Help with abnormally high electricity bill

filmnoir

Peebo wrote: »

The heating has it's own Domestic meter, I dont know why though. The reading on that meter was 28327 yesterday and 28350 now so it seems to be ok I think.

So the reads on the meters for the large invoice were they estaimates or actuals between the two points?

Turning everything off is one way to check if anyone after the meters other than yourself is using the meter, however not advisable in the current weather conditions. Ask your landlord/agent to confirm it.

Peebo

Brian_-_E.ON wrote: »

Hi

This does sound like a large amount of electricity to be using for a two bedroom flat.

Properties with all electric heating usually have meters with more than one rate, economy 7 or RHT for example, you only refer to one reading is it definitely a single rate meter?

If it is and your storage heating runs on a single rate meter it is being charged at a high rate rather than the reduced rate like you get with E7 and RHT.

Are there any other plug in heaters being used? Any under floor heating or towel rails in use? These are all extremely expensive to run and use lots of electricity.

Let me know a little more and I will try and help.

Hi Brian thanks for your reply let me answer some of your questions...

I have 2 meters
ComfortPlus control: Heating charged @5.192 total of £146.67 and
ComfortPlus control: Other charged @11.518 total of £791.29
This is for 61 days. The start units are estimates and the end units actual reading form the meter yesterday.

We have 1 wall mounted plug-in heater that is in the babies room thats on for 12-14 hours a day on 1 bar and max heat.

nothing else electric that's heated not even a shower.
Tumble Dryer is on for maybe 1 hour each day.
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Fire Fox: The meter was changed about a year ago when we got rid of the powercards to go Direct Debit the meter says imp/kWh on it i gies this is imperial? i can't see naywhere on the bill if it says this is totalled using imperial or metric units.

Meter number does match the bill on both meters. (I can only go back till Jan 08 online but they all match)

The display is digital and all numbers are all black with no decimal seperator

Thanks for your help it's appreciated.

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Michael_Nottingham

If the start readings are estimates then it is possible that they may have been under estimated leading to a catch up bill this time (i.e. you have paid too little in the past)

When were your last actual readings and what were they? This will help people understand what you are actually using over a period of time to assess whether your usage looks sensible.

Also you say you are on direct debit but refer to a bill (which would normally suggest an on demand payment method i.e. get a bill and pay it). Which of the 2 methods are you using?

Peebo

Last actual readings were taken on 7th October 08. Heating reading 24292 and Other reading 14052.
With regards to paying the bill, it is set up on a direct debit. They bill me then adjust the payments over 3 months to cover the bill, for example if the bill is £300 then it's £100 a month by direct debit.

E.ON_Company_Representative

I think this bill maybe the result of two areas,

Firstly if the billed from readings are estimated this is potentially a bill containing catch up charges. Meaning last quarter’s bill was possibly lower than it should have been.

How much was the last quarterly bill?

The second thing worth checking is that the meter is wired up to the storage heaters correctly and the standard electricity rate is connected to the standard rate.

Try taking a reading then turning on some electrical appliances (not the storage heaters) then take another reading. This will highlight which rate is clocking on at which time.

If the rate that should be associated to the storage heating moves then the readings are transposed.

This means you have been charged for storage heating at the high unit rate and the normal electricity usage at the lower reduced rate.

This may not be the error but is certainly worth doing.

Also are your storage heaters on timers you can adjust or are they programmed to come on when the meter clicks to the other rate?

If the rates are the correct way around are the heaters definitely coming on at the right time to receive the financial benefit?

I hope this helps.

Fire_Fox

Peebo wrote: »

We have 1 wall mounted plug-in heater that is in the babies room thats on for 12-14 hours a day on 1 bar and max heat.

nothing else electric that's heated not even a shower.
Tumble Dryer is on for maybe 1 hour each day.

In you first post you said the washing machine was used three to four times a week, but the tumble dryer is on for an hour each day?? This alone does not explain the 112 units a day problem, but it does start to suggest you are a higher user than you think. Tumble dryers use approx 4kw per hour, a washing machine on a hot wash could use the same again. So that could easily be 8KWH per day on laundry alone - understandable with a baby, but can easily be reduced.

Also I don't know how hot you keep the baby's room (recommended 16-20C) nor the KW of the heater, but twelve to fourteen hours on a lowish heat might well be another 12 to 14 KWH daily. Two storage heaters ... again depends on the size/ power but if we say they are medium (2KW) that's another 28KWH per day between them.

So we are up to 50KWH per day already! :eek: Then we have the immersion heater (3KWH), desktop PC (no idea!), oven (2KWH every other day), chest freezer (2KWH), and possibly poor insulation as you say it's an old flat??

Going back to an earlier thread of mine I note that my parents (who are very careful with electric other than heating) are using 67KWH per day on electricity:
http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=17394169&highlight=Fire+Fox+comparison#post17394169

I am starting to wonder whether you are using that crazy-sounding figure of 112KWH per day ....