Electricity charges due to fault

GeraldC

Hello everyone,
I've got a bit of a problem with electricity charges and am wondering if there is a way to claim back some money through insurance.

I've had problems with boiler thermostats overheating in the past, which i've had fixed but might still be a problem by the looks of things.

i'm a student, am fairly energy efficient (as i'm cheapish...) i live in a 2 bed apartment and used to have to pay an elec bill of about 70 a month, which was due to the thermostat problem. I've had all that fixed but for some reason my elec bill has risen. I've been away for most of december, and received a bill from scottishpower for over £400 of usage since mid october. so it's now over £130 a month!!!! :eek:

i'm not sure if it is the electricity meter or the boiler thermostat that is going crazy again. i'll have things tested to rule out the problem, but i'm still going to be out a hell of a lot of money... :sad:

Has anyone come across this type of situation?, I'm really hoping there is a possibility of claiming something because there is a fault somewhere in the system. i only have the endleigh student insurance and i'm afraid something like this wont be covered... not sure if my landlord's insurance would cover it either...

i would very much appreciate any help with this.
thanks,
G.

Oscar_The_Grouch

Hi there

I don't think that this is an insurance issue, as there has not been an "event" that would have caused the increased draw on the electricity supply. I suggest you get in touch with Scottishpower and advise them of the situation. If it can be shown that it was their equipment that was faulty, they should be willing to look at the bill.

I know this sounds like a bit of a pain, but the best thing to do is turn everything off - lights, sockets, boilers, the lot. The wheel in the meter should stop turning. If it doesn't, start turning "loops" off at the fuse box until you get the wheel to stop. If it still turns, the problem is their end, not yours.

If this doesn't help, here is my "2 pint" pointer on finding the problem:

Get a mate round and promise them beer for half an hour's work. Go round your house and turn everything back on again (starting with the boiler) and get them to time the turns on the wheel in the meter. See what happens as you set things going and it should give you a good idea as to where your problem lies, all for the cost of a couple of pints.

Then you can get an electrician in to fix whatever you have found to be faulty, or just stop using it!!

GeraldC

the wheel on the meter does stop when i knock things off,

narrowing things down is a good idea. i'll give that a try.

cheers,