edf charging 4 times as much as last year?

tumptyteapot

You are all really helpful, than you!
I have gone through and put them all on a spreadsheet and saved it as a pdf - it is here http://www.nakedwebsite.co.uk/images/edf.pdf
It is confusing as some of the bills are for 2 or more dates but have one collective total.

JimmyTheWig

Ok, some of those numbers are in the wrong column (22nd Jan 07, for example), but I'll try to make some sense of it...

Actual readings...
10th April 07 - 744573
9th July 08 - 748633
9th April 10 - 766146

This means that between 10th April 07 and 9th July 08 you used 8.9 units per day, and between 9th July 08 and 9th April 10 you used 27.4 units per day.
Does this three-fold increased usage sound reasonable compared to what you were doing at the time? E.g. has business expanded?

If not, I would question this further. Though if the 9th April 10 reading is correct, I'm not sure that there's much you can do about it.

What is the reading today (or on any date since 9th April)?

tumptyteapot

The 22nd Jan 07 had no dates for the electricity used, just a bill date which is why it is in that column. the most recent reading is 767015.

tumptyteapot

I had already emailed them, with a photo of the meter so they could clarify if it was a 5 or 6 digit and they have responded, but to some ice cream company, they have mixed us up. Good grief! I suppose I better reply or the ice cream company will have more problems though from the letter it looks like a similar 5 to 6 digit mix up.

JimmyTheWig

tumptyteapot wrote: »

The 22nd Jan 07 had no dates for the electricity used, just a bill date which is why it is in that column.

Sorry, it wasn't the date I was querying, it was the readings for that date. They are both actual readings but the figure in the "latest" column is less than the figure in the "previous" column.
But that's irrelevant, really.

the most recent reading is 767015.

When was this reading taken? If it's recently (within the last week or so) then I think that there is either something funny going on or the electric usage is changing dramatically.

The amount of electricity used per day in January to March is 5 times as much as in April to June.
I guess this might be down to some sort of electric heating?
But that doesn't explain why it was low in the early months of 2008.

Did you have electric heating installed two years ago, by any chance?

If not, the numbers look suspicious enough to me to want them checked. Might the meter be faulty?
Does anyone know what the units mean - i.e. would it be reasonable to use on average 58 units per day, every day, through the winter?

tumptyteapot

Ahh yes you are right - they changed the bill format so that the latest used to be first then the previous next, I didn't notice, thank you!

The workshop is split in 2 and the back half of it was used by someone who had an electric heater this winter, from October 09 to April 10 but not before that as there was a wood burner in the back half.

I know they are really bad for consumption but 5 times as bad? The forge bit has no heating, doesn't need it!

That reading was from a picture I took 2 weeks ago, so very recent.

specialsparky

Hi Tumpty teapot, some really good advice from Dogshome. I have a few things too add I'm afraid they are not good news. Your mate, as he is a business has no protection regarding his supply being cut off as in the Domestic Market. He must make an offer to pay something now! This should stop action for a while until this is sorted. As he is a small business he could talk to Citizens Advice Bureau or seek advice from Ofgem or Consumer Focus. Rules are changing constantly and SME (small medium enterprises) small businesses to you and me are getting more and more protection from Ofgem and CF so speak to them now.

Good luck and I hope this helps

tumptyteapot

Thanks again! Would using an electric fire account for the huge raise alone or is there an increase because of the 5/6 digit thing as well?

JimmyTheWig

tumptyteapot wrote: »

Thanks again! Would using an electric fire account for the huge raise alone or is there an increase because of the 5/6 digit thing as well?

I don't think that it's a digit thing (I can't see anything with the digits that would have caused this).
To me it's a question of increased usage vs faulty meter.

It just all depends on how much electricity was being used for how long.
Assuming 8 hours a day Monday-Friday, this means an average consumption of 10kW from January to March. If this stuff was on 24/7 then it would only mean average consuption of 2.5kW.
Electric heaters in Argos seem to go up to about 2kW, so if it was left on constantly this would account for it.
But if it was on for a standard working week then there would have to have been a lot more stuff as well.

Do you know what the guy in the back half was doing in there? He wasn't growing plants or <ahem> herbs that required heat-lamps, was he??

Is the heater still in there? Can you check its rating?
What do you use for heating in the front half?

tumptyteapot

I don't think he was growing anything but anything is possible, he was an artist so was up all night in the coldest part of the year with the heater on :-(
The heating in the front half is a wood burner. I'm wondering if it is worth getting the meter checked if it is looking so likely that it was the lecki fire causing the increase. I feel pretty stupid not thinking of it before but because of the digit thing I automatically thought it was something to do with that.