Electric meter billing mistake

dunloadin

Hmmm, just looked through my procedures manual and there aint no kettle check....funny old thing.

Lets hope if there were 10 meters in the cupboard that no one else in the block fancied a brew when they were poncing about.

spiro

dunloadin wrote: »

Hmmm, just looked through my procedures manual and there aint no kettle check....funny old thing.

Lets hope if there were 10 meters in the cupboard that no one else in the block fancied a brew when they were poncing about.

In your manual it may be a load test, kettles are a favourite thing to use for that.

ankspon

I live in a block of 8 apartments,we have a key to the cupboard in the hallway where all the meters are.These were already marked up with flat numbers on the appropriate meter.

JournalGirl

OP, how long have you rented this flat. You say the bill went back many years, but you can't be expected to pay for electricity for a previous tenant.

dunloadin

In your manual it may be a load test, kettles are a favourite thing to use for that.

They wern't doing a load test, the meter isn't faulty...and there is kit available that gives a visual and audible indication that they have the correct meter. When you want to remove all doubt that you have the right meter why send out the Chuckle Brothers.

There are cases where meters are fitted in series, one in the flat and one in the communal cupboard, but very rare now as it was only done with a batch of early token meters that had no meter read(s). The only ones left will probably be meters that have been zeroed out and used as credit meters.

Gurn_2

dunloadin wrote: »

They wern't doing a load test, the meter isn't faulty...and there is kit available that gives a visual and audible indication that they have the correct meter. When you want to remove all doubt that you have the right meter why send out the Chuckle Brothers.

There are cases where meters are fitted in series, one in the flat and one in the communal cupboard, but very rare now as it was only done with a batch of early token meters that had no meter read(s). The only ones left will probably be meters that have been zeroed out and used as credit meters.

Its quite obvious they were using the kettle to put load on, and then probably clamped an ammeter onto the meter tails to see if the load was switching in and out with the kettle, to correctly identify the relevant meter.

How you fail to see that god only knows!

Gurn_2

dunloadin wrote: »

Not sure about engineers doing a 'kettle check', there's no such thing. Sounds to me like they were putting a load on each flat to check and label up the fuses in the communal cupboard...though why they never used a plug-in fuse finder is baffling.

Because if all the cut out fuses are in a ryfield cabinet, all the tails may be in trunking, so a fuse finder will only tell you which there cut out fuse is, but it may still be a absolute sod to trace the tails out to the meter!
Putting a quick bit of load on and off and using an ammeter is a quick easy way of identifying the correct meter/tails.

redstar1

Thanks to all for replies...

davidhwdn wrote: »

I live in a block of 8 apartments,we have a key to the cupboard in the hallway where all the meters are.These were already marked up with flat numbers on the appropriate meter.

OK just to recap this is not my situation. My meter was inside my flat. The kettle test I have referred above was not done on my meter but (I presume) on the intake area where cables link from the road to the entire block of flats before dividing into the individual flats. I have since discovered that this intake area is behind a full sized door (ie not a cupboard) outside my block which is locked and which has big signs saying 'danger' and 'electric shock'. As a domestic customer I would understand the locked door (for which I don't have a key) and the signs to mean 'keep out' not 'come in and have a look around'.

I think my supplier might be saying that the meter inside my flat was showing the right usage but for the wrong flat. Actually I am not sure this makes sense as surely the meter measures the electricity passing through it which could only be my flat.

Just to complicate things, I have realised that my supplier has recently moved my meter from inside my flat to (I presume) the intake area. They did this without asking me or telling me. Someone told me that this is a new policy re meter positioning. It makes it easier for the supplier to take readings but it also means that I cannot now see the meter number or reading.

Premier_2

redstar1 wrote: »

...I have realised that my supplier has recently moved my meter from inside my flat to (I presume) the intake area. They did this without asking me or telling me. ...

How did they get in? Hope they had a warrant! :cool:

DVardysShadow

redstar1 wrote: »

Thanks to all for replies...



OK just to recap this is not my situation. My meter was inside my flat. The kettle test I have referred above was not done on my meter but (I presume) on the intake area where cables link from the road to the entire block of flats before dividing into the individual flats. I have since discovered that this intake area is behind a full sized door (ie not a cupboard) outside my block which is locked and which has big signs saying 'danger' and 'electric shock'. As a domestic customer I would understand the locked door (for which I don't have a key) and the signs to mean 'keep out' not 'come in and have a look around'.

I think my supplier might be saying that the meter inside my flat was showing the right usage but for the wrong flat. Actually I am not sure this makes sense as surely the meter measures the electricity passing through it which could only be my flat.

Just to complicate things, I have realised that my supplier has recently moved my meter from inside my flat to (I presume) the intake area. They did this without asking me or telling me. Someone told me that this is a new policy re meter positioning. It makes it easier for the supplier to take readings but it also means that I cannot now see the meter number or reading.

In that case, I think I would get on to the energy regulator and seek further advice. To me, it would be totally unacceptable to have my meter behind a locked door without access.

If you are sure that you were originally billed according to the meter in your flat, then you should contact your supplier in writing and ask for a full explanation. If the meter in your flat is not providing your usage, assuming there is a consumer unit nearby, I would switch off there and check that it controls the supply to your flat. If it doesn't, I would leave it switched off until someone complained.