About to switch suppliers and my meter reading is astronomical!

petshopgirlemma

I'm mid switch from E.ON to British Gas for my electricity supplier and I've been asked to provide a meter reading to British Gas so my supply can be switched tomorrow.

However, I've just looked at my meter and it has gone up from 12137 on 31st July to 13051 today which means I've used 914 units in a month! We've been here for 4 years and meter readin was at zero hen we moved in as it's a ew flat.

It's a 2 bedroomed flat, gas central heating and water heating. No unusual or new appliances. The only thing I can thing of possibly having caused a rise is my boyfriend having left the freezer door open overnight one night but surely this couldn't cause such a high consumption!

petshopgirlemma

I've just spoken to E.On who say that as we are switching tomorrow, they cannot investigate the meter. So I'm going ot have amassive bill!!! What can I do?

notbritishgas

petshopgirlemma wrote: »

I'm mid switch from E.ON to British Gas for my electricity supplier and I've been asked to provide a meter reading to British Gas so my supply can be switched tomorrow.

However, I've just looked at my meter and it has gone up from 12137 on 31st July to 13051 today which means I've used 914 units in a month! We've been here for 4 years and meter readin was at zero hen we moved in as it's a ew flat.

It's a 2 bedroomed flat, gas central heating and water heating. No unusual or new appliances. The only thing I can thing of possibly having caused a rise is my boyfriend having left the freezer door open overnight one night but surely this couldn't cause such a high consumption!

Was the reading on 31 july an actual reading or an estimated one?
No, leaving the freezer door open for one night would not cause such an overuse.

petshopgirlemma

Actual reading - I took it myself as their reading was slightly out.

petshopgirlemma

But I thought, even if I mistook the reading (which I'm pretty sure I never) and it was been 12737 for example, that would still mean I'd used what I normally use in a quarter in a month!

Cardew

A freezer wouldn't use anything like that if it had been left open for a month; overnight it might use 5 or 6 kWh.

petshopgirlemma

We didn't think so either!

What could possibly use up so much electricity?

We live in a block of flats and the meters are downstairs so I'm going to keep running down everytime we use any of our appliances! But we've just got the usual - tv, kettle, washer, dishwasher, computers. Nothing like a great big generator!!!!

Could anyone have tampered with it?

Cardew

If you had made a mistake and the reading was 12737, then to have used 314 kWh in a month would be fairly normal consumption for most people.

No appliances could use an extra 600 kWh in a month unless you used a dryer 10 times a day(literally).

petshopgirlemma

I'm on a mission to find out what's caused it now. The freezer is getting a defrost for a start.

It's double odd because after the energy price hikes we made a concerted effort to turn things off!