1 bedroom flat - astronomical bill!

clarab_3

Hi Folks, Just had a really scary call with EON.

I live on my own, in a 1 bed flat. My Heating and cooking is done by gas, and my gas bills are currently under the estimate provided by EON.

However, the electricity is WAY above. In fact the (very helpful) woman I was just on the phone to was shocked by them. They say I'm using £100 of electricity a month... on my own!

I dont live a wild, energy rich life. I do work from home so require my laptop most of the day, but with the exception of this, there is only me, so theres a daily 5 minute shower and hairdrying, the light in whatever room I am in after 9pm (though a lot longer in winter I guess) and some occasional tv watching. I maybe do 2 loads of washing a week.

I of course have a fridge and ocasionionally have to iron something but that really is your lot.

Is this remotely feasible? I feel like someone somewhere is stealing my electricity or something! I can never afford the bills they want me to pay...

Vestra

Are the readings on the bill correct? Try taking readings for a week each day to see what your average is.

clarab_3

Vestra wrote: »

Are the readings on the bill correct? Try taking readings for a week each day to see what your average is.

Thanks, its a good suggestion and Ive set myself an alarm at 3pm each day to check it!

I know my latop is on a lot but I barely use anything else, and it is brand new - should be quite efficient.

LeeSouthEast

Switch off every appliance in your home. Does the dial move? Throw the Master switch. Does the dial move after?

I've seen some people previously noting that the dial still spins wildly after doing these, indicating dodgy wiring or you're paying for the communal lighting in the flat hallways or another property as well. Make sure you're only feeding your own flat first, and go from there.

clarab_3

LeeSouthEast wrote: »

Switch off every appliance in your home. Does the dial move? Throw the Master switch. Does the dial move after?

I've seen some people previously noting that the dial still spins wildly after doing these, indicating dodgy wiring or you're paying for the communal lighting in the flat hallways or another property as well. Make sure you're only feeding your own flat first, and go from there.

great suggestion - I'll have a good go at that after work.

E.ON_Company_Representative

Hi clarab,

Based on what you have said, £100 does sound high, especially as you don’t have electrical heating.

The advice by Vestra is a good start; daily readings will allow you to see day by day how many units you use. Also this helps with figuring which appliances use the most energy.

You can get energy monitors which will help you see what uses electricity, and how much. In the worst case scenario, when unable to identify the cause of this, the meter can be checked; however this is chargeable to you in the beginning. The cost is refunded if the meter shows a fault.

Due to the cost it’s important to check everything first, did the lady you spoke to say your payments are £100 or your usage is £100 a month?

If she was specifically talking in relation to your monthly payments, was she including any arrears on the account?

Importantly we need to ensure we are talking about the amount of kWh you are using first and not how much you need to pay in £.

Any questions give me a shout.

Brian

devon_guy

I'm a single person in a one bed flat. I work p/t so am home about 1.30. From then on my tv and laptop are pretty much on till I go to bed. I have an electric oven but gas heating. I also do 2-3 washloads a week and use between 3 & 5 kwh a day.

janninew

clarab wrote: »

Hi Folks, Just had a really scary call with EON.

I live on my own, in a 1 bed flat. My Heating and cooking is done by gas, and my gas bills are currently under the estimate provided by EON.

However, the electricity is WAY above. In fact the (very helpful) woman I was just on the phone to was shocked by them. They say I'm using £100 of electricity a month... on my own!

I dont live a wild, energy rich life. I do work from home so require my laptop most of the day, but with the exception of this, there is only me, so theres a daily 5 minute shower and hairdrying, the light in whatever room I am in after 9pm (though a lot longer in winter I guess) and some occasional tv watching. I maybe do 2 loads of washing a week.

I of course have a fridge and ocasionionally have to iron something but that really is your lot.

Is this remotely feasible? I feel like someone somewhere is stealing my electricity or something! I can never afford the bills they want me to pay...

Hi OP

I live a very similar lifestyle to you, except i live in a 2 bedroom house on my own with 2 dogs. I use similar appliances as you and my bill has never been more than 35.00 per month! I can't see how your using 100.00!! You definatly need to be doing daily meter readings to see whats going wrong!
Good luck!

clarab_3

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Brian wrote: »

Hi clarab,

Based on what you have said, £100 does sound high, especially as you don’t have electrical heating.

The advice by Vestra is a good start; daily readings will allow you to see day by day how many units you use. Also this helps with figuring which appliances use the most energy.

You can get energy monitors which will help you see what uses electricity, and how much. In the worst case scenario, when unable to identify the cause of this, the meter can be checked; however this is chargeable to you in the beginning. The cost is refunded if the meter shows a fault.

Due to the cost it’s important to check everything first, did the lady you spoke to say your payments are £100 or your usage is £100 a month?

If she was specifically talking in relation to your monthly payments, was she including any arrears on the account?

Importantly we need to ensure we are talking about the amount of kWh you are using first and not how much you need to pay in £.

Any questions give me a shout.

Brian

Hi Brian appreciate your response.

My usage is £100 - Eon want a £179 payment a month for the arrears unknowingly built up while Ive been paying £30 :eek:

Seriously scared by that as I just dont have it and cant see at all how a single person can use that.

E.ON_Company_Representative

Hi clarab,

No worries, happy to help.

I see why you’re concerned that’s a high monthly amount to find. Is this £179 for duel fuel or just the electric?

If the monthly amount is too high, I’d happily negotiate the amount to see if it could be reduced further. In effect the debt figure may be spread over a 4 month repayment period, but we can in the right circumstances give you longer, thus lowering the whole monthly payment amount.

It may be worth contacting us and asking if the amount could be spread longer.

The important thing is to start looking at the earlier suggestions, and in effect establish the bills and your consumption is correct. :cool:

Brian

clarab_3

E.ON_Company_Representative:_Brian wrote: »

Hi clarab,

No worries, happy to help.

I see why you’re concerned that’s a high monthly amount to find. Is this £179 for duel fuel or just the electric?

If the monthly amount is too high, I’d happily negotiate the amount to see if it could be reduced further. In effect the debt figure may be spread over a 4 month repayment period, but we can in the right circumstances give you longer, thus lowering the whole monthly payment amount.

It may be worth contacting us and asking if the amount could be spread longer.

The important thing is to start looking at the earlier suggestions, and in effect establish the bills and your consumption is correct. :cool:

Brian

Thanks Brian,

let me work on the suggestions above ove rthe next 2 nights, and then can I PM you if its ok?

Its come as a bit of a shock but im now ready to sort it out!