Strange bill! (NPower)

madcyryl

I switched my gas and electricity suppliers last year after i consulted with this website. My previous supplier was edf and both came to £45 a month. As the energy companies were about to put their prices up, i checked a comparison website and capped until 2011 with a new supplier (NPower) The new total was £69 a month but i would be saving in the long run as the prices would have gone up.

I received a bill this week from Npower stating that my monthly bills were going up to £160 per month to cover a £547.46 debit i have!! After speaking to them on the phone they stated that they also thought my bills were high using 7 Kilowatts more than the average household(???) they then assumed i must have a gas leak and promptly sent out an engineer who arrived within the hour. Luckily he said there was no leak but i am still faced with this huge debit to my account, I do not use a large amount of gas, there is only the central heating and water and we are moderate users at best.

Do i have to bite the bullet and pay the deficit or is there anything else i can check to find out why i am suddenly using a lot more gas?

Needless to say i will be changing supplier shortly anyway after npowers poor telephone manner!

Any help gratefully received.

Magentasue

madcyryl wrote: »

I do not use a large amount of gas, there is only the central heating and water and we are moderate users at best.

Um, that's where the money goes. Anything that generates heat will use a lot of energy. Rather than looking at the DD amount, work out how many kwh you used this winter and how many you used in the same period last year. It's been so cold this year, it probably isn't the same amount.

Then look at your price per kwh now and the kwh cost when you were with EDF. Bet they're not the same either.

Chances are, you've used more kwh, are paying more per kwh and this means your annual bill and therefore your monthly DD will be much higher.

madcyryl

I did ask them on the phone why they didn't think to contact me before letting the arrears get so high.. They said "err we dont do that"

KimYeovil

Did they ask you why you did not think to contact them before then to tell them your readings were much higher than your payments... or is that something you don't do?