British Gas huge bills!

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  • Bounty1
    Bounty1 Posts: 75 Forumite
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    We really don’t have much being used! Just the normal stuff and we try to be careful. It’s a 3 bed semi with a small 1 bed annex.
  • Bounty1
    Bounty1 Posts: 75 Forumite
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    The gas is 4 digit
  • Bounty1
    Bounty1 Posts: 75 Forumite
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    The electric meter was changed 2007 not the gas meter. House is heated by gas central heating
  • Robin9
    Robin9 Posts: 12,106 Forumite
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    There's something very big here using your electric.

    Tell us more about the annex.
    Never pay on an estimated bill
  • molerat
    molerat Posts: 31,866 Forumite
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    edited 6 November 2017 at 3:48PM
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    Bounty1 wrote: »
    The gas is 4 digit
    Which is really strange for a metric meter but that seems to be what you are being charged for - the reason why I asked how many meter units and kWh were on the bill, it shows what type of meter you are being charged for.

    Your electric seems to be the problem. My daughter is a big user 2 adults and 2 teenagers with an electric shower and reptiles using heat lamps and her consumption is around 7000 kWh.

    Switch everything off in the house and see if the meter increments, the light will flash if it is using - the faster the flash the higher the consumption. Possible high users are immersion heater left on, underfloor heating left on.

    You need to do a load test. Find a high load item such as an electric heater and note the power rating. Turn everything off in the house then read the meter. Plug in the electric fire and leave it on for 15 minutes then go read the meter again. A 1 bar (1kWh) fire should have used 0.25 kWh and a 2 bar (2 kWh) 0.5 kWh. Any high load item such as a kettle will do as long as you know the rating, the bigger load the better though.
  • matelodave
    matelodave Posts: 8,609 Forumite
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    We are all electric including heating, hot water, cooking et c and struggle to use 7000kwh a year.

    I'd guess that if your leccy consumption is much more than 10kw a day (approx 3650kw/year) then something is wrong if your heating and hot water are derived from the gas boiler.

    You need to be reading your meter daily to see what sort of consumption you've got. As others have said, turn everything off and make sure that the meter doesnt increase at all and as suggested do a load test.

    Stuff like immersion heaters, electric showers (20 mins = about 3kwh) and heating will use lots of leccy as will something like an electric AGA (you haven't got one have you?). Washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers will push up your consumption on the days that you use them but unless you use them excessively with only half loads then your average should be around 10-15kwh a day.

    It's only by doing your own measuring and monitoring that you can work out what's going on and you need to be doing it daily. Ideally at the same time - say just before bedtime - for a few weeks to get an idea of your consumption profile. Set up a spreadsheet or even write it down.
    Never under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers
  • Bounty1
    Bounty1 Posts: 75 Forumite
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    To answer an earlier question, the house is a 3 bed semi (quite old, built 1878) with a 1 bed annex, the house has one electric shower, 2 fridge freezers, no underfloor heating etc. Washing machine is not used excessively, I always have a full load and hardly ever use a dryer, dishwasher is probably on every other day.

    Going to turn everything off tomorrow and try what’s been suggested.
  • Coolman
    Coolman Posts: 2 Newbie
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    Hi we are with sainsburys /british gas had the same thing a £6000 bill for no apparent reason
  • Michaelw
    Michaelw Posts: 296 Forumite
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    House_Martin wrote: »
    Switch NOW over the phone to BGs dual fuel "All online Jan 2019 " to lower your tariff. So you need to get the electricity moved over to BG asap
    To qualify for this you would have to allow BG to fit smart meters in 2018.
    That would be a good idea as you appear to lead a busy life if you haven`t been able to submit monthly readings lately.
    Suppliers cannot make anything like a good guess on your consumption without regular reads especially with gas in the winter months where the most of the usage occurs
    Please do not bear a grudge against BG, all suppliers work the same systems relying on estimates and most small suppliers barely read the meters once a decade.
    BG do send out teams of meter readers who should leave a card for you to display the readings if you are not available.
    Your predicament is an advertisement for smart meters . This problem is so widespread throughout the country bringing in severe distress to countless occupiers which leads to debts and expensive prepayment meters being installed and credit history blackened.

    Smart meters are a double edged sword especially where theres a large amount owing.They could remotely be switched to prepayment mode and a debt added and swipe prepayment cards sent through the post.They might do away with readings and situations like the thread topic getting out of control but sky high energy prices and the ability to pay is a real issue.

    There will be teaser tarriffs to improve take up of these devices but with a supposed price cap at some point will there be any savings?
  • House_Martin
    House_Martin Posts: 1,462 Forumite
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    Michaelw wrote: »
    Smart meters are a double edged sword especially where theres a large amount owing.They could remotely be switched to prepayment mode and a debt added and swipe prepayment cards sent through the post.They might do away with readings and situations like the thread topic getting out of control but sky high energy prices and the ability to pay is a real issue.

    There will be teaser tarriffs to improve take up of these devices but with a supposed price cap at some point will there be any savings?
    What is wrong with someone who refuses to pay what they owe and continues using the energy to be remotely switched to prepayment mode .Its an ideal situation and a win win for both parties.The debtor avoids getting into seriously large debts, and I have seen prepayment meters loaded with many thousands of pounds of debts.
    Double edge sword ? seems like common sense.
    Personally I would trigger prepay mode around the £400 mark of debt, but I think the suppliers will cop out and go up higher than that.
    Smart meters are doing both supplier and future debtors a big favour.. .Swipe prepay cards would nt needed to be sent through the post. They could pay in the normal methods over the phone or supplier website
    At the moment hundreds of thousands are getting in large debts up to 2k when suppliers then battle to force fit expensive key meters, over £250, each and possibly a locksmith and police in attendance ,which also go`s on the meter as a £400 extra debt..a very common scenario
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