e.on problem

gemgem1979

hi all,

for the past 5 years i've been very happy with my electriclty bills from e.on , no problems. they have been using estimated billing ranging from £30 to £70 a month. never had an issue with this as i knew it would be higher in the winter and lower in the summer. when e.on do read the meter, my bill has been ajusted and i've recieved a rebate each time. this has happened for the last 2 years.
last week the meter was read and today i recieved an email from e.on saying that the reading was high and could i give them a ring to confirm it was right. so i phoned e.on with my reading and the guy told me that i owed then £680!! i was in a state of shock!!
the meter was read in july 08 and it was 16995 and again may 09 it was 20121. aug 09 it was 21119. fast forward to 10th may 10 and it was 30613. i asked if that was possible and he said it was fair usage but i'm not convinced at all. once off the phone i looked at the past 2 years worth of bills and for the same time period in 08-09 the bill was £455.10. so i'm stumped at how this bill could be that high considering i've already paid £438.86 for that period. so add on the £680 my elec bill for aug 09 - may 10 is £1100!!!
i live above a shop and have 3 bedrooms. is it possible for the bill to be that high?
thanks for any help

KimYeovil

It was colder this winter.

macman

I assume your heating and hot water is all electric? It's perfectly possible to spend £30 a week heating by electricity. What tariff?
Forget your bill, check how much your actual usage has gone up for the same period in the previous year.
You'd be better off taking and submitting regular readings rather than waiting for eventual rebates.

gemgem1979

i know it was cold and my gas bills were the same as the were last year. i have a gas boiler. so i really don't understand how i used so much electricity. the tariff e.on energy plan.

macman

So what do you use electricity for? Do you have a back up immersion heater that has been left switched on? What is your year on year on year unit consumption? Forget the price, it's the usage that matters.
Your consumption is huge if it's not for heating or hot water.

Former_E.ON_Company_Representative:_Malc

Hi gemgem

I do understand the shock suddenly receiving a large bill can cause.

The first thing to do is make sure the meter readings are accurate. You say, previously some of your bills have been estimated. It may be this latest bill is a catch up now we have actual readings.

If the readings are accurate, you will have used the energy. In this case, the next thing to do, if you are struggling to pay the bill, is give us a call and ask for a payment arrangement. This will allow you to spread the balance over a more manageable period.

I agree with macman; your usage is very high if the property is heated by gas. Going forward, therefore, I would suggest a few things which might help reduce this.

Make sure your tariff/supplier suits your particular circumstances. Pop your usage in kWh on to one of the comparison websites and see what is best for you.

Check your current tariff is the best available. There are extra discounts available for paying with a Monthly Direct Debit and managing your account online.

Savings can also be made by reducing your usage. We can help with this, too.

Have a chat with our Energy Efficiency team. Tell them what appliances you have and they will advise of ways you may be able to cut back.

Ask for a copy of a booklet called '100 ways to save money by saving energy'. It's free and contains lots of useful tips to help you save energy.

Check out our website; particularly the interactive house and the Energy Fit campaign. More useful tips here.

Give us a call if you are unsure of any of the above, we will be happy to help. Alternatively, drop an email to the address in my Profile if you would like me to take a look as will be glad to do so.

Hope you find this useful, gemgem. Give me a shout if I can help further.

Malc

KimYeovil

£1100 over ten months - say 30 or 40 kWh per day. It is not possible to use 35 kWh of electricity in a day without noticing. If you do not know what is using it then something is amiss.

Premier_2

The clue to your issue lies here:

gemgem1979 wrote: »

... they have been using estimated billing ...

Comparing back to estimated bills is pretty meaningless.

Always check estimated readings against actual at the time ... and if significantly different let the supplier know unless you want more surprises later.

dogshome

Hi gemgem 1979 - Something has gone very awry
Your Electric meter readings over the 10 month period July 08 to May 09 show a useage of 3126 units, which is roughly 3751 units a year which is about average for a family home that has gas CH & Hotwater

But then for the year May 2009 to May 2010, it jumps to 10,492 units which is nearly 3 times more.
The first thing to do is check all the bills for 'Estimated Readings' that have now caught up with reality

If you do no not have a Combi Gas Boiler and there is a Hot Water tank fitted with an Immersion Heater, CHECK IT NOW to see that it is not on 24/7 and that the thermostat
has not failed

Do a quick check on your meters accuracy by turning everything off, and then plug in a single appliance with a known consumption value - A fan heater is ideal for this as they are usually 2Kw and running it for 30 minutes will use one unit of electric

I think you have already realised that the Telephone Customer Service Desk's response that it was "Fair useage" for a dwellings historical consumption to rise by 300%, was uniformed and ill-advised, so if you find no fault within your system or the bills, but you do find the meter innaccurate on your fan heater test. Put your figures in writing to E.on in a letter headed Complaint
Best of Luck

gemgem1979

thank you all for your replies and will you please excuse me for being a bit dim with all this. i've never had an issue like this.
my boiler is a baxi combi 80e, would this cause the problem?
i did the fan heater test and yes it used 1 unit. but this morning i checked the meter before i went out at 8.30 and it said 30644. i left the washing machine on. i then looked at the meter at 9.45 and it said 30700. can it be at all possible i've used 56 units doing a load of washing?? the washing machin is on now to see how much it does use.

dogshome

Hi gemgem 1979 - So it appears that with all else off bar a fan heater, your meter is functioning normally, but something else, most likely your washing machine, is not

It's rare, though not unknown for appliances to go wrong whereby they are leaking power, but at a rate that does not blow a fuse..
A Wattmeter plugs into a wall socket, then the appliance plugs into it and the readout screen tells you how many watts the appliance is consuming from moment to moment.

They cost around a tenner and you can check every appliance you have got individually