notice is being given of the intention to withdraw supply for non-payment.
- That a cost is associated with the withdrawal and reinstatement of supply.
- That arrears must still be recouped.
- That standing charges and network charges still apply even if the disconnection goes ahead.
- Contact details for Pinergy credit control staff to discuss settlement terms.
In the event of any business where, in our opinion, there is a high risk of impending default, such as bankruptcy, the notice period may be reduced to two days. The person(s) carrying out the withdrawal of supply is not authorised to accept payments on behalf of Pinergy as they are an agent of ESB Networks. Pinergy will facilitate those who wish to pay immediately any bill arrears before the date notified on the Final Demand. To avoid withdrawal of supply you must agree the payment amount and payment method with Pinergy credit control team. Possible payment options may include payment by credit card, electronic transfer, bankers draft, direct debit or cheque.
Reconnection
We will reconnect your supply once the arrears and associated costs of disconnection and re-connection have been discharged in full or through a payment plan to the satisfaction of Pinergy credit control. The reconnection will be in accordance with our standard terms and conditions which may include the provision of a security deposit or other measure reasonably required.
Pinergy Code of Practice Smart Services
In this code of practice, the word ‘customer’ refers to existing and potential customers.
Smart Meters are the next generation of electricity meters. Using digital technology, smart meters will give accurate information on energy usage throughout the day. In 2019, ESB Networks commenced the roll out of the upgrade program in Ireland where over 2m smart meters will be installed a phased basis by 2024.
Smart Services will send accurate half hourly consumption interval data and readings automatically from your Smart Meter meaning you will no longer have to have your meter read or worry about estimated bills.[1] Smart Services will enable suppliers to provide Time of Use tariffs, enabling and motivating consumers to shift some of their consumption to off peak times of the day when electricity is cheaper. You will be billed for the electricity you actually consume for the time you actually consumed it.
We will offer you the on going choice of whether you wish the data from the smart meters used for billing to be received daily or not. If not, your data will be collected every two months. The data collected every two months will be more limited than the data collected every day. We encourage you to receive the data from your smart meter every day as it will greatly enhance the choice of tariffs available to you and give you better insights and control of the electricity you consume.
Transition
Before you transition to Time of Use, we will provide you with a time of use primer. This primer will provide you with simple and clear explanation of time of use, the benefits of time of use and how time of use tariffs work.
Time of Use Primer & Reminder
Within 3 months after your smart meter is installed by ESB Networks, or within 6 months of the switch on of smart services (currently estimated to be January 2021), if you are lucky enough to already have a smart meter installed, we will send you a time of use Primer by email, post or communication channel of your choice. This primer will explain in simple, jargon free language, how smart meters and time of use tariffs work, particularly focusing on the benefits of both. If you have a smart meter, but have not switched to time of use tariffs 12 months after receiving our time of use primer, we will contact you by an appropriate means to remind you of the benefits of time of use. These reminders will be issued on an annual basis until such time as you switch to a time of use tariff.
If you do not avail of the Time of Use Primer to move to time of use tariffs, we will make the best use of available information on your consumption patterns, to make our communications with you on the time of use primer as relevant and tailored as possible.
Time of Use Tariff
As explained above, Time of Use tariffs mean suppliers will charge for actual consumption at the time you actually consume it. Time of Use tariffs, enable consumers to shift their consumption to off peak times of the day when electricity is cheaper. We will provide you with no more than four Time of Use tariffs including a “Standard Smart Tariff”. A Standard Smart tariff is a tariff with three time bands
Day: 08:00 to 23:00 (excluding Peak)
Night: 23:00 to 08:00
Peak: 17:00 to 19:00
Unit rates in these time periods will have meaningful price differences, reflecting prices borne by Pinergy as your supplier. We anticipate that this information will assist you in obtaining meaningful savings on your bill. Other tariffs available will potentially provide unit rates more appropriate to your lifestyle, e.g. a specific Electric Vehicle charging tariff and family focused tariffs among others.
Provision of Information to Customers
We will provide you with access to your half hourly historical consumption for at least 24 months or from the start of your supply contract, whichever is shorter. The data will be up to date, secure and available on request via our SmartApp, our website or by contacting customer service. The data will be in a standard harmonized format, meaning you can analyse the data yourself or share the data with another supplier or third party offering profile data analytics services.
In addition to the data above, the Pinergy Smart App will analyse your consumption by hour, day, week and month. It will compare your current consumption to your typical consumption and will also compare your consumption to your peers.
Finally, similar analyses and comparisons will be included in your Smart statement, based on the profile data used to calculate amounts due in your smart statement.
All information provided via these sources will enable you to use electricity more efficiently and economically.
Both import (consumption) and export (microgeneration) profile data will be available in the standard harmonized format file.
[1] If we do not receive data from your smart meter because of an interruption to connectivity, we will use estimated data. We will indicate this clearly on the bill.
We can only provide interval based services if there is adequate connectivity. If the connectivity degrades and we can no longer offer you your current tariff as a result, we will contact you.
CODE OF PRACTICE
COMPLAINT HANDLING
Pinergy customers can address their complaints as follows:
| PINERGY | |
| By Phone: | 0818 363 749 |
| By Post: | Pinergy
Suite 1 Beaver House Beach Hill Office Campus Clonskeagh Dublin 4 D04 Y8X5 Ireland |
| By Email: | complaints@pinergy.ie |
| Website: | www.pinergy.ie |
All complaints will be reviewed and investigated. Complaints can be initiated by post, over the phone or by electronic communication.
While complaints over the phone are welcome, in some cases we may decide that because of its nature or its seriousness, or for some other good reason, that a complaint must be made in writing. Should this be the case we will explain why and ask you to make the complaint in writing.
Should English not be your preferred language or indeed you have other communication requirements, please contact us by any of the means above and we will communicate with you as appropriate.
Pinergy will accept complaints from third parties acting on behalf of a customer. We will seek confirmation from the customer that the third party has authority to act on their behalf.
We will provide a satisfactory response to your complaint by resolution, apology and/or some other appropriate form of redress. Customers will hear from us within 10 days of their complaint being received; if there is no resolution at this point and further escalation is required, we will let you know.
Notwithstanding the above, a final answer on the complaint will be issued within two months of receipt of the complaint, except in cases where the customer is not engaging with us or the complaint requires technical expertise from 3rd parties that merit a time extension.
If we have responded to your complaint and you are still not satisfied with our response, you can escalate your complaint internally to the Operations Manager. The manager will then review your complaint and contact you within 10 working days and try to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
Our customers will be kept informed through each stage of the process and will receive a €30.00 charter payment if we fail to send updates within the 10 days timeframe for each escalation. Further information can be found in our Customer Charter.
If you are not satisfied with the response; upon completion of our complaints process, you may refer it to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) for independent adjudication. Your complaint will be accepted by the CRU only if you have completed our complaints procedure as set out above.
CRU may be contacted as follows:
| CRU | |
| By Phone: | 1890 404 404 |
| By Post: | Customer Care Team Commission for Regulations of Utilities, The Exchange Belgard Square North, Tallaght, D24 PXW0 |
| By Email: | customercare@cru.ie |
| Website: | www.cru.ie/customer-care |
If we have failed to meet a guaranteed standard (either in our view or in the view of the CRU) and you are entitled to compensation or a refund, we will pay that compensation within 14 days. We will do so by EFT or by dispensing credit, depending on the preference of the customer. Other payment methods may be considered on a case-by-case basis. If this is in the form of credit to the customer’s account, compensation or redress will be provided within one billing period.
We will send you written notice of closure of your complaint once you have completed the complaints handling process. This will include details of the CRU Customer Care Team should you wish to escalate the complaint.